Yoga is popularly known as a great stress reliever. Yoga combines many popular stress reducing techniques that includes exercise and learning to control the breath. As yoga becomes increasingly popular, more and more people are discovering the benefits yoga brings to their stressful lives. Maintaining a consistent yoga routine is the best way to experience the difference yoga can make. The following stress management yoga routine is intended for beginners who think they do not have time for yoga. Exercise. Hatha Yoga is the physical practice of yoga postures. There are many different types of hatha yoga. Some are slow and more focused on stretching and others are fast and more of a workout. If you are looking to relieve stress, no one yoga style is best. So pick one that meets your level of physical fitness and personality. Any exercise will help relieve stress by keeping the body healthy and releasing endorphins, natural hormones that make you feel better. Yoga also relieves stress through stretching. The stretching of yoga releases tension from problem areas and that includes the hips and shoulders. Relief of low back pain is another common benefit. Breath Control. Pranayama or breath work is an important part of any yoga practice. Also, yoga increases your awareness of the breath as a tool for relaxing the body. Although breathing is a compulsory act, you have to keep doing it to stay alive, you can choose to manage the breath. Just learning to take deep breaths and realizing that this can be a quick way to deal with stressful situations is amazingly effective. Clearing the Mind. Our minds are constantly active, racing from one thought to another, comparing possible scenarios for the future and thinking about the incidents from the past. All this mind work is tiring and stressful. Yoga offers several techniques for managing the monkey mind. One is breath work as mentioned above. Each breath is tied completely to the present moment. You are not breathing in the past or the future, but only right now. Focusing on each inhale and exhale to the exclusion of other thoughts is one way to clear the mind and It is also a basic meditation technique. In addition, the performance of yoga poses or asanas also acts as a form of meditation. The poses are so physical and have to be done with such concentration that all other thoughts and worries are put to the side, giving your brain a much needed break. Relaxation. Each yoga sessions ends with five to ten minutes spent relaxing in corpse pose, savasana. While this relaxation can be difficult at first, in the end it will serve the purpose of a total release for both body and mind. Savasana transitions take you back to the world of feeling refreshed and equipped with the tools to manage stress in your daily life. Yoga Nidra is a practice that offers an opportunity for a longer and deeper period of relaxation and an introduction to meditation which can also be a great stress reducer.