Melt Into One of These Expert-Recommended Yoga Poses Each Day to Release Stress and Sore Muscles

You can do a simple Mountain Pose anywhere and anytime, said yogi Anita Perry. It's simple "but so beneficial for the mind and body," providing a lengthening and posture-improving stretch in your feet, legs, and spine.

According to LA-based yoga instructor Vinnie Salemno, Standing Forward Folds "decompress the vertebrae in your spine, relax your neck and shoulders, and lengthen and stretch your legs and hamstrings all at the same time. I do them all day long!" It's also a wonderful tension reliever, added CorePower Yoga instructor Alexa Hirschberg.

This stretch lengthens and tones the backs of your legs, often a tight area for many of us, said Michelle Thielen, founder of YogaFaith. "This pose can be invigorating and possibly replace your daily caffeine intake — it's that powerful!" Michelle told POPSUGAR.

As a yoga teacher and avid runner, Downward-Facing Dog is Val Minos's go-to pose. "It provides length and flexibility in the back of the legs and through the spine," she said, while relieving tension between your shoulder blades. It's also an inversion, which Val said helps to clear and energize her mind and body.

Yoga instructor and NASM-certified trainer Liz Galloway recommended this simple, classic pose because of the lower-back and spinal release it provides. It opens up your whole body and is a "great slow wake-up position," Liz said.

"Backbends and spinal movement are key to sustaining the health of our spines, especially these days where we spend a good portion of our day hunched over!" said yoga instructor Sara Quiriconi. Moving back and forth between these two complementary poses loosens all of your back muscles. The movement can be done as a warmup, as part of your yoga practice, or on its own if you only have time for one posture.

If you're sitting down for most of the day, chances are your hips are pretty tight. "A properly executed crescent lunge will help to open the hip flexors, engage the glutes, and strengthen the muscles of the torso — all super important for proper posture and back health!" said Julie Erickson of Endurance Pilates and Yoga.

"This pose helps you work into the hips, the hamstrings, and the lower back, so it's great for overall flexibility," said certified yoga teacher Alex C. Wilson. It also involves a slight forward fold, which Alex said gives it a calming, introspective energy. She recommended doing it as a dynamic posture, moving smoothly between Low Crescent Lunge and Lifted Head to Knee (also called Half-Splits).

Yoga instructor Brooke Diaz of Yoga Joint recommended daily chest-opening stretches, like this Cobra Pose, for spinal strength. "Each and every day, our back is aging, and back extensions like Cobra and Upward-Facing Dog are extremely helpful for overall strength," she explained. Cobra Pose will also open up your heart and chest, which can release stress and emotional tension.

If you only had time for one pose, yoga instructor Kathleen Clemons recommended doing Lying Spinal Twist, or Supine Twist. "This shape is gentle enough for anyone to do with simple modifications and has some truly amazing benefits," she said: decompressing and improving flexibility in your spine, lengthening your hip rotators, and relieving pain throughout your torso. "Your whole well-being is connected to the health of your spine, and this is my favorite way to easily open, release, and improve it!" she said.

This soothing pose stretches your piriformis muscle, which runs below your glutes and can cause sciatica-like pain when it's tight, said Mary Home, a yoga instructor at Daily Burn. Stretching this muscle on a daily basis can not only ease pain and inflammation but also help you process and release negative emotions, Mary added.

"A pose I suggest everyone do each day is Child's Pose," said Paris Alexandria, cofounder of BK Yoga Club. She described it as a restorative pose that encourages you to center your thoughts and focus your breath while relieving lower-back tension and pressure. "Very much recommended for the person who's always on the go," she said.

Yoga instructor Morgan Balavage recommends making this restorative pose the first and last thing you do every day. "Your tired legs are using gravity to drain lactic acid and excess fluid toward your kidneys," she explained. Meanwhile, "your aching back muscles are sighing at the firm support of your floor and gradually relaxing." In the evening, this stretch helps you relieve stress and ease insomnia, while in the morning, it can energize.

"I haven't met someone who didn't need Supported Fish Pose," said yoga instructor Lucile Hernandez Rodriguez. This pose is a great antidote for the hunching posture many of us are guilty of when working at computers or on phones. "This is a gentle restorative backbend that will set you up for relaxation," Lucile added.

Don't let the look of this posture fool you; according to yoga teacher and triple board-certified physician Monisha Bhanote, MD, "the real difficulty comes in the art of relaxing." If your life is fast-paced and hectic, with your mind "constantly bouncing from one idea to another," a daily Savasana provides time for relaxation, balance, and stress reduction, she explained. Try this pose before a meditation session or at the end of the day to promote deep, restful sleep.