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For all the joy the holidays can bring, the season can also be incredibly stressful, as we madly run around shopping, cooking, entertaining and visiting friends and family. But when the demands of the season have stretched your wallet, your time and your patience to the max, these gentle yoga poses can soothe frayed nerves and rejuvenate body and soul.

VIRASANA

Heroic Pose This position, or asana, quiets a racing mind and aids concentration. Sit with your knees together and your buttocks on your heels (or resting on a bolster if you suffer from knee pain). Raise the left knee and place the foot beside the right knee. Cup the right knee with the right hand. Put your left elbow on your left knee, and rest your chin on your left palm. Close your eyes and breathe deeply. Hold pose for one to three minutes. Repeat on opposite side.

ANANDA MADIRASANA

A Intoxicating Bliss Pose Kneel with thighs and feet together, and slowly sit back on your heels. Separate your feet and lower your buttocks between your heels. If this is too difficult, put a folded blanket or a bolster under your butt. Place your palms along the length of your foot. If this is uncomfortable, place a telephone book or a yoga block on either side of your feet and rest your palms on them. Lift your torso, close your eyes, and take deep, relaxing breaths. Hold for three to five minutes. This pose is not recommended for those with knee problems.

PARSVOTTANASANA

B Intense Chest Stretch Stand straight, and relax your neck and shoulders. While inhaling, raise arms overhead and then exhale while rotating arms behind and bending elbows, clasping one elbow in each hand. Separate your legs about four feet apart. Next, inhale and look up, lifting your chest and elongating the spine. Then exhale while bending forward, rotating the pelvis so you don't strain your back. With your head down and eyes open, take one to three deep inhalations. Hold for 30 seconds to one minute.

C Slowly straighten up, keeping your arms behind your back. Pivot your right foot 90 degrees to the right and your left foot just slightly less than that, making sure your torso and hips also turn to the right. Keeping your weight on your left leg, inhale and look up, and then exhale, slowly bending forward over your right leg. Hold for one to three deep breaths. Inhale, lift up your chest to 90 degrees, and pivot your feet to center. Exhale, and pivot left foot 90 degrees and right foot slightly less than that. Repeat pose on the opposite side. People with hypertension or a herniated disk should not perform this pose.

ADHOMUKHA SVANASANA

D Inverted Lake Pose This asana is said to help regulate blood pressure, alleviate stress-related headaches and reduce depression. Place a firm bolster (or two bed pillows rolled tightly in a bath towel) against the wall. Lie on your left side, with your hip on the bolster and your buttocks touching the wall. Swing both legs up against the wall, and roll onto your back. Relax your spine, press your shoulders to the floor, and open your arms to the side. Hold for three to ten minutes. For added relaxation, use a scented eye pillow. To end the pose, bend your knees, simultaneously rolling your legs and shoulders to the left, and slowly sit up. Refrain from doing this pose during menstruation.

VIPARITA KARANI

E Downward-Facing Dog Place two blocks or telephone books shoulder width apart on a nonslip surface yoga mat or against a wall. Kneel and place your palms flat on the blocks. Tuck in your toes and inhale, lifting your tailbone toward the ceiling as you elongate your spine. Exhale, widening your shoulders and relaxing your head between your stretched arms. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds. This pose should not be done by people with hypertension or varicose veins, those who suffer from frequent headaches or women in the final stages of pregnancy.

The right yoga gear helps set the mood. The knitwear on these pages is by KD dance. To request a catalog, call (800) 443-1371 or visit the store at 339 Lafayette Street in New York.

Linda Noel Kawabata, An African-American yoga instructor and yoga therapist with 25 years of international experience, lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. Her yoga seminars, video series and texts can be ordered at lindasyogapath.com.