Maintaining a yoga practice can be a great way to reduce stress, stay in shape and calm the mind. But when it comes to stress relief, not all yoga poses are created equal: Some positions are particularly effective for promoting relaxation, tension relief and restfulness.

"Yoga helps us slow down for a moment and tune into the breath. Simply the focus on one thing -- which is the very definition of meditation -- allows us to decompress," Dr. Terri Kennedy, registered yoga teacher and president of Power Living Enterprises, Inc. told The Huffington Post. "The actual asanas [poses] release tension in different ways, and help certain parts of the body."

Seated postures like child's pose can induce feelings of calm and help put the mind in a meditative state, while empowering positions like standing forward bend and eagle pose can calm the mind while also energizing the body. Click through the slideshow below for 10 mind-calming, stress-relieving yoga positions for beginners and advanced yogis alike.

Tell us: Do you have a favorite yoga pose for stress relief? Share your thoughts in the comments or tweet @HealthyLiving.

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• Child's Pose (Balasana)

  The calming child's pose is a resting posture that can help quiet the mind, easing stress and anxiety while gently stretching the back. It's also good for the nervous system and lymphatic system, Kennedy notes. "It's one of the key poses that you can come to in the middle of a class whenever you want to to relieve stress," she says. "It's very restorative ... it's child-like and allows us to come inward to ourselves."

• Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana)

  Not to be confused with the <a href="http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/473" target="_blank">full wheel</a>, the bridge pose provides gentle stretching of the back and legs while alleviating stress and tension. The pose can reduce anxiety, fatigue, backaches, headaches and insomnia, and is even thought to be therapeutic for high blood pressure. Eva Norlyk Smith, Ph.D., yoga teacher and Managing Editor at YogaUOnline, recommends a supported bridge pose with a block underneath the sacrum as a gentler and more de-stressing way to enjoy the stretch.

• Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana)

  Often used as a transition between poses, uttanasana has many benefits when practiced as a pose in itself. The posture stretches the hamstrings, thighs, hips, and is thought to relieve stress, fatigue and mild depression. If your goal is to de-stress in the pose, it's best done with the knees slightly bent, Kennedy says. "It's great for the legs and a lot of different physical things, and it also allows us to calm the mind. You're reversing the blood flow and just hanging out," she says.

• Eagle Pose (Garudasana)

  The active and empowering eagle pose can help ward off stress by improving concentration and balance, and also by opening up the shoulders, upper back and hips. "Eagle is an empowerment pose because it releases tension in the shoulders, legs and back, and it does require focus for you to remain balanced in it," says Kennedy. "You're literally squeezing the tension out of the body. It's a very active de-stress move"

• Corpse Pose (Savasana)

  Most yoga practices end with several minutes spent in savasana, and it can easily be the most calming part of the whole thing. The pose puts the body completely at ease and emphasizes total relaxation. Savasana can trigger the body's "relaxation response," a state of deep rest that slows the breathing and lowers the blood pressure while quieting the nervous system. "[Savasana] is <em>the</em> relaxation pose," Kennedy says. "It's actually difficult for many people because we're so not used to being still ... But it encourages the body to come to a more restful state."

• Extended Triangle Pose (Utthita Trikonasana)

  One of the foundational postures, the triangle pose is an excellent stress-reliever and full-body stretch, <a href="http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/494" target="_blank">according to Yoga Journal</a>. It can also help to improve digestion, and potentially mitigate the symptoms of conditions like anxiety, osteoporosis and sciata.

• Legs-Up-The-Wall Pose (Viparita Karani)

  Norlyk Smith recommends the resting legs up the wall pose for stress reduction. The pose is traditionally thought to <a href="http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/690" target="_blank">slow the aging process</a>. "It helps renew blood and lymph drainage back into the heart area," she says.

• Puppy Pose (Uttana Shishosana)

  A variation of child's pose with a heart-opening effect, this mild inversion pose can help to counter our tendency to crouch and slouch the shoulders when stressed, according to Norlyk Smith.

• Cat Pose (Marjaryasana)

  The cat pose soothes and stretches the lower back, relieving stress while gently massaging the spine. Try arching and rounding the back 10 times in a row while focusing on deep inhaling and exhaling. "[In the cat pose], you're releasing stress in the spine ... If you're in a class, it allows students to begin to slow down and focus on the breath," Kennedy says. "It's one of those transition poses that takes us from the outside world in."

• Dolphin Pose

  Similar to the downward-facing dog position, except with the forearms on the floor, his standing inversion pose can help to quiet the mind, alleviate stress and reduce anxiety, <a href="http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/2462" target="_blank">according to Yoga Journal</a>. The posture stretches the shoulders, neck and spine.