How Yoga Can Help You Stop Smoking?

Quitting a habit, as addictive as smoking, can be a nightmare for most of us. Fortunately, there are some powerful lifestyle practices that can make things easier. And Yoga is definitely one among them. Listed below are 7 powerful postures that can make the quitting process far less complicated.

7 Best Yoga Can Help You Stop Smoking

1. Breath of Fire

How to Do:

• Sit in padmasana or in a cross-legged position.
• Place your hands on your knees with palms facing up.
• Touch the thumb of your hands with your index finger.
• Close your eyes and exhale sharply.
• Keep exhaling noisily and forcefully. Each exhale would be followed by an automatic inhale.

Number of Repetitions: Practice this for 5 minutes and repeat the procedure twice in a day.

How it Helps: The breathing technique helps in dislodging impurities from the lungs.

2. Cobra Pose

How to Do:

• Lie in a prone position on a floor mat.
• Keep your toes pointing outwards and keep your feet apart.
• Place your hands on either side of your chest.
• Slowly lift your torso with the help of your arms.
• Tilt your head upwards and face skywards. Retain the pose for 1 minute.

Number of Repetitions: Cobra pose can be practiced 3 times daily.

How it Helps: It expands the lungs and helps in restoring the damages caused.

3. Cat-Cow Pose

How to Do:

• Stand on all fours with your head facing straight.
• Place your knees in a straight line with your hips.
• Arch your lower back inwards and tilt your head upwards. The curved spine should resemble a cat’s posture.
• Wait for 5 seconds and slowly arch your lower back outwards.
• Lower your head and shoulders.
• Alternate the cat and cow postures for nearly 10 to 20 times.

Number of Repetitions: The pose can be practiced 2 to 3 times a day.

How it Helps: The pose strengthens the muscles around the neck, chest, and vertebral column.

4. Meditation

How to Do:

• Sit with your legs crossed on a floor mat.
• Place your hands on your thighs.
• Relax your back and close your eyes.
• Take deep breaths and concentrate on your inhalation and exhalation.
• Clear your mind and focus only on your breathing.

Number of Repetitions: Meditation can be performed 3 to 4 times in a day and each session can last for 5 to 15 minutes.

How it Helps: Meditation is highly beneficial in dealing with the stress and symptoms associated with nicotine withdrawal.

5. Bow Pose

How to Do:

• Lie in a prone position on a floor mat.
• Place your hands on either side of your hips.
• Press your chin against the floor.
• Bend your knees and slowly swing your feet up.
• Hold your ankles with your hands.
• Arch your back and slowly lift your head, chest, thighs, and hips.
• Lift your gaze up and raise your feet further, still holding them by the ankles.

Number of Repetitions: Practice the Bow pose twice during the day and each time hold the pose for 30 seconds.

How it Helps: This yoga pose has many benefits and one of them is to strengthen the structures around the thoracic region.

6. Camel Pose

How to Do:

• Stand on your knees with arms relaxed.
• Place your knees and heels apart.
• Lift your right hand up, swing it around and place it on your right heel.
• Repeat the same with your left hand.

Number of Repetitions: This yoga pose can be performed twice in a day and you can retain the position for 10 to 20 seconds.

How it Helps: Camel pose can considerably increase your lung capacity.

7. Headstand

How to Do:

• Sit in Vajrasana.
• Bow down and place your hands on the floor.
• Place your head pressed against your palms and keep your fingers interlaced.
• Slowly lift your hips and straighten the knees.
• With a gentle push of your feet hold the legs in the air and bend the knees for steadying the weight.
• Slowly straighten your knees and raise your legs fully up.

Number of Repetitions: The headstand should be performed only once in a day and for 30 seconds.

How it Helps: It increases the flow of energy to your head and thoracic region.

Regular practice of all the above Yoga poses can help the practitioner in easily adapting to the changes associated with tobacco withdrawal.

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