Stop Smoking with Yoga
posted on Sep 5, 2011
Stop Smoking with Yoga
Yoga postures help stop smoking! Yoga positions and yoga postures have a ton of benefits to physical, emotional, and spiritual health; and it can be a wonderful holistic healing method of quitting smoking. Not only are there essential breathing techniques with yoga that help smokers’ lungs recovery more efficiently, the yoga poses themselves are highly conditioning exercises that work wonders for the body.
Ustrasana – Camel Pose Instructions
Instructions
1. Come up onto your knees. Take padding under your knees if they are sensitive.
2. Draw your hands up the side of your body as you start to open your chest.
3. Reach your hands back one at a time to grasp your heels.
4. Bring your hips forward so that they are over your knees.
5. Let your head come back, opening your throat.
Dhanurasana -Bow Pose
Instructions
• Lie flat on the floor with the abdomen, chest and chin touching the ground.
• Keep your hands on both sides.
• Keep both legs a bit apart.
• Relax your whole body.
• Bend your legs backward and grasp the ankles firmly with your hands.
• First raise your chin and then bend your head and neck backwards. The chest should still be touching the ground.
• Inhale slowly and pull your legs up.
• Keep raising your head, neck, chin, chest, thighs and knees backwards, such that only the navel region is touching the ground
• Balance your body on the navel region.
• Pull your legs and arms arching your body as much as possible.
• Gradually, bring your knees, feet and toes together.
• Look up and fix you gaze on the ceiling.
• Holding your breath maintain this posture until you feel the strain in your back.
• Start exhaling slowly and gradually return to the starting position.
These aspects are crucial to the connection of yourself and smoking and will center you and help your body come to the realization smoking is not healthy.
Savasana - Corpse Pose
Instructions
• First of all, sit flat on the ground, with your back straight and your legs stretched out in the front.
• Bend your knees lightly and then gradually lean back onto your elbows, in the process lying down evenly along your spine.
• When your back is parallel to the floor, straighten out the legs as well. Moving one of the legs at a time, carefully place them on the floor. Try to place your legs the center of the back of the thighs and calves.
• Start to relax slowly, first letting your feet fall out to the sides and then, turning your arms outwards. Rest the arms, on your sides, in such a way that the palms face up.
• Stretch the back of your neck and try to rest your head on the center of the back of the scull.
• Now, draw your shoulders away from your ears and let them fall back in a comfortable position.
• Close your eyes and take several deep breaths, feeling your body become relaxed and the tension go away.
• Let go of your body completely and allow your breath to become soft, regular and quiet.
• Aiming at one of the parts of your body, let it begin to relax and then move to the other parts.
• At the end of the asana, stop relaxing consciously and let you body remain in the peaceful mode, for a few minutes.
Give yourself to yoga. Try it. Nothing you lose – other than a nasty habit? You’ll gain much more in the process. Not only will you find yourself again, but you’ll discover a confidence and fresh attitude that was lost in a sea of smoke.