Quit Smoking Through Yoga
How to Quit Smoking Through Yoga
You may be wondering, “What’s the connection between yoga and trying to quit smoking?” Well first off, yoga is definitely not the miracle overnight cure you are probably hoping for to instantly fortify your resolve against the lure of nicotine.
However, there are different aspects of yoga, such as meditation, asanas, pranayama, and breathing techniques that can significantly help people who are trying to say good riddance to this unhealthy vice. In fact, yoga offers an integrated and comprehensive program that can help you wrestle smoking out of your life – for good.
How Can Yoga Help You Stop Smoking?
Yoga helps you develop and cultivate determination and will power. These are indispensable qualities that a smoker will need to quit smoking permanently. By strengthening your resolve and eliminating your weak points, you are better equipped to stop and turn away even when you are offered a cigarette.
A lot of people smoke or start smoking as a way of coping with emotional and psychological problems. Yoga techniques can help you best deal with past traumas by promoting physical, psychological, and emotional balance.
Yoga meditation promotes awareness that can help you understand your body and commit to a healthier life. This new awareness will let you know and be more aware of the toxins and health risks you introduce to your body and be more conscious to avoid anything detrimental to health
By learning deep breathing techniques, you will be able to neutralize the cravings brought about by gradual nicotine withdrawal, especially during the first few weeks.
Yoga will help you transition into a smoke-free life without the dreaded weight gain along with other adverse side effects of nicotine withdrawal.
Hard Habit To Break
Without a doubt, smoking is a difficult habit to break, presenting a serious mental and physical challenge. Yoga can be an effective tool to help you all throughout the entire transition process. Yoga is effective as it actually uses the knowledge that many smokers already know and are familiar with.
In particular, this includes the need to take a few minutes of ‘time out’ throughout the day, but in this case, not to smoke but to meditate and perform deep breathing exercises to clear and regroup the mind. It is a quite common practice for smokers several times a day in order to think and contemplate. Without the use of cigarettes, contemplation can be immensely beneficial for mental health and an effective method for dealing with anxiety and stress.
Yoga Offers A Healthier Alternative To Coping With Stress
While most people have probably adapted to smoking as an enjoyable social activity, it eventually becomes an unhealthy copy mechanism against stress. By practicing yoga, you are reprogramming your mind and body to seek another venue and use another coping mechanism for dealing with stress.
Regular yoga practice can help significantly reduce stress reactions as well as contribute to mental well-being, along with the stabilization of mood-altering chemicals in the body. It can also aid in boosting circulation and reducing anxiety as well as promoting better sleep.
Embracing Healthier Living
Once you have decided to quit smoking for good, you will learn to open yourself up to a greater change, which includes choosing to live healthy by making healthier food choices and celebrating a healthy lifestyle. While it is true that going through the withdrawal process can be very difficult, the lasting health impact is of greater importance compared to the short-lived satisfaction offered by a quick nicotine fix. You will be able to discover better and lasting methods of feeling good about yourself and your well-being.
Simple Yoga Practice
For smokers who want to quit smoking, here are some yoga tips to help ease the difficulty of nicotine withdrawal:
- Inhale deeply as far as you can possibly go then slowly exhale with your lips pursed.
- As you exhale, lower your head and allow your chin to touch your chest as you slowly exhale.
- Imagine stress slowly moving out from your body, draining away from your fingers and toes.
- Perform this exercise at least three times a day.
Whether it’s you who have been trying to wrestle out cigarettes from your system or you know someone who wants to give up the nicotine addiction, consider using yoga as a powerful tool to help you go through the ordeal and get rid of nicotine from your system and your life — permanently.
Yoga Healthy Benefits
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual practice that originated in ancient India. It has become increasingly popular in recent years, with millions of people worldwide practicing yoga for its numerous health benefits. Some of the key benefits of yoga include:
- Improved flexibility: Yoga involves stretching and holding poses, which can help improve flexibility and range of motion.
- Increased strength: Many yoga poses require you to hold your body weight, which can help build strength in your muscles.
- Reduced stress: Practicing yoga has been shown to reduce stress levels and improve overall mental health.
- Improved balance and coordination: Yoga poses can help improve balance and coordination, which can be beneficial for both physical and mental health.
- Lower blood pressure: Several studies have found that practicing yoga can lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease.
- Improved sleep: Yoga can help you relax and unwind, which can lead to better sleep quality and duration.
- Pain relief: Yoga has been shown to reduce pain in people with chronic conditions such as arthritis, back pain, and fibromyalgia.
- Improved breathing: Many yoga poses involve deep breathing, which can help improve lung function and increase oxygen levels in the body.
- Increased mindfulness: Yoga can help you become more present and mindful, which can lead to improved mental clarity and focus.
Overall, practicing yoga on a regular basis can have a positive impact on your physical and mental health, and can be a great way to stay active and reduce stress.
