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No Smoking Day 2022: 5 Yoga Asanas To Help You Quit Smoking
No Smoking Day is observed every year on the second Wednesday of March to create health awareness about the harmful effects of smoking among people and intends to help smokers who want to quit smoking.
In 1984, No Smoking Day was observed for the first time. The theme of No Smoking Day 2022 is 'quitting smoking doesn't have to be stressful.'
From improving your physical health to your mental health, practising yoga is undoubtedly good for your overall health. Yoga helps build strength, awareness and harmony in both the mind and your body and help reduce chronic pain. Regular practice of yoga can help reduce lower back pain, arthritis, headaches and carpal tunnel syndrome, as well as lower blood pressure and reduce insomnia [1] .
Some of the major benefits of regularly practising yoga are increased flexibility, increased muscle strength and tone, improved respiration, energy and vitality, balanced metabolism, weight reduction cardiovascular and circulatory health, improved athletic performance and various others [2] . Apart from the physical benefits, yoga also has several mental benefits [3] such as creating mental clarity and calmness; increases body awareness etc.
One of the other major benefits of yoga we will focus on today is the impact it has on quitting the habit. To shake off the habit of smoking requires a whole lot of iron will and harshness, as nicotine is one of the most addictive substances used by mankind [4] . From simple respiratory diseases to life-limiting strokes and the most dreaded forms of cancer, the number of ailments it gifts is one too many.
Smoking can calm the mind and relieve the person of stress and anxiety temporarily, making it one of the reasons people decide to smoke. However, by practising the below-mentioned yoga poses, studies support that it can help you quit the habit [5] . It can also help to manage the withdrawal symptoms which include irritability, anxiety, depression, insomnia and headache.
Yoga Poses That Help Quit Smoking
1. Kapalbhati pranayama
The term Kapalbhati literally means a shining forehead, which is a sign of a healthy body. Practising this pose helps your body detoxify itself by expelling the toxins through the outgoing breath. Apart from improving the blood circulation, this particular form of yoga rejuvenates the nervous system and brain cells. It calms the mind and helps resist the urge to smoke [6] .
How to
Step
1:
Sit
comfortably,
keep
your
spine
erect,
and
place
your
hands
on
the
knees.
And
your
palms
should
be
open
to
the
sky.
Step
2:
Take
a
deep
breath.
Step
3:
When
you
exhale,
pull
your
stomach
as
much
as
you
comfortably
can.
Pull
the
navel
towards
the
spine.
Keep
your
right
hand
on
the
stomach
to
feel
the
muscles
contract.
Step
4:
Relax
the
navel
and
abdomen.
Air
will
flow
in
automatically
to
your
lungs.
Step
5:
Repeat
it
20
times
to
complete
one
round
of
Kapalbhati
pranayama.
Step
6:
Relax
with
eyes
closed
and
feel
the
sensations
of
your
body.
2. Bhujangasana
Also known as cobra pose, bhujangasana gets its name as it resembles a cobra just before its attack. It is a posture usually recommended for people with respiratory ailments. The posture helps expand the chest, reduces fatigue and improves blood circulation. Thereby aiding in relieving stress and lowers the urge to smoke [7] .
How to
Step
1:
Lie
down
on
your
stomach
and
keep
your
legs
close
together
and
toes
flat
on
the
ground.
Step
2:
Put
your
palms
beside
your
shoulder
and
let
the
forehead
rest
on
the
ground.
Step
3:
Inhale
deeply
and
raise
your
head
up
to
the
naval
region.
Try
to
see
the
roof.
Step
4:
Maintain
the
position
up
to
60
seconds.
Inhale
and
exhale
deeply
throughout.
Step
5:
Come
back
to
the
original
position
while
exhaling
deeply.
Step
6:
Repeat
the
process
3-5
times.
3. Sarvangasana
One of the most beneficial yoga asanas, the shoulder stand in sarvangasana is believed to help the functioning of all organs. It can relieve stress and combat depression, which is linked with that of the effectiveness of the pose to help reduce the urge to smoke. It helps the brain cells by improving the blood circulation to the region [8] .
How to
Step
1:
Lie
down
on
your
back
with
hands
by
your
side.
Step
2:
Raise
your
legs
slowly
to
a
90-degree
angle.
Step
3:
Lift
your
buttocks
and
back
to
remain
high
up
on
your
shoulder.
Step
4:
Support
your
back
with
your
hands.
Your
weight
should
be
supported
by
your
shoulders
and
arm
and
not
your
head
and
neck.
Step
5:
Straighten
your
legs
and
spine
by
pressing
the
elbows
down
to
the
floor
and
keep
the
legs
firm.
Raise
your
heels,
then
point
your
toes
up
and
try
to
press
the
chin
against
the
chest.
Step
6:
Try
to
maintain
the
posture
for
more
than
30
seconds.
Step
7:
Slowly
return
to
the
original
position.
For
this,
lower
your
knees
to
the
forehead.
Bring
down
your
hands
to
the
floor,
palms
facing
down.
Bring
your
spine
down
slowly.
Lower
the
legs
to
the
floor.
Step
8:
Relax
for
60
seconds
before
repeating
the
posture.
4. Shishuasana
Also known as the child pose, this pose help relax your body, calms the nervous system and relieves tension and stress. By relaxing your whole body and mind, the urge to smoke is naturally diminished, studies suggest [9] .
How to
Step
1:
Sit
on
your
heels.
Step
2:
Bend
forward
and
lower
your
forehead
to
the
ground.
Step
3:
Keep
the
hands
on
the
floor
alongside
your
body,
palms
facing
up.
Step
4:
Press
your
chest
on
the
thighs.
Step
5:
Return
to
original
posture
uncurling
slowly.
5. Shavasana
The corpse pose is a deep, meditative state of rest, practised at the end of every yoga session. It might seem the simplest of all, but requires a whole lot of concentration. Shavasana help reduce anxiety and high blood pressure. It is also beneficial in rejuvenating your body and in turn help people with the habit of smoking limit the urge to constantly light a cigarette [10] .
How to
Step
1:
Lie
flat
on
your
back.
Step
2:
Let
your
legs
and
hands
relax
completely
and
place
your
legs
apart.
Keep
arms
alongside
with
your
palms
facing
up.
Step
3:
Relax
your
entire
body.
Pay
attention
to
different
parts
of
your
body,
one
by
one.
Start
with
your
right
foot,
move
into
the
knee
and
then
the
thigh.
Do
it
with
the
other
leg
as
well.
Step
4:
Breathe
gently
and
deeply.
Step
5:
After
10-20
minutes,
roll
on
to
your
right
side.
With
the
support
of
your
right
hand,
slowly
sit
up
comfortably.
Step
6:
Keep
your
eyes
closed.
Gently
breathe
in
and
out.
Slowly
open
your
eyes
once
you
feel
complete.
- [1] Bock, B. C., Fava, J. L., Gaskins, R., Morrow, K. M., Williams, D. M., Jennings, E., ... & Marcus, B. H. (2012). Yoga as a complementary treatment for smoking cessation in women.Journal of Women's Health,21(2), 240-248.
- [2] Bock, B. C., Morrow, K. M., Becker, B. M., Williams, D. M., Tremont, G., Gaskins, R. B., ... & Marcus, B. H. (2010). Yoga as a complementary treatment for smoking cessation: rationale, study design and participant characteristics of the Quitting-in-Balance study.BMC complementary and alternative medicine,10(1), 14.
- [3] McIver, S., O'Halloran, P., & McGartland, M. (2004). The impact of Hatha yoga on smoking behavior.Alternative therapies in health and medicine,10(2), 22.
- [4] Carim-Todd, L., Mitchell, S. H., & Oken, B. S. (2013). Mind–body practices: An alternative, drug-free treatment for smoking cessation? A systematic review of the literature.Drug and alcohol dependence,132(3), 399-410.
- [5] Elibero, A., Janse Van Rensburg, K., & Drobes, D. J. (2011). Acute effects of aerobic exercise and Hatha yoga on craving to smoke.Nicotine & Tobacco Research,13(11), 1140-1148.
- [6] Sussman, S., Dent, C. W., & Lichtman, K. L. (2001). Project EX: outcomes of a teen smoking cessation program.Addictive behaviors,26(3), 425-438.
- [7] Raub, J. A. (2002). Psychophysiologic effects of Hatha Yoga on musculoskeletal and cardiopulmonary function: a literature review.The Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine,8(6), 797-812.
- [8] Khanna, S., & Greeson, J. M. (2013). A narrative review of yoga and mindfulness as complementary therapies for addiction.Complementary therapies in medicine,21(3), 244-252.
- [9] Ussher, M. H., Taylor, A. H., & Faulkner, G. E. (2014). Exercise interventions for smoking cessation.Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (8).
- [10] Bock, B. C., Rosen, R. K., Fava, J. L., Gaskins, R. B., Jennings, E., Thind, H., ... & Marcus, B. H. (2014). Testing the efficacy of yoga as a complementary therapy for smoking cessation: Design and methods of the BreathEasy trial.Contemporary clinical trials,38(2), 321-332.
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