Expert Suggests Easy Yoga Poses To Boost Blood Circulation

One of the most vital requirements of our body is to have steady blood circulation as blood carries essential nutrients and oxygen throughout by removing waste from the cells. Current lifestyles with odd working hours, erratic food habits, irregular sleep patterns, etc play havoc on our health.

Our habits, diet and many other factors may hinder the blood circulation, thus leading to various issues. Yoga expert and spiritual master, Akshar, suggests that while we can’t happen to our complete schedule drastically, a few adjustments might do wonders.

He told HZ that the solution to this mainly lies in the power of Yoga. “As long as we keep our mind and body fit, active and moving, we are doing most of the work to protect ourselves from illnesses. Movement plays a very important role in wellness in more ways than one, and this includes circulatory health,” told the yoga expert, Akshar.

Follow the below sequence of asanas, pranayama as part of your self-care and wellness routine. These are especially effective if you’re dealing with circulation issues, regardless of the cause or physical manifestation in your body.

Samasthithi

Formation of the posture

• Stand with your feet together
• Stretch your arms out beside your body and allow them to hover without making contact
• Gently close eyes
• Relax the body

Benefits

• It prepares your body and calms your mind
• It improves overall body posture
• Creates self-awareness

Vajrasana

This is the only pose that can be done on a full stomach. In fact, it should be done right after having a meal.

Formation

• Begin by standing straight with your arms by the sides of your body
• Lean forward and slowly drop your knees on your mat
• Place your pelvis on your heels and point your toes outward
• Here, your thighs should press your calf muscles
• Keep your heels close to each other
• Do not place the toes on top of the other, instead right and left must be next to each other
• Place your palms on your knees facing upward
• Straighten your back and look forward
• Hold this asana for a while

Benefits

• This asana aids digestion. This is the only asana which can be practiced right after having food
• The calf muscles are also sometimes known as the second heart of the body because our mobility is determined by the strength in your calf muscles.
• Vajrasana mobilises and massages your calf muscles
• Asana relaxes and strengthens feet, ankle, and knee caps.
• Ankles are flexed
• Lubricates knee caps
• Good posture for meditation and/or pranayama

Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bending)

Formation of the posture

• Begin with Dandasana
• Ensure that your knees are slightly bent while your legs are stretched out forward
• Extend your arms upward and keep your spine erect
• Exhale and empty your stomach of air
• With the exhale, bend forward at the hip and place your upper body on your lower body
• Lower your arms and grip your big toes with your fingers
• Try to touch your knees with your nose
• Hold the asana for a while

Benefits

• It acts as a stress reliever
• Reduces fatty deposits in the abdomen
• Removes anxiety, anger, and irritability
• Calms the mind • Stretches the spine and brings flexibility
• Good for constipation and digestive disorder
• Useful for increasing height in young practitioners by stretching of the spine
• Tones the abdominal pelvic organs
• Balance the menstrual cycles
• This asana is also recommended especially for women after delivery

Kapal Bhati

In Sanskrit, ‘Kapal’ means skull and ‘Bhati’ means ‘shining/illuminating’. Therefore, this Kapalbhati Pranayam is also known as Skull Shining Breathing Technique.

Method

• Sit in any comfortable pose (such as Sukhasan, Ardhapadmasan or Padmasana)
• Straighten your back and close your eyes
• Place your palms on your knees facing up (in Prapthi Mudra)
• Inhale normally and focus on exhaling with a short, rhythmic and forceful breath
• You can use your stomach to forcefully expel all the air from the diaphragm and lungs by compressing it
• Inhalation should happen automatically while you decompress your stomach

Benefits

• Strengthens and stimulates the digestive system and abdominal muscles
• Strengthens the nasal passages and removes blockages in the chest
• Promotes blood circulation
• Improves the complexion of the skin and brings a glow on the face
• Increases memory power
• Gives mental clarity and helps overcome stress and depression
• Removes any extra fat from the body

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Yoga can really get your blood flowing, but it also is one of the most accessible types of exercise and can be done by people of all ages. “You can also include Surya Namaskar to optimise your well-being. When you move, it brings more oxygen to your cells, twisting brings fresh oxygenated blood to organs, and inversions reverse blood flow from the lower body to the brain and heart,” said spiritual master, Akshar.

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All this makes Yoga one of the best remedies for poor circulation. “Make sure that you relax in Anandasana or any other meditative pose as relaxation helps circulation too,” concluded the yoga expert. Follow a healthy diet plan, avoid toxic foods and other unhealthy habits that can clog your arteries, and cause the risk of cardiovascular diseases.