Yoga For Better Blood Circulation

Yoga For Better Blood Circulation

Your blood circulation might be poor due to a number of reasons - all day at your desk, high cholesterol, diabetes, blood pressure, inadequate sleep & even addictions. This may lead to:

• numbness
• cold hands & feet
• swelling
• muscle cramps
• brittle hair & nails
• tiredness
• dark circles under your eyes

However, there are several ways to fight these symptoms. For eg.

• medical treatments
• diet & eating habits
• avoiding smoking
• regular workouts

The key factor to keep in mind is, your body needs a lot of movement, especially for circulatory health. Yoga is proven to be one of the best types of exercises to improve blood circulation in your body.

Apart from self-care & wellness routine, you may want to follow the below given yoga poses which would significantly improve your blood circulation.

1. Downward-Facing Dog (Adho mukha svanasana)

Since this pose puts your heart above your head & your hips above your heart, it gives perfect gravity to facilitate blood flow to your brain. This is a simple & effective excercise for improving circulation. This pose may also strengthen your legs & calf muscles.

How to:

• Start with both your hands & legs, your shoulders above your wrists, your hips above your knees & ties tucked under.
• Breathe in. While you exhale, press firmly into your hands lifting your hips upwards, straightening your ams & legs.
• Keep deep breathing as you press into each finger & press your heels towards the floor. Your heels may not be on the ground, depending on your stance, but keep them working in that direction & keep your legs active
• Hold this position for 3-4 breaths & repeat this a few more times.

2. Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II)

This is a highly effective yoga pose for improving muscles in your legs. Your muscles will be compressing & releasing the veins in your legs, thus increasing blood circulation.

How to:

1. Stand in Tadasana (mountain pose). Exhale & step your right leg 3-4 feet apart.
2. Lift your hands parrallel to the floor, palms open. Turn your right foot towards the right & your left foot out to the left, 90 degrees. Alight left heel with the right. Firm your thigh & turn your left thigh outwards to that the center of the left knee cap is in line with the center of the left ankle.
3. Keep taking deep breaths & bend your left knee over the left ankle so that the shin is perpendicular to the floor.
4. Once you set the position & feel comfortable, start breathing deeply. Breathe 3-4 times & repeat the steps.

3. Triangle (Trikonasana)

Even triangle is a standing yoga pose, hence great for muscle toning in legs & improved blood circulation. For this pose we open up our chest & lungs, which improves circulation around torso as well.

How to:

1. Start with the Warrior II pose, breathe deeply as you straighten your front leg & keep you arms aligned over your legs, like a 'T' shape.
2. While you breathe out, tip your torso over your right leg from your hip, keeping your back long and straight, your arms aligned to your shoulders, so the 'T' will tip with you.
3. Rest your right hand on your right ankle, your left hand should reach upwards. Your gaze at your front foot out to the left, or upwards at your hand.
4. Engage your leg muscles as you keep your chest open to the side, keep breathing deeply.
5. You can switch the sides after 3-4 breaths. Repeat these a few times.

4. Legs Up The Wall (Viparita Karani)

This pose involves taking support of a wall and sometimes even a pillow. This is an inversion of how most of us sit all day long. This position relieves the pooling of blood or body fluids, hence improves overall blood flow.

How to:

1. You might need a pillow for this pose. Place it up against a wall where there's space at the bottom, where the wall meets the floor & far enough up the wall that you legs can stretch upwards.
2. Sit parallel to the wall, lie down with your feet on the ground, knees bent.
3. Take your lower back's support, lift your feet & slowly swing your torso in such a way that it intersects the wall & your sitting bones up against the base of the wall.
4. Once you are set in the position, extend your legs up the wall.
5. Keep your hands next to your, palms facing up. Hold this position & keep breathing deeply
6. There might be several medical reasons causing circulation problems. A lot of you might be dealing with this issue even without knowing about it. Mainly because of our lifestyles, all day at desks, lack of body movement, etc.

The above given yoga poses will help compress & decompress the veins in your legs & help stagnant blood, reversing the flow & improving overall circulation. Whether you are aware of your circulation issue or not, these yoga poses will significantly help your body function more effectively.