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Here, I will list down the most effective yoga poses to quit alcohol addiction.
In the previous article on how to get rid of alcohol addiction, we discussed,
- When you can say someone is addicted to alcohol
- Health damages caused by excess consumption of alcohol
- 11 ways to get rid of alcohol addiction (including home remedies)
But here our focus will be on treating the alcohol addiction with the help of yoga poses.
Alcohol addiction has become a major issue worldwide. Sometimes it becomes the reason for family quarrels, domestic violence, divorce, etc.
It is not like people don’t want to get rid of alcohol addiction but the main problem is they don’t want to go to rehab centers or consult any doctor.
In such a case, you can also take the help of yoga poses to beat your alcoholism.
Before, I start listing down the yoga poses to quit alcohol addiction, let’s have a look at a few questions.
Table of Contents
1. Does Yoga Help to Treat Alcohol Addiction?
People often ask or search for this question. The simple answer to this question is YES.
Of course, yoga can help you with your alcohol addiction. But it takes time. It is not like, you start practicing yoga today and you will be able to end your addiction tomorrow.
You should have patients and be consistent in yoga practice. If you are a heavy drinker then it will take 2-3 months minimum to completely quit alcohol addiction.
If you just started getting addicted to alcohol then 15-21 days are enough.
2. How does yoga help to quit alcohol addiction?
Yoga is a combination of physical and mental exercises. It lowers the alcohol cravings.
It lowers your stress and anxiety which are generally the common causes behind alcohol addiction.
If you start practicing yoga daily for at least 15 minutes, it will change your mind and fill your body with positive energy which will keep you away from bad habits.
Yoga also increases the mindfulness of the person so he can be more aware of his/her addiction and can focus more on quitting the alcohol addiction.
And eventually, you will be free from alcohol addiction.
Yoga will also keep you mentally stable throughout your journey of ending alcoholism.
Yoga can also flush out the alcohol-generated toxins from the liver and kidneys.
Now, let’s talk about yoga poses that will help you to quit alcohol addiction.
3. 11 Best Yoga Poses to Quit Alcohol Addiction
The yoga poses mentioned here are recommended by rehab centers and many yoga experts worldwide. You have to include all of them or some of them in your daily routine.
Spare at least 25-30 minutes in a day to practice them.
Practicing these poses in the early morning will be more effective for you.
1) The Downward Facing Dog (Adho mukha svanasana)
This yoga pose can help you get relief from stress. Stress can be the major reason behind alcoholism so it is very important to get out from stress.
Method:
- Keep your knees aligned with your hips and your hands slightly in front of the shoulders.
- Raise your knees off the ground so your body forms the V shape.
- Make sure your palms face the floor.
- Stretch your calves, hamstring, and ankles.
- Maintain this position for 1-3 minutes.
Apart from the benefit to get rid of alcohol addiction, the downward-facing dog has many other benefits.
Such as,
- Its regular practice prevents osteoporosis
- If you are a woman then it can give you relief from menopausal and menstrual pain
- Improves digestion
- Can help in sinus, asthma, headache & fatigue pain
- Treats back pain
- Helps to maintain blood pressure
Pregnant women should avoid this pose.
2) The Butterfly Pose/The bound angle pose/ The Cobbler’s pose (Baddha konasana)
It is one of the best yoga poses to quit alcohol addiction. Practicing it regularly can lower the cravings for alcohol.
Method:
- Make the pose as shown in the below image.
- Stay in that position for 5 minutes.
- Lengthen the front of your chest by keeping your shoulders back
- Allow your thighs to gravitate towards the ground.
The other benefits of the butterfly pose are,
- It is said to be a great hip opener and it energizes the lower abdominal organs
- Relieves asthma and controls the blood pressure
- Beneficial in lowering the menopausal and menstrual pain
3) The Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana)
It is used to detoxify the kidneys. It can increase your alcohol addiction recovery.
Method:
- Seat straight.
- Extend both the legs forward side
- Try to touch your jaw on the knees your legs
- Try to touch your leg thumbs with the figures of the hands
- Try to stay in this position for 30-60 seconds
This yoga pose is also recommended to people who want to increase their height.
(Related: How to increase height)
The image of the pose is shown below.
4) Reclined Thunderbolt pose/The Reclining Hero (Supta Vajrasana)
It is a respected member of a group of yoga poses that can help you to quit alcohol addiction.
Method:
- Make the pose as shown in the below image.
- Hold in that position for 30-60 seconds.
Here are the other benefits of the reclined thunderbolt pose.
- It helps in insomnia, infertility, sciatica, etc.
- It also helps in flat feet.
- It controls the blood pressure and keeps it in the normal range.
- It is also beneficial in respiratory issues.
The image of this pose is shown below.
5) The Low Lunge Pose (Anjaneyasana)
The low lunge pose helps you to get rid of emotional trauma which results in fewer alcohol cravings.
Method:
- The final pose is shown in the below image.
- The person suffering from heart problems should avoid this pose
The other benefits of the low lunge pose,
- It helps is sciatica.
6) The Half Spinal Twist Pose (Ardha Matsyendrasana)
It is one of the best yoga poses to quit alcohol addiction.
Method:
- Make the pose as shown in the below image.
Other benefits of the half spinal twist pose are,
- It strengthens your spine, shoulder, and hips.
- It is helpful to treat lower back pain, neck pain, and sciatica.
- It also helps us get relief from stress and ensures good digestion.
7) The Garland Pose (Malasana)
The image for the garland pose is shown below.
Other benefits of the garland pose,
- It helps to improve your digestion as well as metabolism.
8) The Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)
It is also one of the useful yoga poses to quit alcohol addiction. It is very simple to perform.
But the person having a headache and a woman who is pregnant should avoid this pose.
Method:
- Just lie down on your stomach.
- Slowly raise your upper body with the help of your hands.
- Raise until your hands are straight.
- The distance between your hands should be the same as your shoulder width.
Other benefits of the cobra pose are,
- It is extremely important for the person suffering from asthma.
- It is also a good exercise for your chest, abdomen, shoulder, and back.
The image of the cobra pose is shown below.
9) The Bow Pose (Dhanurasana)
In this pose, you give the bow shape to your body.
If I am listing down the yoga poses to get rid of alcohol addiction and don’t include the bow pose, it will be unfair.
It helps a lot in treating anxiety and lowering alcohol cravings.
Method:
- Lie down on a yoga mat on your stomach side.
- Bend both the legs from the knees and lift them up.
- Grab both feet with hands.
A person who is suffering from migraine, insomnia, blood pressure, neck pain/injury, and lower back pain/injury should not perform this pose.
The other benefits of the bow pose,
- Extremely useful to treat anxiety
- Can be used to treat constipation
- Beneficial in respiratory diseases
(Related: Home remedies to cure constipation completely)
The bow pose is shown in the below image.
10) The Cow Face Pose (Gaumukhasana)
The people who are addicted to alcohol due to stress and anxiety can literally get the benefits from this pose.
This is one of the best yoga poses to quit alcohol addiction.
Method:
- The pose is shown in the below image.
People who are suffering from neck injury or shoulder injury should avoid this pose.
The other benefits of the cow pose,
- Extremely beneficial to treat or prevent stress and anxiety
- Gives relief to fatigue
- You can also perform this pose as a post-workout stretching exercise.
The image of the cow pose is shown below.
11) The Corpse Pose (Shavasana)
This is the final yoga pose that you have to do after completing all the above-mentioned poses.
This pose fills you with immense calmness and relaxation. It will relax you and will flush out all your stress and anxiety.
Do this for 3-5 minutes.
The image of the corpse pose is shown in the below image.
These are the 11 best yoga poses to quit alcohol addiction. Include all of them or some of them in your exercise routine to get rid of any kind of addiction.
Now, let me answer the most common questions.
FAQs
1) Can Yoga really help me get rid of alcohol addiction?
Yes, It helps. But it will take time. You have to practice yoga poses consistently for 2-3 months to get your desired result.
2) Can meditation help me with alcoholism?
Of course, meditation is also one of the parts of yoga and it can definitely help.
3) How much time should I expect to get rid of alcohol habit by practicing yoga poses?
2-3 months
4) What is the best time to perform all these yoga poses?
In the early morning. And remember to perform all these poses in a peaceful and clean environment.
Conclusion
Here, we have discussed almost all the yoga poses to quit alcohol addiction.
Practice these poses consistently for two to three months to beat your alcohol addiction.
Let’s summarize the article.
11 Best Yoga Poses to Get rid of Alcohol Addiction,
- The Downward Facing Dog (Adho mukha svanasana)
- The Butterfly pose (Baddha konasana)
- The Seated forward bend (Paschimottasana)
- Reclined Thunderbolt pose (Supta Vajrasana)
- The Low lunge pose (Anjaneyasana)
- The Half spinal twist pose (Ardha Matsyendrasana)
- The Garland pose (Malasana)
- The Cobra pose (Bhujangasana)
- The Bow pose (Dhanurasana)
- The Cow face pose (Gaumukhasana)
- The corpse pose (Shavasana)
This is all for this article.
I hope you will get your answer here. But if you still have any doubt, I would love to listen to them in the comment box.
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Thanks for reading…!!!