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Yoga is known for improving flexibility and strength, but did you know that it can also help you reduce inflammation? Maintaining a healthy inflammation response helps your body to deal with stress and repair. When inflammation becomes chronic, as in conditions like asthma, diabetes, psoriasis, and arthritis, for example, then it can be harmful.
To avoid aggravating your health condition, try making a few simple lifestyle changes. You can do this by managing certain triggers and practicing yoga on a regular basis.
Five Yoga Poses to Help Reduce Inflammation
Here are five easy yoga poses that you can incorporate into your daily routine:
1) Supine Spinal Twist
This pose helps to increase flexibility in your spine and stimulate internal organs, providing a healthy inflammation response. It also promotes deep breathing by wringing out tension and pain from your body.
Do this pose upon waking in bed to help your blood flow and mind awaken. This is such a great way to start your day!
How to do it:
- Lie on your back, hug your knees in towards your chest and extend your arms in a “T” shape.
- Rest your knees on a block, folded blanket or bolster to make it more comfortable.
- If you have neck pain, try looking either straight ahead or down at your knees.
- Hold for 7-10 breaths on each side.
2) Child's Pose
This pose gently stretches your back, ankles, and hips while relieving tension. It also promotes a healthy inflammation response in the body. Try humming or chanting to intensify its benefits.
How to do it:
- Lie down on your back, and fold your knees up to your chest.
- Bring your heels toward each other, without letting them touch.
- Allow your arms to rest at your sides, palms down or facing up.
- Slowly tilt your pelvis back and lower it toward your heels until it rests between them.
- Once you are in a child’s pose, breathe deeply and regularly, inhaling through the nose and exhaling out of the mouth.
3) Wide-Legged Forward Bend
Forward folds are a great way to release tension in your spine and stretch your neck, back, hamstrings, calves, and ankles. They promote a healthy inflammation response—which helps combat fatigue and reduce cortisol levels.
The more you stretch, the more relaxed you will become; imagine tension flowing out of your body as you exhale.
How to do it:
- Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart and your toes turned out.
- Lift up through the arches of your feet and firm them into the floor.
- Bring your hands to your hips, exhale and lean forward from your waist.
- Once you're parallel to the floor, press your fingertips into the floor (or yoga blocks) under your shoulders and slowly lower your torso to the floor.
- To open your chest, lift your shoulder blades toward each other.
- Hold for 5-10 breaths, then slowly come up.
4) Warrior II
This pose strengthens your legs and improves circulation in order to enhance your energy, endurance, and balance. It also promotes a healthy inflammation response.
How to do it:
- Stand with your feet apart and parallel, left foot behind you; raise your arms parallel to the floor, shoulders down, palms down.
- Turn your left foot slightly in and line up the heels of both feet.
- Press your right thigh outward so that the center of your knee cap is aligned with the center of your ankle.
- Bend your right knee and shift your gaze to the fingers of the right hand, or let it rest on the floor.
- Stretch the arms away from your shoulders as you look down at them, keeping your core and quads engaged.
- Hold for 7-10 breaths on each side.
5) Legs Up The Wall Pose
Inversion poses are deeply restorative. They can help reduce stress and promote sleep, which may help with your body's natural inflammatory response. After practicing this pose, try soaking in a warm bath with Epsom salts to set the stage for deep sleep.
How to do it:
- Sit sideways on a folded blanket, yoga bolster or pillow against the wall and let your shoulders drop.
- Touch your sitting bones to the support and let your lower back rest against the edge of the cushion, which should be about 5-6 inches away from the wall.
- After you’ve been in the pose for several minutes, press your feet into the wall.
- Gently roll over to your side, removing the support from beneath you.
Wrapping Up
As you can see, anti-inflammatory Yoga poses and exercises have incredible benefits for the body. We have given you some great tips. Try them out! Begin incorporating these into your daily routine and keep practicing them to get amazing results. Practice makes perfect!
