Certain yoga asanas are very efficient at calming the nervous system and cooling the body. To reduce the core temperature or cool anger and anxiety, try practicing these postures:
• Uttanasana (standing forward bend) or other gentle forward bends
• Supta baddha konasa (reclining bound angle)
• Viparita karani (legs up the wall)
• Salamba sarvangasana (supported shoulder stand)
• Savasana (corpse pose)
There are also specific breathing exercises which can cool down the body. The following pranayamas will cool the nervous system, reduce high blood pressure, and even lower a fever.
How to practice Sheetali breath:
Sit in a comfortable cross-legged position with the tip of the index finger and thumb pressed together in a mudra. Rest the wrists on the knees. Curl both sides of the tongue inward to make a tubular shape. With an open mouth and tongue extended beyond the lips, inhale the air gently through the tongue. Keep the eyes open during the inhalation. Then, bring the tongue inside the mouth, close the eyes, and keep the lips closed as you hold the breath. Exhale slowly through the nose without opening the mouth. Repeat for 15-20 rounds.
If you have difficulty, folding your tongue into a pipe shape, try sheetkari breath to achieve similar cooling effects.
How to practice Sheetkari breath:
Sit in a cross-legged position with the hands in gyan mudra (tips of index and thumb pressed together.) With the mouth open, curl the tongue back and rest the tip of the tongue on the upper palate. Keep the upper and lower teeth together and the eyes open as you slowly pull the air into the body. Then, as you begin to hold the breath, close the eyes, shut the lips, and relax the tongue. Exhale slowly through the nose with the mouth closed. Repeat for 15-20 rounds.
I hope that you will find these techniques bring serenity into your life as well as cooling the body’s temperature.
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. For yoga in Dunellen, NJ or yoga in Piscataway, NJ and yoga in other Central New Jersey areas, get in touch with me at Yoga Destiny.
• Uttanasana (standing forward bend) or other gentle forward bends
• Supta baddha konasa (reclining bound angle)
• Viparita karani (legs up the wall)
• Salamba sarvangasana (supported shoulder stand)
• Savasana (corpse pose)
There are also specific breathing exercises which can cool down the body. The following pranayamas will cool the nervous system, reduce high blood pressure, and even lower a fever.
How to practice Sheetali breath:
Sit in a comfortable cross-legged position with the tip of the index finger and thumb pressed together in a mudra. Rest the wrists on the knees. Curl both sides of the tongue inward to make a tubular shape. With an open mouth and tongue extended beyond the lips, inhale the air gently through the tongue. Keep the eyes open during the inhalation. Then, bring the tongue inside the mouth, close the eyes, and keep the lips closed as you hold the breath. Exhale slowly through the nose without opening the mouth. Repeat for 15-20 rounds.
If you have difficulty, folding your tongue into a pipe shape, try sheetkari breath to achieve similar cooling effects.
How to practice Sheetkari breath:
Sit in a cross-legged position with the hands in gyan mudra (tips of index and thumb pressed together.) With the mouth open, curl the tongue back and rest the tip of the tongue on the upper palate. Keep the upper and lower teeth together and the eyes open as you slowly pull the air into the body. Then, as you begin to hold the breath, close the eyes, shut the lips, and relax the tongue. Exhale slowly through the nose with the mouth closed. Repeat for 15-20 rounds.
I hope that you will find these techniques bring serenity into your life as well as cooling the body’s temperature.
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. For yoga in Dunellen, NJ or yoga in Piscataway, NJ and yoga in other Central New Jersey areas, get in touch with me at Yoga Destiny.
