5 Yoga Poses to Help You Break Bad Habits

We all have annoying bad habits that bother us every now and then. And, we genuinely want to get rid of such habits. But, when we get stuck in a vicious loop, it is impossible to break them. For someone, the bad habit could be biting nails whenever in stress, while for others, it may be procrastination or spending too much time on the phone. But certain yoga poses do help us here.

No doubt, there are too many options to break a bad habit. And, out of all those options, yoga generally goes unnoticed as far as breaking a bad habit is concerned. In fact, there are a few yoga poses that may help you break your bad habits for good. So, yoga can help you learn ways to develop good habits and let go of those that aren’t useful.

There are two sets of rules in yoga yamas and niyamas. These basically imply morals and duties that will help you let go of bad habits and form newer ones to lead a healthy life. One of the niyamas is svadhyaya, which is ‘self-study.’

When you master svadhyaya, you become more aware of your habits and also understand your way of working. And, as you begin deciphering why you do those things, you will certainly be able to break your bad habits easily.

Changing a habit isn’t that easy but all it takes is a little bit of self-awareness and much dedication. For you to go through a positive transformation, these five yoga poses are worth trying:

1. Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)

It is a very common yoga pose. You may not be able to master this pose, but that’s fine. It takes practice and time. This pose is known to build more strength, discipline and balance to help you overcome your bad habits.

2. Upward Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana)

There are many things that you can do with a little bit of self-awareness , such as how you position your neck and lift your body. This will help you align right and feel supported. Once you master this, you will find it easy to break toxic habits. So, such small changes can make you go a long way.

3. Camel Pose (Ustrasana)

This pose opens your heart chakra and helps release withheld emotions. This is something like hitting the refresh button, so that you start afresh. This gives you an opportunity to become a new version of yourself. Just because you were a specific someone yesterday does not mean that you have to be the same person today. Imaging your old habits leaving your system through the open chest while you bend backwards.

4. Child Pose (Balasana)

When you are overwhelmed by the thought and feelings to change those stubborn habits which seem as if they are impossible to change, child pose comes to your rescue which releases tension in the shoulders, back and chest.

When you are in the child pose you are with yourself and for a few moments, you are completely disconnected from the rest of the world. This gives you an opportunity to reflect on the changes that you need. A quiet moment may help you figure out the changes you need to bring about.

5. Breath Of Fire (Kapalbhati)

When you do this, you will find your way out of those old habits that are trying to occupy some space in your life. This can be really beneficial in overcoming your bad habits. When you feel tempted to perform your habit, remove yourself from the situation and instead of indulging in the toxic habit, practice this breathing technique. Breath of fire helps you gain control in stressful situations and you can change whatever you wish to change.