By Yogi Ashwini

All those who try to quit smoking experience at least one or more of these symptoms: cravings to smoke, difficulty concentrating, nervousness, restlessness, irritability, anxiety, cognitive impairment, increased appetite and eventually, weight gain. So much so that it becomes a constant struggle to overcome this addiction. Many times, people shift their addiction from one substance to another. A tried and tested way to reduce all these symptoms is to practice Sanatan Kriya.

The habitual use of tobacco in any form constricts the arteries to such an extent that the blood flow gets affected. To unclog the arteries, you need to ensure that the prana (life force) is appropriately distributed in your body. For this, you need to learn yogic breathing.

So, first sit in vajrasana. That is, with your knees placed together and legs folded such that your buttocks rest on your heels. The big toes overlap, right over the left. As you inhale, fill breath in the abdominal region, move it to your thoracic and then to your clavicular region. Exhalation takes place first from clavicular, then thoracic and then from the abdominal regions. At the time of inhalation, internally chant the mantra ‘so,’ and ‘hum’ while exhaling. As you inhale move your eyeballs to look from the tip of the nose to the center of forehead, and while exhaling return from the forehead to the tip of the nose.

Along with this eye movement, your internal awareness should move between the seven chakras in your body, taking the Mooladhar (base of your spine) to correspond with the nose tip, a little above that Swadishthan (pelvic), followed by Manipoorak (navel), Anahat (chest), Vishuddhi (throat), Ajna (forehead), and the Sahastrar (top of the head). Keep your eyes closed throughout this kriya. One inhalation and exhalation completes one cycle. Repeat this seven times.

This kriya will ensure redistribution of prana in the body, thereby eliminating all withdrawal symptoms and help the body fight the addiction and nicotine dependence. Those who do this kriya regularly also experience a sense of balance that makes the process of de-addiction smooth and permanent.

During this time, include a lot of liquids and fresh juices in your diet. You can also chew on sugarcane sticks every time you feel a craving for smoking.

It is recommended that you visit a Dhyan Foundation Centre near you to learn the correct way to practice Yogic breathing.

Yogi Ashwini is the Guiding Light of Dhyan Foundation and an authority on the Vedic Sciences. His book, 'Sanatan Kriya, The Ageless Dimension' is an acclaimed thesis on anti-ageing. Log onto to www.dhyanfoundation.com for more