Cooling Down with Yoga: Essential

_{Image Credit: Mid-Day}

After an intense workout, it is essential to incorporate cooling-down exercises to restore the body’s balance and promote recovery. Yoga offers a variety of gentle and relaxing post-workout exercises that can help you cool down effectively. Here are seven breath regulating yoga exercises to include in your post workout routine.

1. Belly breathing or candle blows: Breathe in through the nose, counting to 5, and breathe out through the mouth, counting to 10. Start with a 3:6 ratio and gradually increase. Do it standing, sitting, or lying down.
2. Anulom Vilom or alternate nostril breathing: Sit comfortably, straighten your spine, close one nostril, inhale through the other, hold briefly, and exhale through the opposite nostril. Repeat for a few minutes, using a ratio of 3:3:6 or 5:5:10.
3. Ujjayi: Inhale deeply through the throat and exhale with a slight constriction, creating an ocean-like sound. Practice for at least 5 minutes or 5 rounds.
4. Makarasana or crocodile pose: Lie on your stomach with legs wide apart, palms over each other, and forehead on your palms. Slow your breath, practicing diaphragmatic breathing. Hold for a minimum of 5 minutes.
5. Twisting the body from side to side: Sit or lie down, twist the body to one side, and take deep breaths to relax. Helps relieve lower back and lumbar injuries. Repeat twice on both sides, holding for 30 seconds.
6. Kapotasana or pigeon pose: Start in a table-top position, bring right knee towards right wrist and right foot towards left wrist. Extend left leg back. Lower upper body onto forearms, resting forehead on the mat. Breathe deeply for 5-10 breaths. Repeat on the other side.
7. Om chanting: Sit comfortably, take deep breaths, and chant “Om” while exhaling, feeling the vibrations. Increase the gap between each “Om” as the breath slows down. Practice for at least 5 minutes or 5 rounds.

Re-reported from the story originally published in Mid-Day