Guest guest Posted December 19, 2006 Report Share Posted December 19, 2006 hi all i'd like some thoughts on the effects of smoking on people who practice yoga. can the two co-exist? i'm a smoker but am trying to quit. thanks. D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 20, 2006 Report Share Posted December 20, 2006 The more you practice yoga, the more motivated you may find yourself to quit. That's just my idea. I'm a beginner, myself. This is my first post to the list, in fact. ::waves:: Sonya On Dec 19, 2006, at 8:51 AM, dafiestychicka wrote: > hi all > > i'd like some thoughts on the effects of smoking on people who > practice yoga. can the two co-exist? i'm a smoker but am trying to > quit. > > thanks. > > D > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 20, 2006 Report Share Posted December 20, 2006 hi, as a former smoker who was kidding herself in thinking that the two could coexist I can safely say that no, the two CANNOT coexist. My practice has gone onto another level since I quit smoking. My lungs can function properly, my skin doesn't smell, even my sweat doesn't have to work overtime in expelling toxins. Another world. Have faith, it's possible to quit, easy even. All it took was 3 strange days of discomfort and then voila' the craving was gone. I used the following method in quitting, the 4 D's. Everytime I wanted a sigarette I did one of the following: 1. Deep Breaths 2. Drink water 3. Delay (tell yourself you'll have a sigarette in 10 mins, chances are the craving will have gone by then) 4. Do something else (chances are you were bored of doing whatever it is you were doing and a distraction will tame the craving) Trust me, I was a heavy heavy smoker and if I could quit ANYBODY can. Trust me, it's so worth it! Your Yoga practice will finally BECOME a YOga practice as the two really cannot live together.... Hope this helps you in any way. Om Shanti Violetta --- dafiestychicka <dafiestychicka > wrote: > hi all > > i'd like some thoughts on the effects of smoking on > people who > practice yoga. can the two co-exist? i'm a smoker > but am trying to > quit. > > thanks. > > D > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 20, 2006 Report Share Posted December 20, 2006 Hi D, I'm a smoker and I've had a daily ashtanga practice for about 18 months. I still smoke but not as much as I used to. I went to Mysore this time last year and asked ex-smoking yogis about their experiences and the consensus seemed to be that it took between 2 and 5 years to quit 'painlessly'. Have you ever tried to quit before? If you have then I'm sure you'll know that the first one you smoke after a few days of not smoking tastes pretty horrible but then the illusion of smoking being pleasant soon returns. I now find that all cigarettes taste pretty horrible regardless of how long it has been since the last one. Also I find I am stubbing them out much sooner than I used to. I only smoke between half and a quarter of each one now. Slowly but surely my habit seems to be receding. Nowadays I wake in the morning and smoking isn't my first thought as it always used to be. Some days I forget to smoke until well into the afternoon. Avoiding other smokers and smoky places also helps, as does cutting out alcohol (I used to be a big drinker but now I have all but lost my fondness for drinking). So keep practising and all is coming! Good luck! As for the effect of smoking on the practice, It is possible to do both, I heard of one person practising 3rd series who still smokes but she must be an exception. Do you smoke before practice? Try a little experiment. One week smoking beforehand and one week not. Check out the difference in energy levels and quality of the breath. Namaste, Jules Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 20, 2006 Report Share Posted December 20, 2006 <laughing> For my first three months of practice I smoked all the way to the studio and as soon as I got back in my car. Didn't last long... just didn't make sense, between the tenants of breath control and the Yamas and Niyamas, specifically Saucha I new I had to give it up. In all fairness though I was a periodic smoker and never smoked for more than a couple of months at a time. Giving it up, especially with an active practice was not much of a challenge. On top of it all once I started teaching and had few students coming in smelling of smoke... it's not so much fun adjusting those people, not than I let it stop me. ashtanga yoga [ashtangayoga] On Behalf Of dafiestychicka Tuesday, December 19, 2006 11:52 AM ashtanga yoga ashtanga yoga yoga and smoking hi all i'd like some thoughts on the effects of smoking on people who practice yoga. can the two co-exist? i'm a smoker but am trying to quit. thanks. D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 20, 2006 Report Share Posted December 20, 2006 Hi D, Just practice and all is coming. Its not about trying to take things out of our lives in order to practice.... just to add a yoga practice. When we do this our body and mind naturally seeks balance. Practice .. thats all .. you will stop eventually. Practicing will help you to quit. Take care. mart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 20, 2006 Report Share Posted December 20, 2006 Yoga is really bad for smoking! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 20, 2006 Report Share Posted December 20, 2006 Hi D In my opinion, smoking and yoga should not co-exist. Yoga is a physical and spiritual practice. Smoking will hurt any physical practice. I can't imagine being a long distance runner being a smoker. Likewise being a smoker and yoga practitioner doesn't go together. Arturo -------- yoga and smoking Posted by: "dafiestychicka" dafiestychicka dafiestychicka Tue Dec 19, 2006 10:17 pm (PST) hi all i'd like some thoughts on the effects of smoking on people who practice yoga. can the two co-exist? i'm a smoker but am trying to quit. thanks. D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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