Today, a number of drug-free methods are available for people to stop smoking. One of the best methods is to do some yoga or meditation.

You can learn meditation on your own using books, audio-video recordings, or a qualified teacher. Meditation mainly uses guided imagery and breathing exercises to promote a sense of calmness in the mind and body of the smoker.

Four tips that will help you to stop smoking are:

1. Yoga breathing exercises: This excellent yoga pranayama helps you to stop smoking and break other bad habits. The exercise releases the stress and builds lung capacity over a period of time. It calms the mind by fighting anxiety and panic attacks.

For this exercise, sit in a comfortable posture and close your eyes. Take long breaths to relax. Now, block your right nostril with your right thumb and breathe in through the left nostril only. Then, do the same with your left nostril. Don't overstrain yourself. Repeat this pattern for 1 to 30 minutes in one sitting.

2. Exercise to develop willpower: Try the stretch pose of Kundalini yoga to develop your third chakra center. Doing this will increase your willpower. Thus, this is very helpful in breaking the habit of smoking. In addition, your abs will strengthen, your digestive system will improve and you will recover your lost energy and vitality.

3. Consciousness exercise: One of the best ways to stop smoking is to bring consciousness or awareness to the treatment. To do this, whenever you feel like smoking a cigarette, try to become aware of all the thoughts and actions taking place at that particular time. Observe the whole process of taking out and lighting up a cigarette dispassionately. Doing this will help you break the pattern your body and mind have become accustomed to. Soon, the urge to smoke will fade away.

4. Meditation practice/ Daily yoga: A yoga routine and daily meditation practice has helped many people to stop smoking. Once you regain your health with yoga and know how good your body can feel again, you will not feel like touching a cigarette. As stress related conditions are the main reason why people smoke, some yoga and meditation teachers believe that meditating even without focusing on quitting smoking will naturally diminish the desire or need to smoke, simply by calming and balancing the mind and body.

Meditation will definitely affect your health in a positive way due to its widespread advantages. The benefits will contribute to help you stop smoking in some way or the other. Consult a professional to learn more about applications of meditation to stop smoking.