While the national statistics on smoking rates show a significant and promising drop in tobacco dependence, there is still the alarming fact that one in ten adults aged over 18 years in Australia reports being a daily smoker source . Without finding ways of addressing smoking addiction, the cost of these daily smokers to our health system will continue to be unnecessarily high in the years to come. Education programs have proven to be very effective, however to convince the remaining smokers in the community that quitting is not only necessary but personally desirable, we need to bring as many effective strategies to the table as possible. It may come as a surprise that studies show the benefits of yoga to be a valuable asset in the mission to reduce smoking levels in Australia. Here’s why.

• Stress reduction is known to be one of the greatest assets for those trying to quit smoking. Not only does yoga provide stress reduction techniques through mindfulness and meditation, it also activates the parasympathetic nervous system which induces the ‘rest relax’ response in the body source , thereby enhancing the likelihood that smokers who may be reticent to quit, will find it easier to do so, due to lowered stress responses and therefore reduced reliance on nicotine as a soothing aid here and here source . Yoga provides an alternate method for coping with stress and cigarette cravings, and has been shown to improve mood, reduce anxiety and enhance quality of life source .

• Yoga enhances the relationship between body and breath, allowing the smoker to directly experience the feeling of not wanting smoke in the lungs. Both proprioception and interception improve with yoga. This allows sensations in the body to be more accurately experienced, thereby improving the likelihood that a person will willingly desire to feel healthy sensations in the body - and to alter the experience of smoking from the addictive perception of smoking as enjoyable, to a more neutral and objective experience of smoking causing discomfort in the body and therefore being undesirable source .

• Positive Lifestyle Reflected in Community. Personal dissatisfaction is a strong motivator for change, but it isn’t always the most effective. Studies show that the lifestyle choices of the community we surround ourselves with, has an influential effect on personal behaviour choices - for better or worse source http://www.enablingchange.com.au/Voluntary_change.pdf. The yoga community is a notoriously healthy community. In a comparative study to the national average in the USA, only 2% of yoga practitioners reported smoking, as opposed to 21% of the general population source . Consequently it could be asserted that the more accessible yoga is to the general population, the more likely it is that smokers would be surrounded by non-smokers, whose positive influence would naturally influence the smoker to quit. Since attending a yoga class is cheaper than purchasing cigarettes, it could be asserted that those who presently smoke would have the capacity to afford to attend yoga classes, so long as yoga available in the smoker’s community.

• Yoga supports weight management. Yoga practice can assist in weight loss and healthy weight maintenance, which has been shown to assist in the recovery of nicotine addiction (source here(link is external)). This is also likely to reduce relapse, as weight gain is among the strongest fears of those contemplating quitting smoking source

• Yoga treats both the biology and the psychology of addiction. There are some schools of thought that argue that addiction occurs when the brain is hijacked by a substance that it becomes dependent on, and others who argue that there are underlying factors such as depression, anxiety, or stress, that prompt the person to turn to the substance and continue doing so despite negative consequences. Whichever theory you subscribe to, the good news is that yoga enhances GABA in the brain, which has been found to be low in those with addiction, thereby supporting recovery on both a physiological and psycho-social level source . Studies show even modest changes in lifestyle can lead to significant changes in health. Where yoga is provided in communities, it is one of the most accessible, affordable methods of lifestyle change as it effectively treats not only the physical health of an individual, but also mental health, stress reduction and the building of healthy cultures within community. Yoga is intended to be a lifelong practice that can potentially reinforce quitting smoking once formal smoking treatment ends. All of these benefits combined lead to yoga being a powerful tool that we would be wise to utilise as part of national health promotion strategies source .

. Stress is such a buzz-word in health discussions these days, that we can become intellectually complacent about the idea of addressing it. Except when we feel stressed, at which point, we also feel that we need to do something about it. But what are we to do that actually works? As we know, stress feels…well...stressful! Stress is a state of being that’s designed to be triggered when we experience an arousal in the nervous system in response to extreme circumstances that require immediate action to survive in the wild. Commonly known as the fight/flight/freeze response. We no longer live in fear of being eaten by wild animals, and you would think this might have a calming effect on us, yet we have daily email onslaughts that often keeping us ‘on our toes’ for hours without a pause, coupled with a tirade of to-do lists that never seem to end, a working week that extend into overtime to meet urgent deadlines (I’m sure you have a list of your own stress-triggers) all of which add up to a fight/flight response that becomes overactive in response to persistent and stressful stimuli from the modern demands of daily life. The result? We feel run down, strung out, worn out, and stressed. We need solutions for this if we are not only to survive, but also thrive, in our lives. Which is one of the many reasons so many people are turning to yoga. Yoga helps address stress in a number of remarkably effective ways.

Here are just a few:

1. Research shows that extending the exhalation is the most effective way to reduce anxiety and stress in any individual. An animal in danger will rarely breathe in a slow and rhythmic way with a long exhalation, so when you extend your out-breath (which is one of the main focal points of yoga practice) your rest/relax response switches on, which gives the fight/flight response a much-needed break.

2. Most yoga classes go for 1-1.5 hours, which offers you a vital opportunity to step away from all distractions, devices, and daily demands, and take time for yourself in a peaceful setting, which can have miraculous effects on the nervous system.

3. Many yoga classes are specifically designed to be restorative, which can be a great option if you simply want to unwind at the end of the workday in a way that genuinely works (TV and a drink doesn’t work as well to alleviate stress as we wish it would in the long run).

4. More dynamic yoga classes can assist with ‘rinsing’ the stress out of the body’s systems. As stress is literally stored in the body until released, a yoga practice, combined with attention to the breath, can allow any tensions to be released from the whole body, leaving you feeling strong, yet replenished and rested.

5. The meditative qualities of moving the body while focusing on the breath also provides a much needed opportunity for perspective. As you take a step back from the daily grind, you may find you experience a reconnection with the simple things that really matter in your life such as the gift of breath, connection with others and with yourself, and the mystery of life itself. Convinced? Millions of people around the world from CEOs to care workers are taking up yoga for stress relief, among other benefits. Try it for yourself and find out if yoga is the stress-reduction solution you’ve been looking for.