Does Yoga Improve Circulation?

I was firmly positioned in downward facing dog the other day, where I noticed a certain sensation emanating from within me.

I felt as though I could feel the blood circulating from the tips of my fingers to the ends of my toes. 

This conscious awareness, led me to be struck by the question does yoga improve circulation?

Yoga improves circulation by using the quartet of movement, relaxation, twisting, and inversions to bring more oxygen to your cells, organs, and by reversing the flow of blood from the extremities to the brain and heart.  

Additionally, it has been proven that yoga can mitigate high cholesterol, blood pressure, and diabetes, which are symptoms of poor circulation.

Understanding that having good circulation is imperative for healthy living, I am here to share how vital the connection between the crimson flow of energy and yoga is, in hopes of providing you a perspective you may consider. 

Let’s dive into this a little deeper!

How to know if you have poor circulation?

Do you ever have the sensations of tingling, numbness, and cramping piercing your body? 

Those are just a few of the symptoms related to poor circulation. 

I think it is important to know what bad flow looks like before we can really dive into the effects of yoga, and how it can improve circulation.

As I kind of alluded to above, the circulatory system is responsible for sending blood, oxygen, and critical nutrients within our bodies. 

When blood flow isn’t moving effectively to a certain area of your body you essentially have poor circulation. 

We see this reduction of blood flow commonly in our legs and arms. 

The thing with poor circulation is that it’s not an actual disorder or condition per se. Rather, it is a result from other health concerns. 

This is important to note because poor circulation can be dangerous. It can be a sign of diabetes, a heart condition, blood clotting, and arterial issues.

Here’s a few of the symptoms of poor circulation:

• Numbness/tingling in lower and upper extremities
• Cold hand and feet
• Swelling in the extremities
• Issues with memory and concentration
• Fatigue
• Joint and muscle cramping
• Varicose veins
• Skin discoloration 

Now, these are all common issues at times, but it is important to note if these symptoms persist you should probably stop reading this article, and go visit your doctor. 

How does Yoga improve circulation?

Now, I do not want to get too technical here, but I think it is important to know that the information I am sharing here has been scientifically researched. 

Yoga has been a topic of interest for the science community since its emergence into western culture. 

I want to somewhat dispel the notion that yoga isn’t based in scientific understanding, and I hope by sharing some of my findings it will give you affirmation with yoga and its efficacy with circulation.

Catherine Woodyard (2011) performed a comprehensive review of the scientific literature pertaining to the therapeutic effects of yoga. 

She found that yoga:

“increases blood flow and levels of hemoglobin and red blood cells which allows for more oxygen to reach the body cells, enhancing their function.” 

It also was postulated that yoga thins a person’s blood, leading to a decrease in the risk of stroke and heart attacks. 

As noted above the quartet of twisting, inversion, movement, and relaxation all play in the symphony of blood flow.

Twisting postures squeeze out the blood from the central organs of the body and allow that oxygen-filled blood to flow once that twist is released – a form of detoxification. 

The inverted postures encourage blood flow from the legs, and pelvic area, back to the heart, which gets pumped through the lungs being filled with that fresh O2. 

Now that we have an understanding of the mechanics of how the collision of yoga and blood flow work with one another, I’m going to outline some of the yoga postures that prompt good circulation.

5 Yoga postures to improve blood flow

Now that we’ve nourished our mind with some hardcore facts, we can have some fun learning what the body can do to help improve circulation. 

1. Forward Fold – Uttanasana

Forward fold assists circulation by pouring the blood, and activating blood flow to your upper body, and brain. You’ll get a quick pop of mental energy after this pose.

How-to:

• Firmly have both your feet planted into your mat, with your hands on your hips
• Inhale, and then slowly exhale in unison with folding forward from your hip, lengthen the front of the torso
• Either bend your elbows and hold onto each elbow with the opposite hand, or grab the shins, toes, or ankles with the same foot to hand.
• Hold for 10-20 breaths

2. Warrior II – Virabhadrasana II

Warrior II is synonymous with improving the muscle tone in your legs. 

This helps with compressing and releasing the veins, increasing the circulation in the lower half of your body.

How-to:

• Starting in Downward-Facing Dog, gaze between your hands and swing your right foot as close as you seemingly can between them.
• Lift your hands off your mat, and shift your left parallel to the back edge of the mat. Front foot facing forward. Essentially, your right heel should be aiming at the middle of your back-left foot.
• Inhale, exhale, stretching the arms up straight.
• Then stretch the arms away from one another, parallel to the floor. You almost want be creating a “T” with your arms. Keep the torso equally long, and the shoulders above the pelvic area. Turn the head forward in line with your right arm.
• Hold for 3 to 5 breaths after finding alignment, cartwheel the arms down, and find yourself in downward facing dog so you can do the left-side.

3. Seated Twist Pose

This twist essentially helps with bringing a momentary break of circulation to your digestive organs, helping with detoxification. 

When you release the posture there is an activation of blood flow leading to an increase of circulation.

How-to:

• You want to be in a seated posture with both your legs extended forward
• Keeping your back/spine straight, lift and bend your left leg over your right leg, bringing your left foot nestled to your right thigh.
• Softly twist, and bend your right arm finding placement on your left knee. Make sure the left arm is supporting you from behind.
• Hold for 15-20 breaths before switching.

4. Happy Baby – Ananda Balasana

Happy baby increases circulation to the midriff area of the body. It also helps with draining the blood from your extremities.

How-to:

• Find yourself on your back
• Bend at the knees bringing in them into the chest
• Raise the heels to the ceiling and grab the edges of your feet
• Pull down on your feet, bringing the knees towards the armpits
• Hold for 10-20 breaths 

5. Downward Facing Dog – Adho Mukha Shvanasana

Down Facing Dog helps with circulation by having the hips above your heart, along with your heart above your head. 

This is another great posture for improving circulation to your brain. Further, it brings strengths to the legs, providing greater circulation to them.

How-to:

• Start on all fours – Tabletop 
• Deep inhalation, when you exhale, press into your hands lifting your hips into the air, straighten your legs and arms.
• Feel free to peddle your feet out at the start, and work towards bringing your heels firmly into the mat
• Ease your neck into a position of comfort
• Hold for 5 to 10 breaths

Wrap-up

I think we can come to an agreement on the question: does yoga improve circulation? With a resounding yes. 

We looked at how difficult life can become once you are ridden with poor circulation. 

The annoyance of numbing, tingling, and not feeling right in your body can be mitigated with yoga. 

With more and more science emerging on the practice of yoga, the more affirmation we are receiving with its inherent health benefits, and in this case its benefits towards circulation. 

Of course, yoga is not a panacea for poor circulation, but it is an evident ally in the fight for good blow flow and healthy circulation. 

There are some postures that truly help with bringing improved blood flow to vital areas of the body, and by practicing them you will be tapping into a life filled with higher levels of energy and vitality.