Yoga for blood circulation: warm hands, warm feet and what really helps

Your cold hands and feet (circulation) yoga plan

Mountain PoseTadasana BeginnerStanding Raised Arms PoseHasta Uttanasana BeginnerStanding Chair PoseUtkatasana BeginnerStanding Warrior I PoseVirabhadrasana I BeginnerStanding Warrior II PoseVirabhadrasana II BeginnerStanding Cat PoseMarjaryasana BeginnerProne and kneeling Cow PoseBitilasana BeginnerProne and kneeling Cobra PoseBhujangasana BeginnerProne and kneeling Bridge PoseSetu Bandhasana BeginnerSupine

More poses that help with cold hands and feet (circulation)

Add these once the session above feels easy, or swap one in when a pose does not suit you.

Eagle PoseGarudasana IntermediateStanding Cow Face PoseGomukhasana IntermediateSeated Triangle PoseTrikonasana BeginnerStanding Reclining Hand-to-Big-Toe PoseSupta Padangusthasana BeginnerSupine Corpse PoseSavasana BeginnerSupine

Mudras for cold hands and feet (circulation)

Hold a mudra while you sit for the breathing practice or a few minutes of quiet. Mudras are a traditional practice; research on them is limited.

Traditional practice: Used in classical yoga therapy; few clinical trials so far.

Yoga for blood circulation warms you up the same way any exercise does: working muscles need more blood, so your heart pumps harder and vessels open up, and warm blood reaches your hands and feet. If your hands and feet stay cold all the time, a steady, active sequence of standing poses, backbends and hand and foot movements can help. Yoga will not fix a blocked artery, a thyroid problem or anaemia, so persistent coldness is worth a check-up.

Why are my hands and feet always cold?

Constant cold feet and hands are common, especially in women and slim people. The body protects its core temperature by narrowing blood vessels in the fingers and toes when you are cold or stressed. Before you start yoga for cold hands and feet, look at the causes. If your hands and feet feel cold all the time, one of these may be why:

• Cold, stress and sitting still: the most common reasons, and the ones yoga helps most.
• Raynaud's phenomenon: fingers or toes turn white, then blue, then red in the cold or with stress, often with numbness or pins and needles.
• Smoking and too much caffeine, which narrow blood vessels.
• Some medicines, including certain blood pressure and migraine tablets.
• Underactive thyroid (often with tiredness, weight gain and dry skin), anaemia, low body weight, or narrowed arteries (pain in the calves when walking).

Can yoga help with blood circulation problems? The evidence

The evidence level for this page is traditional practice. No good trial has tested yoga for cold hands and feet directly. The indirect evidence is encouraging:

• A 2024 review of 18 studies found that yoga improved endothelial function — how well the lining of blood vessels relaxes and widens — in 12 of them. A combined analysis of controlled trials showed a small but real improvement. The authors called for larger trials.
• The NHS advises people with Raynaud's to exercise regularly to improve circulation and to try breathing exercises or yoga to help them relax, since stress triggers attacks.

So is yoga good for blood circulation? Yes, as regular movement it is. Keeping warm and avoiding triggers still come first, especially for Raynaud's.

Yoga poses for blood circulation: your warming sequence

The guided session on this page moves from standing strength to gentle backbends. Keep moving between poses so you stay warm.

Mountain and Raised Arms pose

Stand tall in Tadasana, then sweep your arms overhead into Hasta Uttanasana as you breathe in, and lower them as you breathe out. Repeat 5–8 times, spreading your fingers wide at the top.

Chair pose

Utkatasana works the biggest muscles in your body, the thighs and buttocks. Exercises for big muscles like this are how to improve circulation immediately and increase blood circulation; you will feel warm within a few breaths.

Warrior I and Warrior II

Warrior I and Warrior II build leg strength and open the chest. Press firmly through the feet, and in Warrior II reach actively through your fingertips.

Cat, Cow and Cobra

Cat-cow warms the spine, and weight on the hands wakes up the wrists and fingers. Cobra pose opens the chest and front of the body.

Bridge pose

Lift and lower your hips in Setu Bandhasana several times, then hold. This works the legs and buttocks and is a good leg exercise for blood circulation.

More poses: Eagle and Cow Face pose stretch the shoulders and upper back; Triangle and Reclining Hand-to-Big-Toe pose stretch the legs. These are gentle stretching exercises for blood circulation, good for the end of a session. Finish with a short Savasana under a blanket so you do not cool down fast.

Exercises for blood circulation in hands, fingers and feet

There is no single treatment for cold hands and feet, but these quick exercises to improve blood circulation fix cold hands and feet for many people. Do them at a desk, in bed, or as exercises for Raynaud's disease during an attack:

• Fist and spread: make a firm fist, then spread your fingers as wide as possible. Repeat 10–20 times.
• Arm windmills: swing straight arms in big circles, forwards and backwards. The swinging pushes blood into the fingers.
• Wrist circles and finger taps on a table, like playing a piano.
• Ankle pumps: point and flex your feet 20 times; then draw circles with each foot.
• Heel raises: rise onto your toes and lower slowly, 15 times. Your calf muscles act as a pump for the legs.
• Toe curls: scrunch and spread the toes 10 times.

A gentle massage to improve circulation feels warming too: rub your hands, feet and legs towards the heart. Body massage for better blood circulation is pleasant, but moving your muscles does more. Warm water on the hands (not hot) helps during an attack.

Breathing and mudras for warmth

Ujjayi, the steady "ocean" breath, keeps you calm and focused during the standing poses. Surya Bhedana, right-nostril breathing, is traditionally used to warm the body. Skip Surya Bhedana if you have high blood pressure or heart disease. Stress narrows the vessels in your fingers, so slow, calm breathing in any form helps.

Surya mudra and Linga mudra are traditionally used for warmth. There is no research on them for circulation; use them as a calm focus during breathing.

Yoga for blood circulation in the legs, brain, face and other body parts

You will see claims that certain poses send blood to one specific body part. Can yoga improve blood circulation in the head, scalp and hair, in the pelvic area and uterus, or in the whole body? Here is what is true:

Yoga for Raynaud's: how to manage and treat Raynaud's naturally

If you have Raynaud's, yoga can help with the stress trigger and keep you active, but keeping warm is the main treatment:

• Keep your whole body warm, not just your hands: layers, a hat, warm socks and gloves.
• Avoid sudden temperature changes, such as reaching into the freezer.
• Stop smoking and cut down caffeine.
• To relieve a Raynaud's attack, move to a warm place, swing your arms and run warm water over the hands.

Treatments for Raynaud's phenomenon from a doctor include medicines that widen blood vessels, for people whose attacks are frequent or severe.

Yoga for blood pressure vs blood circulation

Blood circulation and blood pressure are different things. Poor circulation to the hands is usually about narrowed small vessels, not high or low pressure. Does yoga lower blood pressure? Is yoga good for blood pressure control? Studies suggest regular yoga practice may lower blood pressure modestly, alongside medicine. Yoga to reduce blood pressure relies on slow breathing and relaxation, not inversions — see yoga for high blood pressure. If your blood pressure runs low and you feel dizzy and cold, stand up slowly and keep poses gentle; yoga for low blood pressure focuses on standing strength and staying hydrated.

When cold hands and feet need a doctor

See a doctor if your fingers or toes turn white or blue, if symptoms affect only one side, if a sore on a finger or toe will not heal, if your calves hurt when you walk and ease with rest, or if coldness comes with tiredness, weight gain and dry skin (a sign of an underactive thyroid) or breathlessness and pale skin (possible anaemia). Get urgent help for a cold, pale, painful hand or foot that comes on suddenly.

Warm up now with the guided 3D session on this page, ideally in the morning or whenever you feel chilled, and find more routines on our practice page.

Research behind this plan

1. Patil 2024, J Integr Complement Med — systematic review and meta-analysis (18 studies): yoga improved endothelial function (blood vessel widening) in 12 studies
2. NHS — Raynaud’s: keep warm, exercise regularly, try breathing exercises or yoga to relax, stop smoking, when to see a GP
3. Kadian-Dodov 2023, Med Clin North Am — review: cold hands or feet; Raynaud’s is treated with warming, trigger avoidance and, if needed, vessel-widening medicines

Medical note: yoga supports treatment; it does not replace it. Keep taking prescribed medicine and talk to your doctor before you start, especially with heart disease, uncontrolled blood pressure, recent surgery, pregnancy, epilepsy or severe pain. Read our medical disclaimer.