Yoga for heart disease…
Yoga is a physical, mental and spiritual scientific practice that has been around for over five thousand years. It is both a curative and preventative therapy in which physical movement is linked with the breath to relax and refresh the body and mind, helping us cope with the stress we can feel in our lives, and in turn helping us to protect our bodies from the damage that this stress can bring. Through regular practice of the yoga poses and controlled breathing (pranayama), we can become not only aware of how connected the body is to the mind and spirit, but can also actually begin to slow or even reverse the diseases that can occur in the body as it ages.
One example of what a positive impact Yoga can have on our health is heart disease. According to the World Health Organization, cardiac disease is the number one cause of death in the world, especially among women. Twenty-nine percent of deaths all over the world are a direct result of heart attacks or related problems. Yoga, however, has been shown to have an important role in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases that includes heart attacks, hypertension and coronary heart diseases. Dr. Satish Sivasankaran, of Yale University School of Medicine (2005), conducted a study on the effects of yoga in preventing coronary artery disease and found that those who practice Yoga at least three tiimes a week can reduce blood pressure, pulse rate, and heart disease. Participants in Sivasankaran’s Yoga six-week research program improved blood vessel function by 17% and heart disease by almost 70%. Yoga has been shown to influence the hypothalamus, the area of the brain that controls endocrine activity, directly, and help prevent initial/future heart attacks. It lowers blood pressure, and improves blood flow, making the arteries and veins more elastic. Yoga also helps relax the state of the mind and body and thus reduces stress hormones, also decreasing the heart rate and lowering blood pressure, and thus, keeping the heart healthy.
Some examples of different types of Yoga poses that may be used to alleviate cardiac health problems:
- Upper back-bending poses—can open the chest which will help to improve heart function and respiration.
- Side-bending poses– can open the channels to the heart and will help remove physical blocks to the heart and chest.
- Spine lengthening poses–can help build good posture which can stop any compression of the heart and lungs
- Inversions –can give a break to the heart muscle and also improve blood circulation
- Savasana (corpse or resting pose-practiced at the end of all Yoga classes) is deeply restorative. It has also been shown to reduce high blood pressure within weeks.
The practice of Yoga three times a week can create numerous health benefits that may improve the health of the heart, which can lead to an improvement in the quality and perhaps the length of the life of the practitioner.
by Yoga Hawaii teacher Melanie Lee
