What is the connection between Yoga and high blood pressure? Does Yoga decrease blood pressure? At Long Island University, researchers and Yoga teachers worked together to find out. Approximately one out of every three adults in the United States has high blood pressure, a silent killer that puts us at risk for strokes, heart disease, kidney failure, and other illnesses. Although our blood pressure rises as we get older, we can often prevent complications by living healthy lifestyles.
• Easy Pose
• Shoulder Stretches
• Cat Pose
• Seated Forward Bend
• Camel Pose
• Knee Squeeze
• Big Toe Pose
• Half Spinal Twist
• Double Leg Raises
• Wind-Relieving Pose
• Alternate Nostril Breathing
• Abdominal Breathing
Five Kinds of Meditation for High Blood Pressure
• Visualization
• Music
• Guided
• Mindfulness
• Yoga Nidra
What Not to Do
Some exercises can cause complications for practitioners with high blood pressure. “Yoga Journal” advises caution when doing inversions – postures in which the head is above the heart. These poses put pressure on blood vessels in the head and neck. Starting out with gentle inversions, however, and slowly easing into harder ones may help make blood vessels stronger over time.
When we exercise, our bodies circulate fresh blood to our organs and flush out toxins, dissolving blocked energy and nourishing cells. Stretching, especially, relieves tight muscles and keeps blood vessels supple and free flowing. Due to the fact that Yoga calms the autonomic nervous system, we are less likely to be depressed and more likely to maintain holistic lifestyles.
We need more medical studies to figure out how Yoga lowers blood pressure, but we can use the information we have to stay healthy in the meantime. Medical and scientific research regarding Yogic techniques for high blood pressure is hard to come by, which leaves us with more anecdotal information than we have from medical studies at this time.
© Copyright – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division
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Resources:
A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing the Effects of Yoga With an Active Control on Ambulatory Blood Pressure in Individuals With Prehypertension and Stage 1 Hypertension
Marshall Hagins PT, PhD
Andrew Rundle PH
Nathan S. Consedine PhD
Sat Bir S. Khalsa PhD
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jch.12244
Effectiveness of Yoga for Hypertension: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2013/649836/