The effects yoga asanas have on stress & high blood pressure.

                     The effects yoga asanas have on stress & high blood pressure.

 

The practice of yoga asanas (poses) is becoming more & more popular in fitness & health centres all around the world; their benefits being discovered by those who regularly practice this ancient form of exercise.

 

The medical & scientific professions too are discovering how the practice of yoga asanas & pranayama (breath techniques) can have profound positive effects on one’s general health & wellbeing.

Studies continually undertaken by these professions by means of research, surveys, case studies & recording of scientific proof, support this claim.

 

Here are 2 examples I’ve come across recently:

 

Louise, a long time experienced yoga student, works for a large insurance company & has recently been promoted to senior manager of her function. Part of her leadership programme was to follow a fitness regime for 3 months & monitor her heart rate when she rested, worked & exercised for a few days in that time frame. This was done by wearing a heart rate monitor that recorded the results continuously for 48 hours. The purpose of the programme was to measure Louise’s stress levels, observe when & why the levels rose and record her recovery rate during that period of time.

 

At her weekly yoga class her heart rate was monitored & charted. Her chart indicated her recovery rate at 9.00pm was the same as that at 4.30am, when it is said one experiences their deepest sleep.

When asked what activity she was doing at 9.00pm that evening she recalled it was at the end of her yoga session & she was in savasana (full relaxation).

 

That particular evening had been a back extension lesson. Her chart also recorded a rise in the heart beat during the period between 8.00 to 8.45 pm which was when these poses, which open & stimulate the solar plexus (heart centre), were being performed.

 

Overwhelming evidence of how yoga can assist with our ability to rest and recover which is critical for a healthy life. Powerful stuff ” says Louise.

 

Cardiologist, Dr. Daniel Talmont, and fitness yoga teacher, Patricia Corthorn, conducted a 3 hour yoga workshop to demonstrate the effects yoga poses have on those with high blood pressure. The 10 volunteers who took part in the workshop each had their blood pressure measured & recorded before & after the workshop.

 

Patricia states, “To lower blood pressure, the poses are more effective when practiced with the head supported (block, bolster, chair or blanket), resulting in a cooling & calming effect on the mind & body. Also, certain breathing techniques, when practiced under supervision, will assist in bringing the blood pressure down.”

 

The results were mind-blowing, an 80% improvement! Those with HBP showed a definite drop in pressure & those with normal blood pressure felt calm, serene & mellow after the session.

 

“This was the first time I have done a workshop on HBP and it was a mind blowing experience, everyone was impressed by the result” says Patricia.

 

If you've never done yoga before, do yourself a favour & enroll in a class. Roll out your yoga mat & embark on a new experience; one that’ll help you keep healthy from the outside in.

 

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Yoga is an art, a science & a philosophy. Practised creatively, with precision & good intension the asanas help to keep the body healthy, the mind sharp & the soul pure.” - BKS Iyengar.

 

Written by Vim Lane 2015 (certified Iyengar yoga teacher)

 

References:

Louise Coutts, MBA, Senior Manager @ IAG, Sydney head office 2015.

Patricia Corthorn, Fitness Professional accredited with Fitness Australia and Yoga Australia 2015.

Dr. Daniel Talmont, AMFA. President, French speaking Healthcare Association of Australia 2015.

* BKS Iyengar - Light on Yoga (George Allen & Unwin, London 1966)

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