5 Heart-Health Benefits of Yoga

 

It’s no secret that yoga is good for your body and mind, providing benefits like better flexibility, increased strength, and improvements in energy and mood. There’s also growing evidence that it can be good for your heart. read more. healthnutritionhints

The practice of yoga, which originated in India thousands of years ago, has been the focus of a number of clinical studies, and evidence shows that all those Sun Salutations and Downward-Facing Dogs may contribute to a healthier heart. For example, a trial published in March 2022 in the International Journal of Yoga found that after 12 weeks of practicing yoga — performing breathing exercises and yoga postures, also called asanas — roughly 60 minutes every day, patients with stable heart failure who were also on standard medical therapy experienced significant improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction, which measures how well the left ventricle chamber of the heart can pump blood with each heart beat. Researchers also found that patients in the yoga group had reduced inflammation and better quality of life compared with patients in the control group.

If you have a heart condition, speak to your doctor about which level of yoga may be right for you. And if you're just starting out in yoga or have health concerns, speak with the yoga instructor prior to class. Your instructor can offer tips and modifications so you can get the most out of the class.1. Yoga Gets You Moving, Which Is a Good Thing

Not getting enough exercise can lead to heart disease, the No. 1 killer of both men and women in the United States, according to the American Heart Association (AHA). But it’s never too late to start. Research shows that people who do yoga are more likely to become active and adopt healthy eating habits, which can protect the heart. A study published in May 2018 in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity found that young adults who had a regular yoga practice reported healthier eating habits and more hours of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. The results of another review, published in 2020 in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, demonstrated that stretching exercises significantly reduced arterial stiffness, the hardening of the arteries that pump blood to the heart and through out the body, and improved heart function in middle-aged and older adults.

The AHA recommends at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity at least five days per week for overall heart health, and moderate- to high-intensity muscle-strengthening activity at least two days per week for additional health benefits.

2. Yoga Helps You Chill Out

While researchers haven't determined exactly how stress contributes to heart disease, stress can lead to an increase in behaviors and other factors that elevate heart disease risk. These include smoking, physical inactivity, overeating, and high blood pressure.

Studies show that yoga can help improve mental health, increase feelings of relaxation, and improve a person’s mood among people who practice it. The mind-body practice helps regulate the parasympathetic nervous system, part of the nervous system that tells you to calm down. A study published in August 2020 in Stress & Health showed that yoga classes with breathing exercises and meditation reduced perceived stress and increased mindfulness in its participants.

“Most stress-relief techniques involve some attention to breathing,” says Joel Kahn, MD, a cardiologist at the Kahn Center for Cardiac Longevity in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, and author of The Whole Heart Solution. “One of the essential focuses of all styles of yoga is awareness of the breath and being more mindful," he says. "So either explicit or implicit attention to stress reduction is inherent in almost all yoga classes. read more. webcomputerworld