Many studies have shown the benefits of Yoga for cardiovascular health. Yoga is all about improving physical and mental flexibility, endurance, balance, coordination and focus. Dr Santosh Kumar Dora, senior cardiologist, Asian Heart Institute, Mumbai lists numerous ways in which yoga improves cardiac health.
Decreases Stress:
Stress can elevate hormones in the body, like cortisol and adrenaline, which can lead to a harder time balancing one’s heart rate and blood pressure. Stress is linked to endangering one’s heart as it weakens against stronger risk factors of coronary artery disease and hypertension leading to arrhythmia, ischemia, coronary artery disease and others. To combat stress’s damaging effects on your well-being, consider meditative activities or deep breathing exercises that will help you relax throughout the day; these healthy habits can decrease your heart rate and blood pressure so that you’re less likely to suffer from cardiovascular issues in the future.
Improves numbers related to heart health:
Regular yoga will help improve blood pressure and heart health by lowering cholesterol levels, blood sugar, body fat and weight circumference. A study showed that in people (middle-aged adults) with metabolic syndrome who practiced yoga for 3 months showed improvement in blood measurements and waist circumference (a marker of heart disease).
Exercise
Yoga is a great method of exercise that allows you to burn calories. Additionally, it helps improve the flexibility of the joints in the body, which improves your overall core muscle strength that enables you to have more stamina in aerobic activities like running and swimming. These aerobic exercises help individuals burn calories at a significantly higher rate than if they were to perform weight training alone.
Yoga and smoking:
Smokers who practice yoga regularly are more likely to quit smoking. One of the many benefits of practicing yoga is that it helps people to manage stress internally, which makes them feel less inclined to smoke. It is especially true for stress smokers. Smokers are at a higher risk of suffering from coronary artery disease and heart attacks than non-smokers. Yoga reduces this risk by aiding smoking cessation in smokers.
Cardiac rehabilitation:
People who’ve experienced cardiac problems can find emotional and physical relief through yoga. Yoga is also widely practiced during cardiac rehabilitation in order to ease stress. Regular yoga practice for 30-45 minutes every day, serves to calm the body and mind.
