Millions of people die every year due to cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) globally, mostly due to heart attack and stroke. Various factors can increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases, some of which are avoidable such as unhealthy diet, obesity, physical inactivity, alcohol and tobacco use. Practicing yoga can benefit you in many ways, including your cardiovascular health.
Yoga benefits your heart health by increasing circulation and blood flow, controlling blood pressure, cholesterol and blood glucose levels. Hence, reduce your risk of hypertension, stroke, and heart disease. Yoga is also helpful in managing stress, which is critical for your overall heart health.
“Yoga comprises of eight steps: Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dyhana and Samadhi. A heart patient should principally accept all these in their life,” says Mansi Gulati, International face yoga expert and founder of Manasvani.
Further explaining these steps, she says:
Yama and Niyama are basic principles of stress management (dos and don’ts of life).
The three steps that are a must for the heart patients are Asana, Pranayama and Dhyana (meditation).
Dharana is the first step of meditation.
The remaining two, Pratyahara and Samadhi, are to be practised by advanced Yoga practitioners only.
Do this yoga daily to keep your heart healthy
If you’re a heart patient, Mansi Gulati recommends practising a set of yoga-based exercises with eight selected asanas, simple kriya Pranayama and Vowel kriya daily.
5 minutes Pranayama
10 minutes of Meditation
20 minutes of Yoga based exercises and Asana
“These help in reversal of heart disease and can also be very good for any healthy person,” says the yoga guru.
How to do Simple kriya and Vowel kriya
Simple kriya: Increase the speed of your breath while you inhale and exhale, do this 10 times. It will give relief from stress and anxiety, as well as improve your respiratory and cardiovascular health.
Vowel kriya (a , e, u, hm, ma)
Inhale deeply and exhale
As you breathe out, chant “AAAAA” and feel your abdomen vibrating. Breathe out completely and simply relax.
Then take a deep and slow inhalation. As you breathe out, chant “eeee” and feel your chest and neck vibrating. Breathe out completely and relax again.
Exercise a slow and deep inhalation. As you breathe out, chant “Uuuu” and feel your neck vibrating.
Take a deep breath and slow inhalation and as you breathe out chant “hmmmm’ and you feel your face vibrating.
Inhale and as you breathe out, chant “MMMM” and you will feel your head vibrates.
Close your eyes for a minute and feel these five vibrating sounds you just have formed.
Benefits of vowel kriya: It helps improve your brain, respiratory, and cardiovascular health, and overall well-being.
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