What happens to your blood pressure when you regularly practice yoga?
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Main to remember
- Yoga lowers blood pressure by reducing stress, improving cardiovascular health and promoting relaxation and mindfulness.
- Starting a yoga practice does not need to be complicated; The key is consistency and find what works for you.
- If you have high blood pressure, avoid inversions, quick breathing techniques and “hot” yoga.
Yoga is a body-spirit practice that consists of three parts: poses (asana), meditation (dhyana) and respiratory work (pranayama). When combined, these three elements can help lower blood pressure.
How yoga lowers blood pressure
Incorporating meditation and breathing exercises into a physical yoga practice has the most advantages for blood pressure. These elements work to lower blood pressure in:
- Stress reduction: Yoga helps the body to cope with stress by regulating the sympathetic nervous system, or the “fight or leakage” system. A chronic stressed body is subject to high blood pressure.
- Cardiovascular health improvement: A regular yoga practice has proven to support a healthy heart and circulatory system by lowering cholesterol levels, improving body weight and lowering blood pressure.
- Promote mindfulness: Mindfulness can help you recognize when your body is in a constant state of “combat or theft” and allow you to take measures to calm it.
- Improvement of sleep quality: Poor sleep has been associated with higher blood pressure. Practicing yoga can help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.
Tips to start
Starting a yoga practice does not need to be complicated. The key to harvesting the advantages of a yoga practice is consistency.
Taking small measures to start integrating aspects of yoga in your life can go very far. Here are some easy ways to add breathing, meditation and movement in your daily routine.
Breath
A slow -box breathing technique can easily be done when you wake up or before bedtime. To do the technique:
- Inspire for a count of 4.
- Hold for an account of 4,
- Exhale for an account of 4.
- Hold for an account of 4.
- Repeat this model for 5 to 10 minutes.
Meditation
Although meditation often sounds like a complicated practice, it can be reduced to a simple notion – a point of focus. In meditation, the idea is to find a single development point so that when the mind wanders, you draw your attention to this point.
Many people integrate meditation into their respiratory practice because they can use the breath as a goal. To meditate:
- Try to focus on the inspiration and expiration of your breath every morning while walking. You don’t need to change your breath; You just have to pay attention to it.
- If you start thinking about your “doing” or something else list, redirect your attention to inspiration and exhale.
- Start with five minutes to start.
Movement
There are many types of yoga. If you are new in practice, a beginner’s class or a catering class is an excellent starting point.
Find a studio or a gymnasium near you, or you can often find lessons online. Sometimes finding some poses that feel good in your body and are suitable for daily practice is sufficient to start.
Precautions and things to avoid
Although yoga is generally considered safe, see your health care provider before starting a practice to make sure that this suits you.
For people with high blood pressure, it may be preferable to avoid the following:
- Fast breathing. Breathing techniques that involve rapid inhales and exhale, such as “breath of fire”, can increase blood pressure and increase heart rate.
- Reversals. The poses that put their heads under the heart can put pressure on the cardiovascular system and increase blood pressure.
- Hot yoga. The practice of yoga in a heated room can also increase blood pressure and stress the heart and lungs.




