The Paris Independent
24
February 10, 2024
H E A LT H Y L I F E S T Y L E
Yoga for the Heart this Valentine’s Day! Yoga
with
Heidi Pfleger
With Valentine’s Day soon approaching, it seemed fitting to write about things that touch the heart. Yoga is something that has always touched my heart, in more ways than one, and it is a practice that can likely do the same for you. First of all, yoga poses and sequences are terrific for overall physical heart health. Inverted poses such as Sarvangasana (shoulderstand), Sirsasana (headstand) and the more relaxational Viparita Karani (legs up the wall) all help to boost your cardiovascular system. More vigorous vinyasa or ashtanga flow classes or even a doing a flow of Sun Salutations can also give your heart a nice little boost. That said, not every practice needs to be a vigorous one to help your heart. The basic and simpler practices that include breathing exercises, relaxation, and meditation greatly improve cardiovascular health. Lower blood pressure, better sleep, and less artery-damaging
It is believed that when the heart chakra is in healthy alignment, you will feel surrounded by love, compassion and joy. You will also feel much more connected to the world around you. inflammation are just a few things that ‘rest-and-digest response’ which, over yoga can do to help your heart. time, will enable you to be more calm and less reactive to stress. That sounds Taking time to relax and breathe more good and much better for your body and deeply can ease both emotional and your mind. Deeping your mind-body physical stress which will help to connection typically leads to a better reduce the release of hormones lifestyle which makes things even better like cortisol and adrenaline. Both of for your sense of well-being and the these hormones narrow your arteries and state of your heart. Studies dating back increase blood pressure, causing wear to 1990 indicate that a lifestyle that and tear on your heart. And, in addition includes yoga as one of its key to helping lower blood pressure, studies components can actually shrink have shown that practicing yoga can blockages in arteries, without the use of help lower blood cholesterol and blood medication. Of course, you do need to glucose levels. Doesn’t that sound check with your doctor about this if you good? are on medication but the practice of yoga will get you more in tune with It gets better. your body and better able to speak with The relaxational and meditative aspects your practitioner about what’s really of yoga can also build up your happening inside. You may even want to emotional resilience. This is important speak with our practitioner of some as emotions affect your body hugely! changes you’d like to make regarding Stress activates your body's ‘fight-oryour health and that is always a good flight response’ which can be hard on thing to discuss. your cardiovascular system. You get tense. You get tight. Your body seizes When we are more in tune with our up and doesn’t function as well as it body, we tend to make better lifestyle could or should. That’s not good. choices. We tend to want to eat better Practicing yoga, which focuses on a and are inclined to be more active, body-mind connection, helps build up a which is good for the heart.Cont’d on 25
