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 inflammation are just a few things that yoga can do to help your heart

Taking time to relax and breathe more deeply can ease both emotional and physical stress which will help to reduce the release of hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. Both of these hormones narrow your arteries and increase blood pressure, causing wear and tear on your heart. And, in addition to helping lower blood pressure, studies have shown that practicing yoga can help lower blood cholesterol and blood glucose levels. Doesn’t that sound good?

It gets better.

The relaxational and meditative aspects of yoga can also build up your emotional resilience This is important as emotions affect your body hugely! Stress activates your body's ‘fight-orflight response’ which can be hard on your cardiovascular system You get tense. You get tight. Your body seizes up and doesn’t function as well as it could or should. That’s not good. Practicing yoga, which focuses on a body-mind connection, helps build up a

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.

‘rest-and-digest response’ which, over time, will enable you to be more calm and less reactive to stress. That sounds good and much better for your body and your mind. Deeping your mind-body connection typically leads to a better lifestyle which makes things even better for your sense of well-being and the state of your heart. Studies dating back to 1990 indicate that a lifestyle that includes yoga as one of its key components can actually shrink blockages in arteries, without the use of medication. Of course, you do need to check with your doctor about this if you are on medication but the practice of yoga will get you more in tune with your body and better able to speak with your practitioner about what’s really happening inside. You may even want to speak with our practitioner of some changes you’d like to make regarding your health and that is always a good thing to discuss

When we are more in tune with our body, we tend to make better lifestyle choices. We tend to want to eat better and are inclined to be more active, which is good for the heart.Cont’d on 25