Health : Heart problems and Yoga

Development in the world has brought about many benefits for mankind. But along with material comforts it has also brought in much competition and greed. This has generated mental stress and anxiety and its related diseases like high blood pressure and coronary artery disease, due to which blood supply to heart is reduced. Negative thoughts, lack of exercise, defective diet are other factors which precipitate the problem and aggravate it. Once somebody has this problem, he or she has to take the medicines life long to keep it controlled. But these drugs only provide some relief in symptoms and not total cure. Over a time, one tends to develop resistance to these drugs, necessitating increased dose or change of drug. There is also the risk of adverse effects. If the coronary arteries get severely blocked, surgery is done which has the potential risks for any major surgery. Yoga offers a simple, economical, harmless adjunct to medicines to keep these maladies under control. First and foremost benefit of yoga is that it provides complete relaxation and removes stress, which is a major contributor to heart problems. It also helps in the relaxation of the walls of the blood vessels, which helps in bringing down blood pressure and improving coronary artery disease. Yoga further helps in improving oxygen supply to the heart. When a person starts doing yoga regularly, gradually he develops such control over his mind that he can easily quit smoking, alcohol, e.t.c. toxic substances which perpetuate heart problem. Mind also moves towards positive thoughts. Thus yoga offers holistic benefit in preventing and controlling cardiac problems. Here I would like to mention some of the many useful yogic exercises which are beneficial for heart patients. “Shavasana”, or corpse like position is very good in this regard. In this, one lies down straight on the back. Body should be kept immobile, with eyes closed and limbs spread apart with fingers open (corpse like still body).A few minutes in this position provides absolute relaxation. “Kapalbhati”, is part of a series of breathing exercises or pranayama, which is also very useful in heart diseases. A person breathes in rapidly and expires forcibly using abdominal muscles. This causes greater absorption of oxygen and ensures that greater amount of oxygen reaches every body part, including heart. Slow and deep breathing is also useful in providing relaxation and more oxygen to the mind, heart and all body parts. Breathing through alternate nostrils (anulom, vilom pranayama) helps a person in total relaxation and also augments flow of oxygen to every part of the body. “Tadasana”, ( literally meaning position like a tall tree and called mountain pose), is a position in which one has to stand on toes straight, feet apart, with upper limbs stretched and kept at sides. This provides strength and flexibility to the muscles of the limbs and also helps prevents heart problems. Another yogic exercise which is very useful in prevention of heart diseases is,” Surya namaskar” (salutation to the sun). One does a series of stretching, bending and relaxation of limbs and trunk. Scientific studies have proven yoga to be useful in prevention and management of high blood pressure and heart problems. A word of caution here; Yoga is not a substitute for medicines for cardiac problems. In people who are already suffering from these problems, yoga helps in better control of the disease with reduced medication. Thus it also helps in reducing the adverse effects. A patient of heart diseases should continue follow up with his doctor regarding the medicines. One does not need any material or extra space to do yoga. It can be simply done at home, by just using a mat or blanket. Only condition is that it has to be done on an empty stomach in morning or at least 2 hours after a major meal. Any exercise should be started slowly and number increased slowly. In no case should one do any exercise more than the prescribed number or time. E-mail –rachna212002@yahoo.co.uk