In today’s fast-paced and stressful world, it’s essential to prioritize our cardiovascular health. The heart is a remarkable organ vital in sustaining our overall well-being. While “mainstream” forms of exercise tout cardiovascular benefits, there is another practice that has risen in popularity in recent years—yoga. Read further to explore the relationship between yoga and the cardiovascular system as we examine yoga’s beneficial impact on heart health.

Yoga: A Practice for Heart Health

Yoga is a holistic practice that combines stress management and exercise. As a result, yoga is a unique two-in-one approach to improving heart health. Yoga is a calming exercise that connects the mind and body through various techniques, like breathing exercises, strength-building, flexibility training, and balance work. All these techniques promote heart health and stress relief.

There are different types of yoga, such as Ashtanga, Anusara, Hatha, Bikram, and Vinyasa. Each type targets different aspects of physical and mental well-being. This diversity ensures there is a form of yoga suitable for every age and every level of strength and mobility.

Types of Yoga

1. Ashtanga Yoga: Ashtanga Yoga is a dynamic and physically demanding style of yoga that follows a specific sequence of postures. It focuses on synchronizing breath with movement to create a flowing and meditative practice. Ashtanga Yoga consists of a series of poses that build strength, flexibility, and stamina. It is excellent for those who want a challenging and disciplined practice.
2. Anusara Yoga: Anusara Yoga is a heart-centered and alignment-based style of yoga. It emphasizes the importance of opening the heart. Anusara Yoga combines precise alignment principles with a playful and uplifting approach, encouraging students to express their unique abilities.
3. Hatha Yoga: Hatha Yoga is a broad term encompassing many traditional physical yoga practices. It is often considered the foundation of all yoga styles. Hatha Yoga emphasizes the balance between body and mind by practicing asanas (postures), pranayama (breathing techniques), and meditation. It is a gentle and accessible form of yoga that promotes physical strength, flexibility, and mental clarity.
4. Bikram Yoga: Bikram Yoga, also known as “hot yoga,” is a specific style developed by Bikram Choudhury. The yoga flow is a series of 26 postures plus two breathing exercises. Plus, it is practiced in a hot, humid room around 105°F (40.6°C).
   The heat and humidity promote flexibility and detoxification. Bikram Yoga focuses on physical strength, endurance, and mental discipline.
5. Vinyasa Yoga: Vinyasa Yoga is a dynamic and flowing style of yoga that synchronizes movement with breath. It involves smoothly transitioning from one pose to another, creating a seamless sequence. Vinyasa Yoga encourages creativity and allows for variations, making it accessible to people of all levels. It builds strength, flexibility, and coordination while promoting a meditative state of mind.
   Each style of yoga offers unique benefits and approaches, allowing everyone the opportunity to find the one that suits them best.

Yoga Reduces Stress to Prevent Heart Disease

One way yoga positively affects the cardiovascular system is by calming the mind and relaxing the body. Relaxation is important because stress is a significant contributor to heart disease.

Stress can trigger the adrenal glands above the kidneys to release cortisol and adrenaline hormones. These hormones narrow the arteries and increase blood pressure. Engaging in yoga flows can decrease cortisol and adrenaline levels and relax the body.

Studies have shown that yoga can effectively lower blood pressure, blood cholesterol, blood glucose levels, and heart rate. Additionally, yoga improves artery relaxation, which can help to lower blood pressure.

Yoga Helps You Quit Smoking

Smoking and tobacco use are well-established risk factors for developing heart disease. Therefore, medical professionals strongly advise patients with vascular and heart problems to stop all tobacco use. Interestingly, yoga may serve as an effective aid to quit smoking. While more research is needed, early studies suggest that incorporating yoga into a smoking cessation program can increase the chances of quitting smoking successfully.

Enhancing Heart Strength and Blood Flow

Although yoga may not be intense cardio, it still provides ample benefits for the cardiovascular system. Holding challenging yoga poses, like Navasana (boat pose) and Utkatasana (chair pose), for an extended period can turn up the heat and improve heart strength.

Furthermore, heart-opening poses and postures stretch the front of the body, improving blood flow to and from the heart. Poses with the legs elevated above the heart relieve varicose vein symptoms as they assist blood vessels in pushing blood back toward the heart. Engaging the calf muscles through yoga can also alleviate pain and pressure, further enhancing blood circulation.

Studies on Metabolic Syndrome and Atrial Fibrillation

Regular yoga practice also enhances metabolism, improving blood glucose and cholesterol levels. In fact, a study conducted on middle-aged adults with metabolic syndrome showed that their blood measurements and waist circumference (indicators of heart disease) improved significantly after just three months of practicing yoga.

The benefits of yoga extend beyond general heart health. The practice proves to have positive effects on specific cardiovascular conditions as well. For example, patients with atrial fibrillation, a common heart rhythm disorder, experienced a reduction in the frequency of episodes when they engaged in slow-paced yoga twice a week. Additionally, after participating in an eight-week yoga program, those with heart failure showed lower blood levels of markers for inflammation. These markers can contribute to heart disease.

How Yoga Helps the Heart

You can see how yoga helps the heart by examining the physiological mechanisms it affects.

Firstly, yoga helps reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by stimulating the vagus nerve and activating the parasympathetic nervous system. This activation

• reduces inflammation
• lowers blood pressure
• regulates heart rate
• improves insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance
• improves mood and sleep

All of these factors contribute to reduced risks for atherosclerosis, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease.

Is Yoga Aerobic Exercise?

One common question about yoga and cardiovascular health is if you can count yoga as cardio or aerobic exercise. While yoga does count as exercise, most traditional forms of yoga are not considered aerobic exercise. The reason is that they do not typically raise the heart rate as high as other aerobic activities.

However, certain styles of yoga, such as Vinyasa and Ashtanga, can increase heart rate enough to be considered aerobic. Because of the variety, you can practice yoga twice a day or more. For example, try a more rigorous flow in the morning to wake up and a more relaxing flow at night to wind down.

Regardless, it is essential to include other forms of moderate to vigorous exercise for heart health.

How to Keep Your Heart Healthy

Incorporating yoga into your lifestyle can have a significant positive impact on your cardiovascular health. By combining stress management and exercise in one practice, yoga provides a comprehensive approach to maintaining a healthy heart.

Whether seeking to lower blood pressure, improve cholesterol levels, reduce inflammation, or enhance overall well-being, yoga offers many benefits. So, why not take the first step on this transformative journey and embrace the yoga-heart connection? Your heart will thank you for it.

If you need medical care for your heart or venous disease, visit Vein Solutions in Flint, Michigan, and Lapeer, Michigan. Our board-certified vascular surgeons use their years of expertise to provide our patients with excellent vein treatment services. Contact us to schedule your vein screening and consultation today!