Practicing Yoga Helps Control Your Hypertension
High blood pressure or hypertension is a very common problem affecting one in three adults in the western hemisphere. This disease considerably increases the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular problems, heart failure, and kidney disease.
The symptoms of hypertension aren’t always easy to identify and often appear when blood pressure is already dangerously high. That’s why it’s known as the “silent killer”.
Fortunately, there are very effective pharmacological treatments to treat hypertension. However, there are also other measures that can be taken to help control high blood pressure.
Hypertension and stress
Blood pressure is the force exerted by the blood as it passes through the arteries when traveling through the circulatory system. This pressure varies throughout the day depending on the activities we do and stress.
If the activity is intense or we’re in a stressful situation, our blood pressure rises. On the contrary, when our bodies are at rest, the pressure drops.
Chronic high blood pressure can be caused by genetic factors or by other diseases, such as diabetes, kidney diseases, or hormonal changes. Although, stress causes hypertension and this is a difficult factor to control.
Stress is a constraint imposed on our bodies by an external factor. However, two different people may feel different levels of stress in the same situation. For one, the situation can be threatening, but for the other, not at all or to a different degree.
Even though it isn’t possible to control the different situations that each person has to go through, it’s possible to make sure that they can face them in the best possible way. Doing this will help prevent high levels of stress that can affect our blood pressure.
Practicing yoga helps control stress
People who suffer from hypertension caused or aggravated by stress often have difficulty controlling it; even when undergoing pharmacological treatment. Under these circumstances, yoga can become their best ally.
This millennial practice can be a healthy and natural way to control hypertension caused by stress. By practicing yoga, we can treat many diseases from a holistic point of view. Yoga affects the direct relationship that exists between the mind, body, and emotions.
Practicing yoga is a way to achieve quietness in our thoughts, it appeases the nervous system, and it manages to slow down the heart rate.
Moreover, yoga poses cause the mind and muscles to reach deep relaxation. This overall state of relaxation contributes very effectively to the treatment of hypertension.
Yoga also includes respiratory control techniques or pranayamas. This form of conscious and controlled breathing has the ability to immediately stabilize high blood pressure.
The breathing techniques we can acquire by practicing yoga can be very useful tools for hypersensitive patients in stressful situations. It’s always positive to control our breathing.
Asanas to relieve hypertension
Some yoga poses or exercises, also called asanas, are especially useful in managing hypertension. Generally, the practice of yoga has relaxing effects and manages to balance the nervous system. There are certain exercises that work better than others when it comes to lowering high blood pressure.
That is the case with inverted yoga exercises. These poses are about reversing the effect of gravity by placing the body, legs, and abdomen above the thorax. This type of exercise produces very important changes in the circulatory system since blood circulates faster, relieving pressure.
Breathing techniques are exercises that are also especially beneficial for controlling blood pressure. Yoga teaches us to breathe consciously; by inhaling and exhaling, we have the power to nourish the body and calm the mind.