Strike a Pose and Find the Zen of Heart Health

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If you are someone who has remained skeptical about yoga and meditation during their past decade of soaring popularity, you might want to reconsider your position because the medical community, and not just yoga practitioners and the philosophical minded, have started to confirm its health benefits. Several studies in the past year have explored the ways in which yoga and meditation can be a boon to your heart, regardless of whether you are someone with a healthy ticker or someone with a cardiovascular condition, such as Chronic Heart Failure or diabetes.

In one small New York-based study, 19 patients with Chronic Heart Failure (CHF) were randomly placed into one of two groups—a yoga treatment group or a standard medical therapy group—for an 8-week period. At the end of the trial, all participants completed The Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ). The overall MLHFQ scores of patients in the yoga group improved by nearly 26% while those of the other group increased by less than 3%.

Moreover, the study found that the yoga participants experienced an increase in exercise tolerance and expressed a greater ease with doing daily activities as well as a psychological benefit. Most significantly, those who received yoga treatment exhibited significant reductions in serum levels of IL-6 and CRP, two common inflammatory markers in patients with CHF. Ongoing high levels of C-Reactive Protein or CRP, for example, may indicate an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, sudden cardiac death, or even the onset of type 2 diabetes.

Another recent study has boasted the heart health benefits of yoga for pregnant women. This study, set in Bangalore, India, placed 45 women ages 20-35 and in the 18th to 20th week of a “normal” pregnancy in yoga therapy for one hour daily for the duration of their pregnancy; another comparable group of 45 women completed only standard prenatal exercises. When researchers monitored the heart rate variability (HRV) of those in the yoga group, they found that these patients’ HRV values benefited significantly from the 20th to the 36th week of pregnancy, and their parasympathetic tone (which indicates slowing of heartbeat) increased and sympathetic tone (which indicates stimulation of heartbeat) decreased. What exactly does this mean? Well, pregnancy itself physiologically affects how women cope with stress, physical and otherwise.

For the women in this study, yoga eased anxiety and heart function. In fact, in the end, those who underwent regular yoga therapy experienced a nearly 32% decrease in perceived stress compared to the control group which actually experienced a nearly 7% increase as delivery drew nearer.

So what are waiting you for? Strike a pose.

Works Cited

Pullen, Paula R. et al. “Effects of Yoga on Inflammation and Exercise Capacity in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure.” Journal of Cardiac Failure. 14:5 (2008): 408-413.

Satyapriya, Maharana et al. “Effect of Integrated Yoga on Stress and Heart Rate Variability in Pregnant Women.” International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics. 104 (2009): 218-222.

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We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.