Yoga Can Help Control High Blood Pressure
Yoga is an ancient discipline that continues to gain followers. Not surprisingly, thousands of people practice it every day all over the world, not only to balance their body or relax their mind, but also to obtain specific benefits, such as controlling high blood pressure.
Since stress and emotional tension in general influence blood pressure (for the worse), practicing an activity that helps channel them – such as yoga – is beneficial.
By helping to balance the nervous system, release physical and emotional tension, as well as work the body in a complete way, yoga also allows you to gain greater control of your breathing and body, and of course, control issues such as high blood pressure.
We invite you to learn more about this interesting topic below, don’t miss what we are about to tell you!
Holistic Yoga to Control High Blood Pressure
Yoga can be a healthy and natural way to control hypertension. In this sense, we understand yoga as a holistic discipline. That is, it includes a direct relationship between the mind, emotions, and the body, and can also treat so-called psychosomatic diseases.
According to a meta-analysis published in 2014 entitled: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Yoga for Hypertension, yoga may be a useful discipline to complement the treatment of hypertension.
Although evidence has been found that it provides several health benefits, the experts of the meta-analysis indicate that it’s necessary to continue to deepen in this regard, as it hasn’t yet been determined what’s the most concrete benefit that yoga provides, why and how it could get the most out of it.
Outside the field of scientific research, it is often said that through the practice of yoga, stillness of thought is achieved and from there come its benefits both psychologically and physically. Among the benefits, it is included the control of hypertension.
Control high blood pressure by controlling stress
According to a study published in 1998, “stress can cause hypertension through repeated elevations in blood pressure, as well as by stimulating the nervous system to produce large amounts of vasoconstrictor hormones that increase blood pressure”.
Stress isn’t what causes hypertension as such, but it does play a role in its onset. Therefore, patients with hypertension should seek methods that help them manage stress on a daily basis and cultivate their inner well-being.
As yoga incorporates several very effective relaxation techniques, its practice could be useful in reducing stress levels and, consequently, high blood pressure (or the risk of it rising, depending on the circumstances).
One of the factors that most influence the onset of high blood pressure is stress. Due to stressful lifestyles full of activity and responsibilities, we get high doses of uncertainty, pressure, and anxiety. In this sense, yoga’s ideal to reduce our frantic existence and slow things down.
Prevent and Control High Blood Pressure with Yoga
In view of all the above, it’s common to hear that yoga’s the ideal complement to a healthy lifestyle. Not only to control high blood pressure in a natural way, but to add health in any case.
Yoga helps to keep the body in shape, to breathe in a much more conscious and beneficial way, to rest better, to regulate physical and emotional tension, among many other issues.
It can be practiced at any age and there are many branches that adapt to the preferences and needs of each person, in addition, it usually complements very well with meditation and mindfulness.
Do not miss: What’s the Best Way to Practice Yoga?
Other Benefits of Practicing Yoga
- First, thanks to the exercises and postures (asanas), you’ll obtain greater flexibility in your muscles. Yoga works by stretching and movements that favor an increase in flexibility.
- It also promotes concentration, humor, vitality and physical strength. It’s therefore a mood enhancer.
- Furthermore, with the most spiritual yoga, you can make an introspective journey that invites you to know yourself in depth. With this awareness of who you really are, you’ll understand your place and find acceptance and inner peace.
Benefits for the soul
- Yoga requires practice, effort, dedication, and patience. For this reason, it can bring great rewards in terms of personal development as we improve our technique.
- It allows us to know and take better care of our body and to be coherent in maintaining good life habits.
- Yoga helps to combat sedentary lifestyles.
- It brings happiness and well-being, when included in a healthy lifestyle.
So, it’s clear that yoga has been used for millennia to connect body and mind. And, practiced regularly and consciously, it can help us to control blood pressure, calm nerves, and to know ourselves. It helps to improve the life and health of those who practice it.
Any time and place is the right place to treat ourselves to a session to work the body and mind.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Hagins, M., States, R., Selfe, T., & Innes, K. (2013). Effectiveness of yoga for hypertension: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2013.
- Labiano, L., & Brusasca, C. (2002). Tratamientos psicológicos en la hipertensión arterial. Interdisciplinaria: Revista de Psicología y Ciencias Afines = Journal of Psychology and Related Sciences, (1), 85–97.
- Posadzki, P., Cramer, H., Kuzdzal, A., Lee, M. S., & Ernst, E. (2014). Yoga for hypertension: A systematic review of randomized clinical trials. Complementary Therapies in Medicine. Churchill Livingstone.
- Tyagi, A., & Cohen, M. (2014, March 1). Yoga and hypertension: A systematic review. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. InnoVision Communications.
- Wang, J., Xiong, X., & Liu, W. (2013). Yoga for Essential Hypertension: A Systematic Review. PLoS ONE, 8(10).