Yoga and circulatory system, pacify blood pressure

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Yoga is Omnipotent

Yes, yoga sums up all – physical, emotional, mental abilities and potentials and becomes omnipotent.

If you have made or thinking to make yoga a vital part of your life,  you will soon observe the obvious changes in your life and be evolved into the much better version of yourself. You will start feeling more kind, compassionate and a giving person. Yoga renders its positive effects on our circulatory system. Which plays a crucial role in maintaining an etiquette Blood Pressure.

Yoga and Circulatory System

Yoga affects one and all of our body elements, the circulatory system being one of the most important systems responsible for the blood circulation and purification. The circulatory system comprises of  1. Heart (the pumping device)  2. Blood vessels (conductors)

This system is analogous to a water pump and its distribution pipes. The water pump takes input from a main source of the water, then pumps it out for the distribution.

Working Overview of Circulatory System:

• Heart contraction sends the blood to the lungs where it mixes up with oxygen.
• Oxygen rich blood then routes back to the heart which pumps it to every part and hence each body cell through arteries.
• Cells are now nourished well after receiving oxygen from the blood.
• Oxygen deficient blood then returns to the heart, to repeat the process.

The heart performs this tough, crucial and endless process throughout the life, without delays and halts, if everything is perfect. But this may not work ideally due to modern eating habits and lifestyle. Stress is playing havoc on the heart-related issues, also the culprit of hypertension.

Yoga plays its role in blood production which takes place in the marrow of long thigh bones. Yoga poses rejuvenate and stretch the body’s major blood vessels and keep them elastic and free-flowing.

Complete yoga breathing pattern oxygenates the blood and helps nutrients to reach everywhere it is needed. An improved blood circulation means a lot to us.

When our brain receives appropriate blood supplies, it performs best resulting in improved alertness, memory and mood.

Mindfully performed yoga practices can reduce stress-induced hypertension, by pacifying nervous system and calming down the heart beats.

Yoga for Healthy Circulatory System

A healthy circulatory system will give  BP check 120/80. The top number is called systolic pressure, is a measure of pressure in arteries at the time when the heart contracts. The bottom number is a measure of pressure in arteries when the heart relaxes, known as diastolic pressure.

In case blood pressure reaches beyond 140/90, there are chances of you being a patient with hypertension, and taking one or more pills a day to control it. Increased blood pressure may cause stroke, heart failure and many other ailments. Its symptoms may include nostril bleeding, nervousness, rough and aroused behaviour, ringing ears, dizziness and headaches. All these or some symptoms may exist, depending on person to person.

Following yoga poses are actually helpful in supporting to keep our circulatory system potentially healthy.

1. Adho Mukha Shvanasana (Downward-facing Dog Pose) with  support*

• Start from mountain pose.
• Pose as shown in the picture.
• Push the floor below your foot and then bellow the hands
• Feel the tension while stretching your hips upward.
• Stay there for four set of “inhale and exhale”***.

2.Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend Pose) with head support

• Start from mountain pose
• Bend forward till you achieve a posture, as shown in the picture.
• Achieve the bending from the crease of the hips and legs joint.
• Stay there for four set of “inhale and exhale”.
• Feel the tension in hamstrings.**

3.Pashchimottanasana (Posterior stretch  pose) with support

• Start from seating pose, activate your hands upward while inhaling.
• Exhale and bend forward to grip your toes to achieve the pose as shown in the picture.
• Keep spine straight.
• You can provide head support by putting one or two small pillows on your leg.
• Keep breathing. Stay there for four set of “inhale and exhale.”
• Feel the tension in hamstrings.

4.Halasana (Plow Pose) with support

• Start from “lie on your back” with your arms beside and palm downwards.
• While inhaling, use your abdominal muscles to lift your feet off the floor.
• Raise your legs vertically at 90-degree angle.
• Support your hips to raise them off the floor.
• Try touching the floor with your toes as shown in the picture.
• Avoid any jerky movement and too much force initially, to avoid neck and other injuries.
• Use supports below the waist if needed.
• Stay  there for four set of “inhale and exhale.”

5.Setu Band Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose) with support

• Start with “lie down on your back.”
• Bend both knees and place the feet flat on the floor.
• Keep legs hip-width apart.
• Press the feet into the floor, lift up your hips while inhaling.
• Now press down into arms and shoulders to lift the body taking the shape of a bridge.

• Stay  there for four set of “inhale and exhale.”

*Support: Supports, while doing yoga is needed in order to prevent injuries or to help in achieving certain poses. Some examples of supports are rolled blankets, soft cubicles, cushions, pillows.

**Hamstrings: The prominent tendons at the back of the knee. They are the sidewalls of the hollow behind the knee.

***Inhale and Exhale: General guidelines for inhaling and exhaling are-

• Inhale when you are expanding hence giving enough space to your lungs to fill oxygen.
• Exhale when you are compressing and narrowing the space inside the lungs by giving out the oxygen.

Precautions for high B.P.  yoga practitioners:

There is a word of caution if you are suffering from high blood pressure. It is important to acknowledge that at any time of your yoga performance, your head should be at a level higher than your heart. So although the above-described yoga poses will do wonder for a healthy human, a hypertension patient should avoid any kind of body inversions, so avoid the poses which are causing discomfort in breathing, by increasing pressure on your diaphragm and rushing heavy flow of blood towards the brain.

You should always keep your head lifted when you’re doing seated forward folds. You can still practice lunges, warriors, planks, side triangle, extended angle, eagle, tree, and legs up the wall, which is a good way to practice an easy, safe inversion for the legs.

For people with high blood pressure, I’d also suggest Downward-facing  Dog, standing forward bend and bridge pose done on a support in order to keep the head and heart in the same line.

Must read on yoga by anatomy-science of yoga

• Yoga and Digestive System-Miracle Human Body
• Yoga and Skeletal System
• How to avoid yoga injuries

Excellent Way to Start Meditating as a Beginner

For my policies please go to my Disclaimer.

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