Adding yoga to your usual exercise program is good for your heart and well-being: in one study, blood pressure, resting heart rate and the risk of cardiovascular disease improved in this way.
A research team had 60 people with hypertension and metabolic syndrome do either 15 minutes of stretching or yoga five times a week in addition to 30 minutes of cardio exercise. After three months, blood pressure had decreased significantly in both groups, but the upper blood pressure had decreased more in the yoga group (by ten units compared to four). Yoga also reduced resting heart rate and 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease. However, it is not yet known why yoga has a greater effect on high blood pressure than stretching exercises: stretching exercises and yoga practices have a lot in common, but also some differences. There are also many facets of yoga training.
“This study provides evidence of an additional non-drug therapy option to reduce cardiovascular risk and blood pressure control,” said Associate Professor Dr. Paul Poirier of the Quebec Heart and Lung Institute, who and his team published the study in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology. “We encourage patients to find exercise and stress relief for the management of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease in the forms they find most appealing. Our study shows that structured yoga practices can be a healthier complement to cardio than just stretching.”
Which: DOI 10.1016/j.cjca.2022.09.019