Emerging Data Support Benefits of Yoga for Patients With Heart Disease.

Abstract

Diaphragmatic breathing techniques that 1 patient learned during a yoga-based cardiac rehabilitation class helped him overcome the stress and anxiety he often felt in the waiting room of his cardiologist’s office. The patient, like many seen by Sara Chambers, RN, BSN, assistant nurse manager in Cardiac Rehabilitation at Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center, said yoga helped him learn valuable coping techniques he uses in daily life. “Cardiac patients in particular tend to have a lot of stress,” said Chambers, who is is among the >20 million, or 9.5%, of US individuals who practice yoga, according to the 2012 National Health Interview Survey. Now, an emerging body of evidence suggests that yoga, which combines breathing exercises, strengthening and stretching poses, and relaxation techniques, can be beneficial for individuals with heart conditions or other chronic diseases. It seems to have comparable safety to other forms of exercise. “There are multiple studies that [suggest] that regular yoga practice with breathing exercises can increase lung volume, decrease heart rate and blood pressure, help regulate the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems, lower anxiety, and physical endurance,” said Chambers. Although many forms of exercise can be beneficial for patients with chronic diseases, the unique aspect of yoga “is the strong focus on breathing technique and …