Evaluating Cardiovascular Changes After a Single Yoga Session: A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Aim and objective: This retrospective review of clinical data was done at the School of Yoga Therapy (SYT) (formerly Centre for Yoga Therapy, Education and Research (CYTER)) of Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth (SBV) to determine the cardiovascular (CV) effects of a single yoga session in patients of different medical conditions as well as in normal subjects. Methods: Data of 6026 patients (3962 female, 1880 male, and 184 transgender) who attended yoga therapy sessions at SYT. Heart rate (HR), systolic (SP) and diastolic pressure (DP) had been recorded using non-invasive blood pressure (NIBP) apparatus Participants were undergoing appropriate yoga therapy protocols as per their condition while normal subjects had a general schedule of practice. Results: There were statistically significant reductions (p<0.001) in all the studied CV parameters following the yoga session. Conclusion: There is a healthy reduction in HR, BP, and derived CV indices following a single yoga session. A similar study published earlier in 2013 from SYT (formerly CYTER) has been done with a larger population, and the effect of Yoga therapy on different medical conditions is proved yet again.