Immediate Cardiovascular Effects of a Single Yoga Session in Different Conditions

Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani Meena Ramanathan

doi:10.4172/2327-5162.1000144

Abstract

Aim and objective: This retrospective review of clinical data was done to determine cardiovascular effects of a single yoga session in normal subjects as well as patients of different medical conditions. Methods: Data of 1896 patients (1229 female, 633 male and 34 transgender) with mean age of 36.28 ± 12.64 y who attended yoga therapy sessions at CYTER between November 2010 and September 2012 was used for analysis. Heart rate (HR), systolic (SP) and diastolic pressure (DP) had been recorded using non-invasive blood pressure (NIBP) apparatus before and after 60 minute yoga sessions at CYTER and indices like pulse pressure (PP), mean pressure (MP), rate-pressure product (RPP) and double product (DoP) were derived from recorded parameters. Participants were undergoing appropriate yoga therapy protocols as per their individual condition while normal subjects had a general schedule of practice. Typical yoga sessions included simple warm ups (jathis and surya namaskar), breath body movement coordination practices (kriyas), static stretching postures (asana), breathing techniques (pranayama), relaxation and chanting. Results: There were statistically significant (p<0.001) reductions in all the studied cardiovascular parameters following the yoga session. The magnitude of reductions differed in the groups, it being more significant in those having hypertension (n=505) and less significant in those having endocrine/skin (n=230) and musculoskeletal (n=120) conditions. It was moderately significant in the normal subjects (n=582) as well as patients having psychiatric (n=302) and respiratory (n=157) conditions. Conclusion: There is a healthy reduction in HR, BP and derived cardiovascular indices following a single yoga session. The magnitude of this reduction depends on the pre-existing medical condition as well as the yoga therapy protocol adopted. These changes may be attributed to enhanced harmony of cardiac autonomic function as a result of coordinated breath-body work and mind-body relaxation due to yoga

Highlights

Humanity is today faced with numerous debilitating chronic illnesses related to aging, environment and an increasingly hedonistic lifestyle
Cardiovascular indices like pulse pressure (PP), mean pressure (MP), rate-pressure product (RPP) and double product (DoP) were derived from the recorded parameters
There is a healthy reduction in Heart rate (HR), BP and derived cardiovascular indices following a single yoga therapy session

Summary

Introduction

Humanity is today faced with numerous debilitating chronic illnesses related to aging, environment and an increasingly hedonistic lifestyle. These illnesses include cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, and cardiovascular disease, as well as incurable diseases such as AIDS. As a complement to modern medicine, can be especially useful in helping to fill in the gaps in the fields of disease prevention, management and rehabilitation. Modern medicine and yoga turn out to be more than the sum of their parts. While modern science looks outward for the cause of all ills, the yogi searches the depths of their own self, finding therein many of the answers he needs to maintain a vital equilibrium. The combination of the outward and inward search proves to be more effective than either alone

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