Yoga is good for your heart.
Yoga has many health benefits, particularly with stress reduction and flexibility. In research upcoming in the International Journal of Medical Engineering and Informatics, heart rate variability, a sign of a healthy heart, is shown to be higher in those who practice yoga.
The research was conducted using 84 male volunteers at the Indian Institute of Technology in India. The team studied electrocardiograms (ECG) to measure the mechanisms of the heart rate regulation in 42 who were experienced yoga practioners and 42 who were non-yogis.
Yoga has long been known to lower blood pressure and slow the heart rate, benefitting those with hypertension and heart disease. The new study shows that beat-to-beat changes in heart rate is just as important in the measure of heart health. In healthy individuals, heart rate variability is high, wheras cardiac abnormalities lead to a low HRV. Reduced HRV has been shown to be a predictor of mortality after myocardial infarction (heart attack).
The autonomic nervous system regulates the heart rate through two routes – the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems. The sympathetic system is the primary influence of heart rate and rhythm. The parasympathetic system slows heart rate through the mediation of the vagus nerve. When the two work well together, heart rate is steady and better able to respond to changes.
The team concludes that in their preliminary study, there is strengthening of parasympathetic (vagal) control in subjects who regularly practice yoga, which is indicative of better autonomic control over heart rate and so a healthier heart.
Among some of the places to practice yoga in Charlotte include Charlotte Yoga on Woodlawn, Yoga One Wellness on Central Ave, Yoga Oasis in Dilworth, and Yoga For Life on Morehead Street.
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