Lower Blood Pressure by Practicing Yoga

By practicing yoga regularly it may help in the treatment of high blood pressure, and may also help to lower blood pressure. Yoga asanas stable your blood pressure when it’s abnormally high. Asanas have favorable effects on the nervous system. By practicing certain yoga asanas you can not only lower your blood pressure, but also reduce the effects of hypertension on the other organs of the body.

There are a few categories of asanas which are recommended to lower blood pressure: forward bends, sitting poses, and some inversion poses.

Forward bends have the best effects on high blood pressure, so they can help you the most to lower your blood pressure. These exercises have a calming effect on the brain, the blood circulation to the brain is normalized, and they help you reduce the stress from the sense organs, things that lower blood pressure. So, the brain, the sympathetic nervous system and the sense organs are relaxed, the cardiac output and the pulse rate decelerate at the same time, and blood pressure stabilizes, so it lowers blood pressure when it’s high. Other asanas which have beneficial effects on the nervous system and help you lower blood pressure are Uttanasana (standing forward fold) and Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward-facing dog) , which have to be practiced with the head resting on props, so the blood circulates more freely into the aortic arch. These help you lower blood pressure.

Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose) and Virasan (Hero Pose) are some of the sitting asanas which can be practiced to get a lower blood pressure by the hypertensives, which in most cases are hard breathing. These poses eliminate the tension from the ribs and the intercostal muscles, so they help you to breathe with no difficulty, and lower blood pressure.
Other poses which may help to lower blood pressure are supine poses, like Supta Baddhakonasana which helps by relaxing the abdominal region, bringing overall calm to the body and nervous system.

Inversions asanas such as, Viparita Karanti (Legs-Up-The-Wall Pose) and Halasana (Plow Pose) revitalize the nerves, assure the control over the lungs and diaphragm, so if you practice these exercises constantly, you will get a lower blood pressure. Also useful are Shavasana and pranayama, which provide control over the automatic nervous system. As the senses and the mind are calmed, the blood pressure stabilizes, and in case of hypertension; leads to a lower blood pressure.
 

*The above information is meant for educational purposes only and should not replace the advice of your physician. Always check with your physician prior to starting any yoga regimen.