Have you had a heart attack recently, and want to prevent further attacks? You guessed it right, we are talking about cardiac rehabilitation program, but not the conventional one. It is the natural version of it. Yoga based cardiac rehabilitation, which is neither expensive nor inconvenient. A study was conducted by Indian Council for Medical Research and Medical Research Council (UK). Its result was presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Session in Chicago.
Natural therapy for heart attack patients
The researchers studied 4000 patients who suffered heart attacks and were discharged from hospitals. The participants were asked to undergo a structured YogaCaRe programme as an alternative to or additional cardiac rehabilitation programme.
What is Yoga CaRe (Cardiac Rehabilitation)
As the name suggests, it is a care programme for cardiac patients who have had a heart attack. The programme consists of 13 yoga sessions, which include:
- Meditation
- Breathing exercises
- Heart friendly yoga poses
- Lifestyle advice to be followed after a heart attack
Generic yoga plus modern lifestyle
The programme is essentially a combination of generic yoga and modern lifestyle practices that can be modified or improved for better health. As yoga can be practised by anyone following any faith or religion, the programme has been designed keeping in mind that it is suitable for all sects and faiths.
“The Yoga-CaRe Trial, the largest trial on yoga as well as cardiac rehabilitation, has shown the potential of yoga to be an alternative to the conventional CR programmes and address the unmet needs of cardiac rehabilitation for patients in low-and middle-income countries. It is safe, relatively inexpensive, does not need an elaborate infrastructure, culturally acceptable and improves quality of life.”
-Prof Prabhakaran, vice-president of the Public Health Foundation of India and principal investigator of the study. Read the full report here.
Benefits of deep breathing
I’d like to mention that despite breathing being the most essential body function, its importance is often ignored as it happens naturally. What really makes the difference is deep and conscious breathing, which we often don’t care about. Those who can make time for deep breathing every day realise and feel the positive difference due to:
- High energy levels
- Improved blood circulation
- Improved digestion
- Reduced inflammation
- Reduced acidity
- Improved posture
- Calm mind and reduction in stress level
- Natural painkilling effect
Though taking deep breath in the morning hours is most beneficial, you can do it anytime of the day, as long as the air is fresh and not polluted. There are many breathing techniques, which we’ll cover in another post.
Deep breathing to lower blood pressure
As we hardly breath deeply, we usually don’t get the maximum possible benefits of deep breathing. Those with high blood pressure can notice remarkable difference in their blood pressure after practicing deep breathing regularly. All you need to do is make time, some 5-10 minutes every morning to breathe deeply.
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