06
February
2023
|
12:29 PM
America/New_York

Did You Know Yoga Can Support Your Heart Health? Here’s a 9-Minute, Heart-Opening Flow To Help You Start

Well + Good highlights how practicing yoga can help heart health according to experts including Nicola Banger, PT, OCS, MScPT, SFMA, CYA, physical therapist at HSS. 

The practice has long been studied for its cardiovascular benefits, and it's been proven that yoga's mix of deep breathing, mindfulness, and low-impact physical activity can have benefits for your heart (as well as your metabolic health and mental health).

study in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology found that people who did just 15 minutes of yoga five times a week for three months significantly improved their blood pressure and resting heart rates, and reduced their cardiovascular risk—benefits that weren't seen among a control group that did stretches instead.

This might partially be explained by yoga's focus on controlled breathing. “Slow, deep breathing helps you tap into your parasympathetic nervous system, which controls things like heart rate and blood pressure,” said Banger.

Read the full article at wellandgood.com.