Why Yoga Helps Your Heart As Dr. Dean Ornish explains, "Chronic emotional stress makes plaque build up twice as fast in the coronary arteries that feed the heart. Stress also causes the coronary arteries to constrict, reducing blood flow to the heart. It makes the platelets stickier and more likely to form blood clots that may precipitate a heart attack." Yoga is perhaps the most effective stress-reduction method ever invented. If you want to keep your heart healthy, incorporate these tips into your practice: Do a yogic relaxation for at least a few minutes every day. Research suggests it can increase your resiliency to stress—and, by extension, to heart disease. Balance your emotions with a regular yoga practice. Studies suggest that yoga helps diffuse emotions such as anger, hostility, and impatience that are linked to heart attacks. Combat loneliness, another risk factor for heart disease, by becoming part of a community. A recent study suggests that people with spiritual practices who meet regularly in a group live longer and have fewer heart attacks. Offer service (karma yoga) to those less fortunate than yourself—whether that means volunteering in a food pantry, or teaching a free yoga class in a retirement community. According to the yoga tradition, there is no better way to open your heart. ~See full article by Tim McCall in Yoga Journal
Posted on: Wed, 10 Jul 2013 16:05:20 +0000
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