Cardiology, one of the specialties of internal medicine, deals with one of our vital organs – our heart. In the time of sedentary lifestyle, a diet full of fast food, and polluted air around us, our cardiovascular health could be very fragile. Yoga is one of the great and easy ways to prevent our heart from diseases. Practicing yoga regularly has been noted to eliminate cardiovascular disease risk factors as well as improve lifestyle habits.

Yoga is not just a set of exercises and postures; it is an ancient Indian art that includes specific philosophy, mental attitudes, and lifestyle modifications, such as moderation in diet and abstinence from smoking and alcohol consumption. These factors work together to prevent the appearance of many conditions, including cardiovascular disease (CVD). Organized yoga practice has the potential to address the physical, psychological, and health needs of patients with CVD.

There are 5 reasons for you to incorporate yoga in your daily routine to boost your cardiovascular health:

Yoga reduces stress

Nowadays lifestyle stresses have been admitted to be the main influence on many illnesses including cardiovascular disease. US-based research has proven that mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), e. g. yoga, caused a decrease in the number of visits to family physicians. This fact demonstrates that yoga can be a great contributor to general population health and cardiac health in particular in patients that are exposed to significant psychological stress.

Yoga helps you to lose weight

Yoga may notably improve one of the main risk factors for CVD, body weight, and consequently lipid profile, psychosocial stress, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. One study has shown that consistent yoga practice contributes to waist circumference reduction, one of the markers of CVD. Practicing static yoga postures, asanas, has shown to burn excess weight without causing high blood pressure and trauma risks for elder patients.

Yoga boosts your heart

Other than releasing stress, doing yoga may help with high blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and sugar levels. It can also help with irregular heart rate, which makes it a useful lifestyle modification. One study has shown that mindfulness yoga practice once a week reduced the incidence of atrial fibrillation episodes in patients with that disease. In another report, patients with heart failure who went through an eight-week yoga retreat demonstrated improvement in exercise competence and quality of life. They also had lower blood levels of markers for inflammation, which is a factor in heart disease.

Yoga can help you quit smoking

Some research indicates that yoga can be beneficial for quitting smoking. It builds your confidence and provides motivation for other significant lifestyle changes, such as a healthier diet, other forms of exercising. Smoking is a crucial risk factor for heart disease. Steer clear and protect your heart.

Yoga as exercise

Yoga can also improve flexibility, muscle strength, and balance. Note that yoga does not count towards your recommended physical activity of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week, as it is not an aerobic activity, so practicing yoga is recommended as an additional activity, not an alternative one.

Taken all together, it seems clear that the effect of daily yoga practice goes further on than just blood pressures and has been proven to impact other metabolic processes such as cholesterol and blood sugar levels.

Indeed, this ancient Indian art is not simply a few postures, but a holistic lifestyle that contributes to physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Though more research is required to discover the full benefits of yoga and heart health, there's a good chance that both yoga and an intense aerobic exercise program are an important part of our heart health.