When I was no bigger than a lime inside my mom’s belly, my maternal grandfather passed away at age 45 after a doctor misdiagnosed his chest pain as indigestion instead of the massive heart attack he was having.
A high school friend in his early 40s and my brother-in-law on his 60th birthday went for runs and didn’t come home.
When my handsome hubs had chest, neck, and jaw pain walking home from work one day several years ago, thankfully, we caught it in time.
Chances are heart disease has touched your life in some way too, whether it has affected you or someone you love.
More and more clinical studies are showing the potential benefits yoga has for heart health.
In addition to the direct effects of certain yoga practices on factors related to CVD—like blood pressure—yoga poses, breathwork, meditation, and philosophy give you tools to help you choose how you respond to stress for indirect yet powerful heart health benefits.
The Role of Stress in Heart Health
It’s American Heart Month here in the U.S., a tradition that President Lyndon B. Johnson started in 1964 and presidents have continued to declare since then to raise awareness about cardiovascular disease (CVD). [1]
Heart disease continued to be the leading cause of death in the U.S. in 2023, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. [2]
On average someone in the U.S. dies of heart disease every 34 seconds, with 2552 deaths from CVD each day. Nearly half the population is estimated to have hypertension. [3]
Several studies have shown that stress plays a significant, albeit poorly understood, role in heart disease. A breakthrough study in 2020 in Current Treatment Options in Cardiovascular Medicine identified a neurobiological signal in humans that links psychosocial stress to CVD, demonstrates a causal relationship between the two, and calls for inclusion of therapies against psychosocial stress in CVD prevention and treatment. The study also acknowledges the CVD consequences of stress ultimately depend upon its degree and duration, as well as on individual differences in responses to a stressor.[4]
A November 2021 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded in people with heart disease, one in six experienced decreased blood flow to the heart with mental stress and were twice as likely to have a heart attack or heart failure than people who did not experience the decreased blood flow to the heart. People with heart disease who experienced decreased blood flow to the heart from both physical and mental stress were four times more likely to have a heart attack or heart failure. [5]
The yogic path offers a variety of practices that reduce the distractions and stressors of everyday life, and it turns out, that’s a good thing for your heart health as well as for the ultimate goal of yoga, which is union.
Beyond Stretching Muscles in Postures
Most people who’ve tried a yoga class have experienced the relaxing qualities of the physical practice. What many people don’t understand is that these feelings of calm happen as a result of many different things besides stretching.
Yoga postures affect the 5 main systems of the body—circulatory, respiratory, musculoskeletal, digestive, and nervous—in different ways, depending on the pose, how the practitioner practices the pose, and the individual constitution of the person.
For example, inversions temporarily increase blood pressure (circulatory system). If you have unmanaged high blood pressure, it’s best to stay away from going upside down and stick with a practice that helps you feel less anxious, stressed, and aggravated, and gives you a sense of being grounded, calm and open, such as seated forward bends and supported backbends.to more Someone without hypertension, though, might find inversions very calming.
In a healthy person, active unsupported backbends (like Bhujangasana/Cobra or Urdhva Dhanurasana/Upward Bow) are energizing and stimulating for the heart, but that activation might be too much for someone recovering from a heart procedure. They would benefit more from gentle, supported backbends (like Supta Baddha Konasana/Reclining Bound Angle) during recovery.
Similarly, studies have shown breathwork can have heart health benefits too.
Breathing through your nose in breathwork practices can lower your heart rate, drive oxygen further down into your lungs (respiratory system), and activate nerve receptors for the parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous system.
Breathing through your mouth when doing a cardiovascular workout engages the sympathetic (fight or flight) nervous system, according to the book Mind, Body, Sport, by Dr. John Douillard. [6]
In other words, mouth breathing stresses your system, and nose breathing calms it. No wonder most pranayama (breath work) techniques incorporate various ways of breathing through the nose.
Meditation can powerfully reduce your risk of having a heart attack or stroke as well. According to a Harvard Health Publishing article from August 2013, research confirms that people who practice meditation are dramatically less likely to have a heart attack or stroke. [7]
Yoga also offers other lifestyle practices that help mitigate heart health risks and everyday stressors.
For example, eating a clean, healthy diet is part of the yogic practice of Saucha (Cleanliness) and also can contribute to better heart health.
The yogic practice of Aparigraha (Self-Reliance) teaches you to stop stressing yourself out by comparing yourself to and trying to keep up with others, a common source of stress especially in today’s world of social media. Instead, Aparigraha helps you learn that you are enough.
The yogic principle of Ahimsa (Non-Violence or Peace) reminds you to stop shaming yourself for things like having high cholesterol or high blood pressure and to make better, kinder choices for your heart health.
Tapas (Perseverance) helps you keep going when you want to give up rather than focusing on doing what’s in your control to improve your cardiovascular health.
I could keep going, but right now, I need to honor my own heart health by getting some sleep.
Many of the clinical studies conclude that more research is needed, and I’m not saying yoga is a cure for heart disease, that you should do yoga to treat heart disease, or that you should forego any other therapies. Always seek the advice of your own medical practitioner and/or mental health provider about your specific heart health situation.
With mindfulness and care, yoga’s powerful stress-relieving practices can play a beneficial role in all phases of cardiac health: prevention, management, and recovery from an incident or intervention.
None of yoga’s gifts or the advice of your doctor will matter unless you’re willing to take that first step of choosing to make a change. I know it can be daunting and scary. I’m here to hold your (virtual) hand and whisper in your ear, “You can do this! I believe in you.”
Consider this information as a reminder of how yoga can help your heart health and a gentle tap on the shoulder or a whisper in your ear that now is the time.
I’m here for you and your heart. And yoga is too.
Tell me, how do you use yoga to help keep your heart healthy? Let me know in the comments.
This information is for educational and informational purposes only and solely as a self-help tool for your own use. I am not providing medical, psychological, or nutrition therapy advice. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat any health problems or illnesses without consulting your own medical practitioner. Always seek the advice of your own medical practitioner and/or mental health provider about your specific health situation.
[1] https://www.heart.org/en/around-the-aha/february-is-american-heart-month
[2] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. National Vital Statistics System, Provisional Mortality on CDC WONDER Online Database. Data are from the final Multiple Cause of Death Files, 2018-2021, and from provisional data for years 2022-2024, as compiled from data provided by the 57 vital statistics jurisdictions through the Vital Statistics Cooperative Program. Accessed at http://wonder.cdc.gov/mcd-icd10-provisional.html on Feb 18, 2024 1:14:02 PM
[3] https://www.heart.org/en/about-us/heart-and-stroke-association-statistics?uid=1740
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6568256/#R8
[5] https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/under-pressure-how-stress-may-affect-your-heart
[6] Douillard, John, Mind, Body, Sport: The Mind-Body Guide to Lifelong Health, Fitness, and Your Personal Best. Three Rivers Press, NY. 1994, 2000, 2001.
[7] https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/meditation-offers-significant-heart-benefits