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Practicing Yoga after Heart Surgery

Yoga Postures For People Undergone Heart Surgery

Due to a high-stress environment, irregular diet patterns, and unhealthy habits like drinking and smoking, a lot of people are facing heart diseases today that sometimes even results in surgery. In order to combat heart-related conditions, why not extend your range of treatment by trying an innovative solution like yoga.

Yoga is known to aid the healing process. It is a therapeutic form of exercise that benefits both the body and the mind, and has been practiced for centuries. This discipline found its origins in India many thousands of years ago. In Sanskrit, the language of ancient India, the word ‘yoga’ meant ‘union’. Thus, yoga helps you to achieve union of your mind, body, and spirit. Yoga is not only excellent as a form of exercise, but is also good for spiritual growth.

For those who have undergone heart surgery, it is important to practice only mild physical and breathing exercises that do not stress the heart, while still keeping it healthy. You can begin the yoga postures with the simplest one, ‘Shavasana’, which means lying down like a corpse. This posture gives a soothing effect to the nerves and makes the muscles function better, thus providing an overall sense of relaxation. ‘Uttanasana’, a forward extension that is performed without bending your knees promotes circulation of blood, making the heart pump faster, thus making it stronger. To perform ‘Trikonasana’, or the triangle pose, you need to spread your feet apart a little, and without twisting your body, you need to hold your right or left ankle with your right or left hand respectively. This posture regulates your breathing and blood pressure.

For breathing exercises, ‘Analom-Vilom’, is an extremely effective form of breathing exercise, where you breathe in through one nostril and exhale through the other. This increases the oxygen flow to your heart, making the cardiovascular muscles work harder. Meditation can be practiced regularly. Its many benefits include reducing hypertension, and lowering blood pressure. Moreover, chanting while meditating adds additional benefits to this practice as it stimulates the energy flow to your heart.

Always consult your doctor before starting on any form of exercise, especially if you have undergone heart surgery. If you begin to feel tired, feel pain or breathlessness, you may stop or move on to an easier pose. The best way to learn yoga is to seek the expert guidance of a trained yoga teacher who will be able to guide you towards the most beneficial poses to aid in your recovery.

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