yoga for hypertension, osteoarthiritis

[anirudh]

Do anulom vilom and kapalbhatti really reduce hypertension.any other pranayam/asanas which also help.what about surya namaskar.does yoga restore synovial fluid in knees for ostoarthiritis patients.comments please

[anirudh]

do ayurvedic medicenes which lower bp offer side effects or are they safe in conjunction with pranayama

[InnerAthlete]

You do realize how loaded these questions are in the bareness in which you present them, right?

[mahasiddha]

I've read that Ujjayi pranayama can lower blood pressure. Not sure if this is true though. I'd like it to be.

Also, I read that you shouldn't do Kapalbhati if you have high blood pressure.

[siva]

OM

It is difficult to summarize everything one with hpb should NOT do in yoga. I only offer here what we can say for sure, and those are inversions, i.e., shoulderstand, headstand, handstand, in some cases even plough. There are others that if NOT performed correctly, particularly with regard to breathing (holding your breath, for example), can also cause a spike in pressure and potential problems. Other factors involved which we do not know here, such as the severity of the hpb, weight, diet, activity level, etc., also contribute to this complicated question.

The pranayama mentioned here in general should not be practiced independently of hatha, and so the issues again lie with the hatha practice as stated above.

i would encourage anyone seeking to reduce their bp with yoga practice to first consult your physician, and then if yoga is the way to go, you most definitely want to do it with an experienced teacher. Continue to educate yourself further about the contributing health and lifestyle factors so YOU know what you in particular should not be doing. Don't do it by trial and error. Also, hpb doesn't develop overnight, adjusting it through any means is a long-term proposition. Be vigilant, but be gentle.

Peace and best of luck,

Siva

[Pandara]

Namaste Anirudh,

HBP or hypertension is such a complex issue and there are so many factors which plays a role that I think it would be presumptious of me to give any advice or guidance here.

I would like to recommend an excellent book by Swami Shankardevananda called: The Effects of Yoga on Hypertension. (ISBN: 8185787271)

This book has helped me tremendously in understanding Hypertension and giving guidance to yogis who has hypertension, as it is quite a problem for many South Africans.

Please also always consult your doctor before making any changes through yoga. Your doctor needs to work on this with you as well.

Good luck.

[anirudh]

Hi.are ayurvedic medicenes alongwith yoga beneficial in hypertension or will yoga alone suffice

[anirudh]

HI.what should be the duration for anulom vilom for every sitting to be effective to reduce high blood pressure.i have high blood pressure which is presently under control by ayurvedic medicenes.i am male 44 years

[siva]

anirudh,

Do as many rounds as are comfortable for you up to 10 daily. If you reach 10 easily, then increase the length of your inhalation/exhalation, for example, 2:4, 3:6, 4:8. If you're practicing with retention, then increase the the count in the same way 2:8:4, 3:12:6, 4:16:8 and so on.

Om,
siva

[anirudh]

dear siva ,i am told retention is not recommended for hypertension patients.also what do the figures 2:4, 3:6, 4:8 etc signify

[siva]

anirudh???

...they are the ratio of inhalation to exhalation. The point is, rather than increasing the number of rounds beyond 10, you slow it down, thereby making it longer, deeper.

You say your HPB is under control? Retention should not be a problem, within reason, but you can practice without for many months before considering it.

siva

[kulai]

Doing yoga and drinking lots of green tea might help in reducing hypertension.

[anirudh]

any good books on yoga for high bp and osteoarthirits.please suggest

[The Scales]

Shava asana. Shava asana. Shava asana. Some consider this the best of all postures.

Blood circulation is easy. The muscles not contracted. The vital energy goes up. The mind at peace.

Duration: As long as possible. More is better.

Many studies there have been on it's positive effects in treating health issues, in-particular High Blood Pressure.


The High Blood Pressure and osteoarthritis are often caused by inflammation.

What causes inflammation? impurities / toxins circulating in the blood stream. allergic reactions.

Examples of Impurities and toxins: Tobacco in particular smoking tobacco. Unatural food products inparticular those manufactured with hydrogenated oils (Trans Fats) and other long chain chemical names. Some claim derivitaitves of corn in particular High Fructose corn syrup causes inflammation.
Spiking Blood sugar levels caused by ingestion of simple or refined carbohydrates like table sugar, flours, and so on.
Alcohol in varying degrees depending on the type of alcohol.
Exposure to chemicals. Cleaners. Exhaust. Paints. Sprays. Solvents.
Foods causing allergic reactions.

All these are relatively inflammatory.

Recomendation.

Reduce, Moderate or eliminate all sources of inflammation.
Eat large quantities of ideally Organic Fruits and Vegetables, and greens. In America Organic means the fruits, veg, and greens have not been grown from genetically modified seed or sprayed with chemicals.
Lie down in Shava asana for as long as possible. Ideally close to the earth, or on flat solid surface. Good time is before bed.

How to amplify healing effects in shava asana.

Example: Your knee is giving you troubles. Maintain easy steady abdominal breathing. Slighty contract the upper anus muscle as in ashwini mudra to keep prana from escaping. Put your awareness into the area - in this case the Knee. Prana follows mind. Maintiain awareness of the knee. Awareness slips away. Bring back to the knee. You will eventually after some time feel the prana gathering into the area. It is cool and slightly tingly. It's action in this regard is purifying and stimulating/healing.

Combine all this with OM japa. Pronounced ong as in Song or Gong.

The Meter is drawn out. As in ooooooooonnnnnnnngggggggg.

More time the better. More regularly is better.



How nice. So easy.

Come back and tell us what you find.

[EnemyZ]

Scales, you pointed me here from another of my posts. Thank you, this was very helpful.
I think Shava asana is exactly what I was looking for, only didn't know the word.

Ill try it, and see how it works out for me as well.

Well, thanks.

[The Scales]

Your quite welcome.

You dont' have to be totally thoughtless with single pointed concentration either for this to work. Intention and awareness. You might be able to do both (have some muttering thoughts and also maintain pretty good awarenss) at the same time.

The Pranayam comes from keeping the energy in ... "ashwini mudra" "helps" in this regard . . . and putting awareness into the area whether it be you shoulder, toe, knee, kidney and so on...