Benefits of Yoga And Atrial-Fibrillation
Atrial-Fibrillation Benefits Your Mental Well-Being
Yoga may be the perfect addition to standard treatment for Atrial Fibrillation or (A-Fib), based on a recent study linking yoga to lower heart rate and blood pressure and improved quality of life. So, “ABSOLUTELY”, Yoga Can Calm Atrial Fibrillation. For A-Fib patients, yoga can be an effective complementary therapy and a part of your A-Fib treatment plan. So, what are the benefits of yoga and atrial Fibrillation or (AF)?
Yoga can have long-term benefits for people with Atrial Fibrillation says David Meyerson, MD, a cardiologist at John Hopkins. “Anyone can do it, it’s not just for athletes, and it lessons anxiety, improves depression and blood pressure control”. Yoga has a calming effect that can help prevent the speeding up or slowing down of the heartbeat that’s common if you have Atrial-Fibrillation.
Yoga is a Natural Therapy for Atrial Fibrillation
Yoga can Actually be a very good intervention
Yoga reduces the number of episodes of A-Fib, so that means it’s decreasing the probability of you developing more systemic inflammation. It is also clearly established that doing yoga reduces the overall inflammatory burden on your body. People who do yoga are less likely to be overeating and have better weight control and all those things help keep A-Fib in check.
Before you start a yoga regimen, discuss it with your doctor first. If you have Atrial Fibrillation and you’re going to start yoga, it’s advised that you find the practice that’s right for you. Some Yoga is fast and furious, others are mild and gentle. For beginners, it’s suggested that you start with gentle yoga.
You might start with the lyenger or hatha types. They focus on body alignment and balance through meditation, (that’s one of my favorites, it’s easy on the body) and breath control exercises that are in sync with your movements. It all depends on what you are capable of doing, you and your doctor can decide what best fits your needs at the time.
What is Atrial Fibrillation?
A-Fib is an Irregular Heartbeat, a condition of the heart which interferes with the normal electical conduction of the impulses that typically result in rhythmic contraction of the heart moment by moment. Itis the most common treatable type of arrhythmia or irregular heart rhythm.
A fib causes the heart to beat much faster than normal and the upper and lower chambers of the heart get out of synch, which can result in poor emptying of the larger lower chambers of the heart, increasing the chances of blood clots forming there and getting shot out into the brain. When this happens, people suffer from strokes, which can cause significant disability or death. It can also gradually lead the heart to swell and work poorly, a condition called congestive heart failure.
Yoga Can Address or May Help Prevent These Conditions
Risk Factors Developing A-Fib
Yoga has been shown in studies to address many of these underlying issues.According to the CDC, they include high blood pressure (the most significant factor), advancing age, obesity, European ancestry, diabetes, heart failure, ischemic heart disease, overactive thyroid gland, chronic kidney disease, moderate to heavy alcohol intake, smoking and enlargement of the left side of the heart.
Treatment by your (cardiologist) heart specialist can include medications to control the rhythm of your heart, blood thinning medications to prevent you from developing clots in the big chambers of the heart, and surgical interventions to bring the heart rhythm back toward normal. Lowering risk factors via lifestyle changes…Yoga is your best bet, why? Yoga Calms Atrial Fibrillation!
Significant Decreases in Episodes of A-Fib
Significant Improvements Once Yoga Was In The Mix
Decreases in both depression and anxiety, and improvements in quality of life measures (30-40%) such as vitality, physical, social functioning and general overall health. Yoga lowers blood pressure and heart rate readings which are powerful effects. The great thing about yoga lowering heart rate readings is there are only good side affects for you mind, body and soul (mental).
We don’t know the exact mechanism that yoga is able to have this dampening effect on A fib (I believe it is in our possitive mental pwer to control our bodies). It is known that autonomic nervous system plays at least a partial role in how A fib develops.
So, one theory on how yoga helps is that yoga brings the sympathetic and parasympathetic parts of that system back into balance through it’s influence on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis), which is part of the communication between the brain and our hormone systems.
Yoga & AF – Video Interview with Dr. Dhanjaya Lakkireddy
Dr. Dhanunjaya Lakkireddy Explores the Effects of Yoga
Dr. Lakkireddy is a Professor of Medicine and Director at the Center for Excellence in AF and Complex Arrhythmias at the University of Kansas Medical Center.
Here is a comment left for Dr. Lakkireddy by Susan Steadman
2 years agoI am very impressed with this. Yoga is extremely a great way to stay healthy. My daughter is an instructor and speaks of how well daily exercise with Yoga exercise helps every organ in the body as well as muscles, mind, and spirit. My cholesterol and fat has decreased so much from Yoga. I agree with Dr. Lakkireddy. We have much to learn from holistic wellness and adding this to our current medicine.
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Which Style of Yoga is Best For You?
To decide on which style is best for you, Ask Yourself These 3 Questions
1)- Are you doing yoga for fitness and to get a chance to get in shape as well as to explore the mind-body connection?
2)- Do you have an injury, a medical condition, or other limitations?
3)- Are the meditative and spiritual parts of yoga your primary goal?
Regardless of the style of yoga you’re pursuing, it is recommended attending a few classes tailored to beginners. When you’re starting your yoga journey you need thorough explanations of the poses and tequences. When I went to my first class, I felt like I was behind because everyone in the room knew exactly what the instructor was asking of them. Needless to say, I spent more time looking around at everyone to see wich pose was next. There was room for improvement at that establishment for sure, so I’m in agreement with a thourough explantation of poses and techniques.
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Beginner classes are exactly what they seem, learning the basics and foundations of yoga.
The Yoga styles easiet for Beginners
1)- Restorative
Restorative yoga is a slow-moving practice which main focus is healing the mind and body through simple poses often held for as long as 20 minutes, with the help of props.
You will be using props such as bolsters, pillows and straps to support the body and encourage a passive release of mind and body tension. Restorative is great for Atrial Fibrillation patients who are recuperating from treatment.It is very similar to yin yoga, but with less emphasis on flexibility and more on relaxing.
Restorative poses include light twists, seated forward folds and gentle backbends.This soft, slow-moving practice gives your body a chance to tap into your parasympathetic nervous system, allowing you to experience deeper relaxation.
2)- Ying Yoga
Yin yoga is a slow-paced style of yoga with seated postures that are held for longer periods of time. Yin involves postures and stretches that lengthen the deeper muscles and fascia, thereby helping to improve joint mobility and overall flexibility.
This means Yin yoga doesn’t focus on larger muscle groups. Instead, it targets the deeper connective tissues like ligaments, fascia, and joints through non-muscular postures. Benefits of Yin include relieving stiffness and tightness in the muscles and healing and preventing injuries.
Yin yoga is specifically aimed at stretching the connective tissue around the pelvis, sacrum, spine, and knees to promote flexibility.You’ll use props so your body can release into the posture instead of actively flexing or engaging the muscles.
NOTE: Yin is fairly beginner friendly but it’s far from a gentle or restorative class, in yin yoga you will typically hold the stretch to lengthen beyond your muscle and into your connective tissue or fascia. As a therapeutic practice it encourages relaxation while also challenging you to be patient
You can only stretch the connective tissue by holding a yin pose for a long time. Your body will respond by making them a little longer and stronger.
3)- lyengar Yoga
Iyengar yoga is detail-oriented and slow-paced. You are encouraged to use props like belts, blocks, and bolsters to get into poses with correct alignment. Iyengar yoga focuses on the precision of your yoga poses
Iyengar yoga is perfect for beginners or anyone with flexibility issues. But it is also for more advanced yogis who want to improve their alignment. Unlike in Vinyasa or flowing yoga styles, each posture is held for an extended period of time, rather than linking movement with breath.
Iyengar allows for full relaxation as you perform stretches. Iyengar is for anyone who wants to practice yoga. It can also be practiced at any age and is great for those with injuries.
4)- Hatha Yoga
Hatha yoga is perhaps the most beginner-friendly style of yoga and has become one of the most popular styles of yoga practiced around the world. Hatha yoga traditionally refers to the physical practice of yoga, rather than yoga philosophy and meditation.
Modern Hatha generally refers to slower moving classes that require you to hold each pose for a few breaths. The flow will be slower than Vinyasa but faster than Yin.
The class is likely to be a combination of poses and breathing exercises, but it could be a gentle or challenging class. Because of its slower pace, hatha is a great class if you’re just starting your yoga practice
Hatha is suitable for beginners and experienced practitioners alike, and with Hatha you’ll build the foundations of breath and body awareness needed for all other styles.
Conclusion:
Connecting with Your Instructor is Very Important
It’s extremely important that you find a connection with the instructor you choose. Someone that you can interact easily with. You’ll be spending time with this person and you want to have a possitive experience.
It’s just as important to make time for a regular schedule and stick to it if you’re seeking the full benefits of Yoga that can help you with your A-Fib. Yoga can be done at home but it’s important to try a class or two that’s taught by a seasoned instructor making it safer for you, you might also try watching a video or two to get familiar with each pose before you go into class. Read More
If you would like to read more articles on my other website, please go to https://yogahealthbenefitsarticle.com
Good luck everyone, thank you so for stopping by, hope to see you soon
Best Wishes, Sherry