A stressful lifestyle often results in Hypertension or High blood pressure. It increases the risk of stroke, heart failure, and kidney disease. Hypertension is considered a silent killer because the condition often does not have any noticeable symptoms.
Yoga and Pranayam practice regulates the blood circulation to all parts of the body and oxygenates the blood; Conscious breathing through Pranayam helps lower blood pressure and stabilizes the nervous system.
Yoga when performed mindfully pacifies the nervous system also helps resolve problems like shallow breathing and increased heart rate.
Caution: Depending on your health condition, the following asans can be done under guided instruction.
Sukhasana
Steps
- Cross your shins and widen your knees, so that you can slip each foot, beneath the opposite knee.
- Bend your knees and fold your legs towards your torso
- Keep your feet relaxed, so that the outer edges rest on the floor and the inner arches are settled below the opposite shin. Your thighs and crossed shins should form a small triangle.
Setubandhasana
Steps
- Place your feet flat on the floor as close to your sitting bones as possible. Exhale and press your inner feet and arms into the floor while stretching your knees forward. Take 10 deep breaths here, then slowly roll your spine down to release.
Benefits
- Setu Bhanda is a great backbend for compressing the digestive organs
- It delivers fresh blood to the heart and relieving any fatigue that may be caused by poor digestion.
Pawanmuktasan
Preparation
- Lie on your back on the floor and look upwards. Keep both the arms straight close to your body and palms touching the floor. Keep both the legs straight, heels and toes touching each other.
- Inhale slowly and stretch out your toes and keep holding the breath. Clasp right knee by both hands and in a slow movement press your knee toward your stomach. Hold for 4-5 seconds, and then touch your knee with your nose.
- Exhale and simultaneously release your legs to original position in a slow movement.
- Repeat this process with left knee and subsequently with both knees together.
Benefits of Pawanmukta Asana
- Tones up the large intestine. Activates pancreas and other organs of abdomen.
- Provides instant relief for acidity, wind trouble and gas formation.
- Helps fat loss in abdomen area.
Trikonasana
Trikonasana is good for stretching the body. This is normally done in the beginning of yoga practice.
Procedure
- Keep your legs and arms straight (no bending) and a distance of 3-4 feet between the legs.
- While inhaling, raise right hand and arm up towards the sky, palm facing inwards. Right arm should touch the right ear and stretch it upwards. Keep the left arm close to body and stretch it downwards.
- While exhaling, bend towards your left so that the right arm becomes parallel to ground. Simultaneously slide your left arm along the left leg and try to touch the ground. Now inhale and gradually come back to starting position.
Benefits
- It stretches the sides of the body, burns extra fat from the waist and tones the muscles.
- It stimulates nervous system an alleviates depression
- Good for curing joint pains, backache and obesity.
Tadasana
Tadasana derives its name from Sanskrit word “Tada” meaning a ‘palm tree’. In this asana body looks like a palm tree. Regular practice of this asana increases height and improves our posture.
Procedure
- Stand erect on the floor with a distance of 6inches between the legs. Legs, waist and neck all should be in a straight line. Your weight should be evenly spread on the feet.
- Raise your arms upwards parallel to each other clasp your hands as shown. Inhale and raise both hands slowly upwards and stretch upwards by lifting your heals and stand on your toes
- Retain breath,stretch all of your body upwards as far as possible. Keep your legs and arms straight (no bending). Stay in the pose for 15 seconds.
- While exhaling, slowly bring your hands down. Bring your heels on the floor as in starting position.
Benefits:
- Helps you maintain balance through a higher degree of control of your own body.
- Improves your posture and betters your ability to sustain and hold the posture for a longer period of time.
- It tones, strengthens and stretch your knees, back, arms, thighs and works on your core stomach muscles.
Shavasana
Steps
- Lie down in Shavasan posture, keeping your hands on the ground with the palms facing upward, towards the sky.
- A gap of 1 foot should be maintained between your feet. Keep your eyes closed.
- Place your neck, hands, torso, waist and limbs in a comfortable position
- Relax your entire body.
Benefits
- Sabasana or dead body pose is a great stress reliever.
- It relaxes the entire nervous system and has a calming effect on body and mind.
- It is very invigorating
Shalabhasan
Steps
- Lie down on your stomach.
- Place your arms under the body as closer to each other as possible with the palms on the floor under the thighs and facing upwards.
- Gently stretch the chin a bit forward and touch it on the floor at all times.
- Keep the legs straight and together and inhaling deeply (Radhey), slowly raise both the legs as high as possible with the help of the arms and lower back muscles,hold for 15-20 seconds.
- Exhale, comfortably lower the legs to the floor.
Benefits
- The practice of this asan is useful in treating spinal problems.
- It synchronises the nervous system, balances the whole digestive system and is also equally helpful in curing abdominal ailments.
Paschimottanasana
Steps
- Sit down stretch your legs. Place the palms on your respective knees.
- Now bend your front body forward to catch the toes with the thumb, without bending knees.
- Take a deep breath and exhale slowly. Try to touch your head to your both knees
- Bend your arm and try to touch the elbow on the floor, hold on for few seconds.
- Exhaling slowly return to your starting position.
Benefits
- It calms the mind, acts as a stress reliever.
- Reduces the flab on the abdomen.
- Stretches the spine and brings flexibility.
- Good for constipation and digestive disorder.
Pranayama
- Anulom Vilom Deep Breathing (15 minutes)
- Ujjayi Pranayama (10 minutes)
- Sheetali Purak followed by Bhramari (21 rounds).
Caution: Practice yoga under a qualified yoga professional.