Yoga is said to originate from ancient India and the word itself comes from Sanskrit (an ancient Anglo-European language of India). It’s meaning translated as “to join together”. The focus of yoga is to join together the mind, body and spirit. This is achieved by combining three factors, postures, breathing and meditation.
Yoga is said to have benefits for physical health as it can increase flexibility, core strength, balance and co-ordination. The benefits relating to mental health are extensive also as it can help people to relax. Yoga is reported to help with anxiety, stress and depression.
People often associate the practice of yoga with having to be super flexible and bendy. People with limited mobility can actually complete some exercise whilst still sat in a chair. There is no requirement for extreme body contortion at all. There is a word in Sanskrit – Asana (which is the term for Yoga postures) and it actually means posture comfortably held.
Yoga postures work your muscles, controlled breathing can bring more oxygen into the body and help to reduce blood pressure. The relaxation and mediation can help to calm the sympathetic nervous system.
Can Yoga help people who have suffered a cardiac event or had cardiac surgery?
Many people who have had cardiac surgery or suffered a cardiac event can find themselves suffering with anxiety, stress and depression. Regularly practicing yoga can be a way of helping them cope with their condition. It can also increase their overall feelings of wellbeing.
The above information has been sourced from:
https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/activity/yoga
There are a number of different yoga styles available and these include:
- Iyengar
- Ashtanga
- Mysore style
- Vinyasa flow
- Bikram
- Kundalini
- Hatha
- Yin
- Restorative
- Jivamukti
Your cardiac specialist can advise you as to whether yoga would benefit your own personal recovery. Any exercise that you undertake following surgery or the diagnosis of any medical condition should be approved by a medical professional.
If you have a private medical insurance policy and would like to know more about the cover you have in relation to cardiac care should you ever need it, the team at SMP Healthcare will be happy to help explain to you about the benefits you have on your policy. Please do not hesitate to contact us for more information:
Telephone: 01245 92912/ 0800 047 0127
Email: enquiries@smphealthcare.com