Cardio yoga postures that are good for your heart health

Today’s sedentary and poor lifestyle has a negative impact on our heart health. Chronic stress, no physical activity, poor eating habits and sleep deprivation are lifestyle imbalances that lead to metabolic disorders and lifestyle diseases. Modernisation and the high pressure pull and push of life puts our cardiovascular system out of rhythm.
There are many steps we can take to help protect our heart health. Physical activity is one of the important aspects. Our heart is a muscle and as with any muscle, exercise is what strengthens it.
Exercise is as important for everyone as it is for those with heart disease. Those who start exercising regularly and adopting other healthy lifestyle behaviours, live and enjoy a higher quality of life. Without physical activity, the body gradually becomes weaker and less capable of functioning properly. Climbing stairs, walking, engaging in sports, count as physical exercise because all of these involve moving your body.
Western science follows cardio exercises for heart and traditionally in India, we follow different types of yoga, such as Hatha, Vinayasa and Ashtanga. So, cardio and yoga come from two opposite schools of thought. Yoga in one place is an exercise that transforms you through its slow steady pace and stationary postures. Cardio, on the other hand has pace, speed and a lot of high mobility. However, when we blend these two, we can get a very unique form of exercise and for want of a better name, let’s call it Cardio Yoga. This one is a perfect blend of pace, medium intensity and postures that require medium pace and sub-maximal activity. If combined well, it works at your physiological, psychological, mental and emotional level and also improves your sleep quality.
 
Cardio yoga combines dynamic movements in various sequences to increase and sustain an elevated heart rate. With cardio yoga, your strength, stamina and endurance get regulated and bring vibrancy and radiance. How does this regime benefit your cardiovascular and other systems?
Five benefits
1) With cardio yoga, your respiratory system will start working harder as you begin to breathe faster and more deeply. Your blood vessels will expand to bring more oxygen to your muscles and your body. When oxygen absorption gets better, it can nourish all your cells through blood. When you increase the oxygen intake in the morning, your mind becomes alert, improving focus and concentration. In general, all our body systems get activated.
2) Not just heart but our hormones and glandular system also begin to fall in harmony; the secretion of serotonin generates feel-good hormones like endorphins (which is a painkiller). The more dynamic the movements, the more our heart and lungs are stimulated and the thymus gland then begins to respond to infections.
3) Cardio yoga helps in flushing out all the germs, toxins and bacteria from the sinuses and adenoids. Thus, it helps improve immunity.
4) Cardio yoga, like other forms of exercise, can improve our cholesterol and blood sugar levels improving metabolism, and can lower blood pressure improving artery relaxation.
5) When all our systems are in harmony, our weight is also well regulated. Hence, it also helps train our body to burn calories.
Performing asanas with deep breathing in a specific sequence helps us improve the function of our nervous system and energize our entire being. Surya namaskar is one form of cardio yoga. Other than that, one can do following yoga asanas flow for a healthy heart:
Begin with gentle warm-up exercises for neck, shoulder, wa, legs followed asanas – Tadasana (Upward hand stretches), Vakrasana (Twing), Trikonasana (Triangle pose), Hastapadasana (forward-bending), Vajrasana (Thunderbolt pose), Marjarasana (Cat- Cowpose), Parvattasana (Mountain pose), Bhujangasana (Cobra pose), Ustrasana (Camel pose) and Balasana (child pose). Then follow them up with pranayama.

Specific yoga routines
Begin with Padadhirasana
How to perform: Sit in any comfortable posture of Vajrasana, cross the arms in front of the chest, place the hands under the opposite armpits with thumbs pointing upwards. If only one nostril is blocked or partially blocked, place the hand of that side underneath the opposite armpit. Maintain the pressure for a minute. This pose further prepares you for pranayama. Do Anulom-Vilom – (Alternate breathing) for one minute
Mahabandha
There are mainly three Bandhas – Jalandhara Bandha, Uddiyana bandha and Moola Bandha. They are performed together to formulate the great Maha Bandha or the Great lock.
How to perform: Once you sit in Vajarasana, breathe out completely and hold your breath outside. Breathe out and lock your chin into the cavity just above your sternum, synchronising it with the pull at the abdominal and your muscles of the pelvic region area. Hold it for 10-20 seconds. Inhale and slowly come up.
Benefits: Mahabandha influences secretion of hormones, released the pineal gland. It helps in stimulating the functioning of the endocrine system. It revitalises each and every cell, which prevents ageing and degenerative processes. This practice will help you achieve a deep meditative state of mind.
Follow this up with Bhramari – 5-10 times – times and at the end do the Om japa for 5-10 times. For maximum benefits, you can repeat the above asana and Pranayama sequence twice in a day on an empty stomach.
Other than the above asanas and breathing exercises, one can also walk in nature, dance, swim, slow-jog, cycle, and trek, anything that works on your mental and emotional catharsis.
Remember, the heart is a very patient organ. Problems don’t begin in a day. It takes years of abuse and when it cannot take anymore, it acts up.
(Dr Mehta has trained Bollywood superstars Akshay Kumar, Preity Zinta, billionaires, politicians, Miss World/Miss Universe candidates and the Maharashtra Police. A best-selling author, he has been appointed FIT India Movement Champion the Sports Authority of India)