5 Yoga Poses for High BP Patients (with Step-by-Step Instructions)

Yoga is a mind and body practice. It provides physical and mental benefits for all ages of people. Yoga improves the strength, balance and flexibility of the body, benefits hearth health and also helps to manage stress. There are several other benefits also but here, we are going to talk about the benefits of Yoga on heart health.

High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure or hypertension is a condition in which the arterial blood pressure increases to higher levels. It can lead to severe health complications and increase the risk of heart disease stroke and sometimes, even death. Hypertension does not have any symptoms which makes it much dangerous. The only way to figure out is to get checked regularly. If your blood pressure levels are more than 140/90, it means you are suffering from hypertension.

The below mentioned yoga asanas(poses) can help regulate your blood pressure naturally. These poses are also helpful for patients of diabetes(high blood sugar).

Yoga Poses for Hypertension

1. Sukhasana (Easy Pose)

Benefits

Sukhasana is a yoga asana which regulates breathing and gives relief from high blood pressure by reducing stress. It also improves posture, concentration and focus. Sukhasana or easy pose itself suggests that this yoga pose is all about sitting with ease.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Sit on the floor with your legs stretched out.
2. Cross your legs(cross one shin in front of the other, bringing each foot underneath the opposite knee).
3. Sit straight with your spine erect and neck elongated. Bring your chin parallel to the floor and gaze directly in front of you.
4. Fully relax you face and breathe normally.
5. Place your hands on top of you knees. You can take a mudra position for the hand such as gyan mudra(as in the image).

If you are able to maintain this pose for long, you can move forward to Siddhasana(Accomplished Pose) and then Padmasana(Lotus Pose) for meditation. Also, exlude yourself from doing this pose if you have knee or hip injury.

2. Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend)

Benefits

Uttanasana is an extremely helpful yoga pose. It not only regulates blood pressure but also calms the brain, reduces fatigue, stimulates liver and kidney, improves digestion and strengthens the knees.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Sit on your heels. You can either keep your knees together or apart.
2. Breathing in, stretch your arms above your head and stretch up.
3. Breathing out, bend forward from the hip joints. Keep your spine erect and focus on moving towards the toes rather than down the knees.
4. Place your hands on your legs wherever they reach(without forcing). Take hold of your toes and pull them up to help you go forward of you can.
5. Breathing in, lift your head slightly and lengthen your spine and while breathing out, move the navel towards the knees. Repeat this step for 2-3 times.
6. Drop your head down and breathe deeply for 20-60 seconds and then breathing in, with your arms stretched, come to the original position gradually.

You can also do Uttanasana(Standing Forward Pose) if you are comfortable with this pose. It has similar steps to Paschimottanasana but one has to be in standing position while carrying out the steps. Pregnant women and people suffering from back injury, Sciatica, Diarrhea and Glaucoma should avoid these poses.

3. Balasana (Child Pose)

Benefits

Balasana or Shishuasana normalizes blood pressure, relieves stress and fatigue and also relieves back and neck pain.

 

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Sit on your heels. You can either keep your knees together or apart.
2. Keeping your hips on your heels, bend forward and lower your forehead to the floor.
3. Keep the arms alongside your body with your palms facing up. You can also keep your arms in front of the body with palms facing the floor.
4. Gently press your chest on the thighs.
5. Hold for a few minutes and then slowly come back to the original postion. 

Pregnant women should avoid this pose. Also, if you are suffering from diarrhea or have serious back or knee injury, avoid this pose.

4. Ardha Halasana (Half Plough Pose)

Benefits

Ardha Halasana helps helps control high blood pressure, improves blood circulation, digestion and also helps to burn abdomen fats.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Lie down calmly in supine position(or Shavasana). Join your legs and keep your hands by the side with your palms resting on the floor.
2. Inhale and slowly raise your legs together without bending them at the knees and bring them vertical to the ground. (torso and legs perpendicular).
3. Hold in the breathe and stay in this position as long as possible.
4. Exhale and bring back your legs without lifting the head.
5. Come back to normal position and relax for a while. Repeat the same for 3-5 times.

If you are comfortable with Ardha Halasana, you can try out Halasana(Plough Pose). Avoid doing this pose in case of abdominal injury, hernia or lower back pain.

5. Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half Lord of the Fishes Pose; Half Spinal Twist Pose)

Benefits

Ardha Matsyendrasana stimulates the nervous system, increases spine flexibility and increases oxygen supply to lungs along with normalizing blood pressure.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Sit up with your legs stretched out straight in front of you, keeping the feet together and spine erect.
2. Bend the right leg and place the heel of the right foot beside the left hip(you can also keep your right leg straight).
3. Take the left leg over the right knee. Place the right hand on the left knee and left hand behind you.
4. Twist the waist, shoulders and neck in this sequence to the left and look over the left shoulder. Keep your spine erect.
5. Hold and continue with gentle long breaths in and out.
6. Breathing out, release the left hand first(the hand behind you), release the waist, then chest, lastly the neck and sit up relaxed straight.
7. Repeat to the other side. Hold for a few breaths and then breathing out, come back to the front and relax.

Poorna Matsyendrasana or Matsyendrasana(Lord of the Fishes Pose; Spinal Twist Pose) and Supta Matsyendrasana(Reclined Lord of the Fishes Pose; Supine Spinal Twist Pose) are similar poses which belong to same group to Ardha Matsyendrasana. They also provide the same benefits.