Doing the downward-facing dog yoga pose can help keep your heart from racing out of control, a study by a University of Kansas Hospital researcher has found.
After three months of breathing exercises, meditation and yoga poses, patients with atrial fibrillation, a common heart disorder, had fewer episodes of irregular heartbeats and less anxiety and depression.
“It doesn’t mean atrial fibrillation is cured by yoga, but it decreases its impact on your life,” said KU cardiologist Dhanunjaya Lakkireddy. “These patients feel better and think they can deal with their symptoms better than they could before.”
Lakkireddy presented his findings Saturday in New Orleans at the meeting of the American College of Cardiology.
More than 2 million people in the U.S. have atrial fibrillation. Faulty nerve impulses cause the two upper chambers, or atria, of the heart to beat furiously. Surgical or catheter procedures sometimes are needed.
“We were on the lookout for something more simple,” Lakkireddy said.
Previous research suggested that yoga can lower blood pressure and slow the heart.
Lakkireddy followed 49 patients who wore portable heart monitors for three months to record episodes of atrial fibrillation. They continued wearing the monitors for another three months as they went to yoga classes and did yoga on their own.
During the three months before yoga, patients averaged 3.8 episodes. While practicing yoga, that dropped to an average of 2.1 episodes.
“There’s an intimate connection between the brain and the heart,” Lakkireddy said.
To reach Alan Bavley, call 816-234-4858 or send e-mail to abavley@kcstar.com.
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