Cardiovascular and Respiratory Effect of Yogic Slow Breathing in the Yoga Beginner: What Is the Best Approach?

Abstract

Slow breathing increases cardiac-vagal baroreflex sensitivity (BRS), improves oxygen saturation, lowers blood pressure, and reduces anxiety. Within the yoga tradition slow breathing is often paired with a contraction of the glottis muscles. This resistance breath “ujjayi” is performed at various rates and ratios of inspiration/expiration. To test whether ujjayi had additional positive effects to slow breathing, we compared BRS and ventilatory control under different breathing patterns (equal/unequal inspiration/expiration at 6 breath/min, with/without ujjayi), in 17 yoga-naive young healthy participants. BRS increased with slow breathing techniques with or without expiratory ujjayi (P < 0.05 or higher) except with inspiratory + expiratory ujjayi. The maximal increase in BRS and decrease in blood pressure were found in slow breathing with equal inspiration and expiration. This corresponded with a significant improvement in oxygen saturation without increase in heart rate and ventilation. Ujjayi showed similar increase in oxygen saturation but slightly lesser improvement in baroreflex sensitivity with no change in blood pressure. The slow breathing with equal inspiration and expiration seems the best technique for improving baroreflex sensitivity in yoga-naive subjects. The effects of ujjayi seems dependent on increased intrathoracic pressure that requires greater effort than normal slow breathing.

Hemodynamic effects of slow breathing: Does the pattern matter beyond the rate?

“…Mason et al (19) recently reported a series of experiments with yoga beginners where they tested 6/minute breathing with both identical (5:5) and 3:7 inspiration-expiration ratios. The baroreflex sensitivity in their healthy subjects was practically identical during these maneuvers (19). Our study confirms their observations and extends the results to the inverse ratio, (7:3) inspiration-expiration pattern.…”

“…This question is important with regards to the autonomic reflex testing and also to the therapeutic breathing practices but there are very few publications dealing with this issue (5,19). Our goal was to therefore assess the hemodynamic and autonomic responses in healthy volunteers to three breathing exercises with the same slow frequency, but different patterns of inspiratory and expiratory rates.…”

Regular Yoga Practice Improves Antioxidant Status, Immune Function, and Stress Hormone Releases in Young Healthy People: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Controlled Pilot Study

“…Additionally, previous studies showed evidence of the beneficial properties of yoga in treating various diseases, including cardiovascular disorders, various types of cancers, back pain, and immune dysfunctions, as well as psychological disorders, such as anxiety or depression. [7][8][9][10] Regarding the physiologic condition, yoga practice not only can improve muscular efficiency, endurance time, and enhancement of aerobic exercise capacities but also can reduce perception of exhaustion after exertion caused by physical exercise. 11,12 In addition, yoga is widely used to alleviate mental stress via modulation of hypothalamuspituitary-adrenal axis activation.…”

Changes in MIDAS, Perceived Stress, Frontalis Muscle Activity and Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs Usage in Patients with Migraine Headache without Aura following Ayurveda and Yoga Compared to Controls: An Open Labeled Non-Randomized Study

“…The changes were attributed to the inhibitory signals generated during the process of pranayama from cardiorespiratory system leading to modulation of autonomic system resulting in parasympathetic dominance. Heightened baroreflex sensitivity and improved oxygenation have been the proposed underlying mechanisms for the decreased heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and improved oxygen consumption observed in the study [28]. Brown and Gerbarg in a review reported that yoga-breathing interventions increase HRV, improve sympathovagal balance, and promote stress resilience.…”