Voluntary heart rate reduction following yoga using different strategies

Abstract

Background/Aims:One month of yoga training has been shown to reduce the pulse rate voluntarily without using external cues. Hence, the present study was designed to understand the strategies used by yoga practitioners and autonomic changes associated with voluntary heart rate reduction.Materials and Methods:Fifty volunteers (group mean age ± S.D., 25.4 ± 4.8 years; 25 males) were assessed in two trials on separate days. Each trial was for 12 minutes, with a ‘pre’ state and ‘during’ state of 6 minutes each. For both trials the ‘pre’ state was relaxation with eyes closed. In the ‘during’ state of Trial I, subjects were asked to voluntarily reduce their heart rate using a strategy of their choice. From their responses to specific questions it was determined that 22 out of 50 persons used breath regulation as a strategy. Hence, in the ‘during’ state of Trial II, subjects were asked to voluntarily reduce their heart rate by breath regulation.Results:In the first trial, the heart rate was reduced by an average of 19.6 beats per minute and in the second trial (with breath regulation exclusively) an average decrease of 22.2 beats per minute was achieved.Conclusions:Hence, the strategy used did not markedly alter the outcome.

Yoga and heart rate variability: A comprehensive review of the literature

“…Of these, two studies reported increases in LFms 2 [ 47 53 ] and two reported increases in LFn.u. with increase in LF/HF observed during breathing practice,[ 54 56 ] while one study reported increased HR oscillations in the LF band. [ 51 ] Similarly increased HR oscillations in the LF band and significant decreases in respiratory frequency were also reported during mantra chanting and rosary prayer compared to post-session spontaneous breathing.…”

“…Studies of HF Kapalbahti breathing at either 120 BPM or 60 BPM are reported to decrease vagal activity measured in either the frequency and/or time domain, with reductions being maintained after the practice. [ 48 49 ] In contrast, slow yoga breathing practices are reported to increase HR fluctuations in the LF band[ 53 54 56 ] and/or increase the LF/HF ratio[ 47 54 56 57 ] with some studies reporting simultaneous increases in HR. [ 53 56 ] It is interesting to note that some slow breathing practices increase HR,[ 47 53 55 56 ] while some meditation practices associated with slow breathing can reduce HR.…”

Yoga Practitioners Exhibit Higher Parasympathetic Activity and Baroreflex Sensitivity and Better Adaptability to 40 mm Hg Lower-Body Negative Pressure

“…ity at rest in yoga practitioners. 14,15,29,30 At rest, yoga practitioners exhibited higher heart rate variability, with a predominance of parasympathetic activity. Higher vagal modulation with lower sympathetic modulation of the sinus node 31 is evident from the significantly lower LF/HF ratio in yoga practitioners.…”

“…The different components of yoga have been shown to be associated with improvement in cardiovascular health [6][7][8][9] and autonomic conditioning in humans, as evidenced by the enhancement of parasympathetic activity. [10][11][12][13][14][15] Similarly, compared to sedentary individuals, athletic individuals exhibit higher resting cardiac vagal activity and augmented baroreflex sensitivity. 16 Moreover, baroreflex sensitivity was higher with yoga training than with aerobic training.…”

Vendantic view on life and consciousness: BN Shanta is correct

“…closing of the renal sphincter) 5 . Some of the yogis were able to control heart-beat 6 . This shows that they were well-aware of the modus operandi of the different systems that sustains our life and also gained control over them.…”