While blood pressure does rise during times of stress, most of the millions of people with hypertension, both men and women (more likely after menopause), show no noticeable symptoms. Individuals with consistently elevated blood pressure may even seem calm, not the agitated type at all, and because of this many people do not have their pressure checked, even as they age. But hypertension is potentially quite serious. It is closely associated with heart attacks and strokes, two of the leading causes of death and disability in our country.
Yoga practices can help. One study found that 10 minutes of relaxed deep breathing reduced blood pressure and kept it down for as long as 30 minutes. The asanas which are the most effective are the supported bridge, the elevated feet-up-the-wall pose, and the ever-important savasana, or corpse pose. In addition, spending some time each day in meditation has been shown by a number of studies to be beneficial.
While a general yoga practice has a pacifying effect and can bring the nervous system into balance, some asanas work better than others for actually lowering blood pressure—and simple modifications make others more beneficial. For example, do cooling poses, such as forward bends where the head is supported—to bring a sense of calm to the head, neck, face, and diaphragm. Modify any standing poses in which the arms are normally extended overhead (like virabhadrasana I) by placing your hands on your hips. In trikonasana (triangle pose), look down toward the floor instead of up at the ceiling to keep blood pressure from rising. Steer clear of poses that compress the front of the diaphragm, such as dhanurasana (bow pose) and mayurasana (peacock pose), which can drive blood pressure up.
It’s also a good idea for those with high blood pressure to avoid rigorous classes and overly hot rooms (such as Bikram-style yoga).
Yoga helps us all learn to listen to our body and link our breath to our movement, but if you’re practicing asanas and you have high blood pressure, probably the most important yoga poses to avoid are inversions. This is because when the head is below the heart, there’s an increased risk of stroke.
And, if you still want to practice forward bends and other introverted asanas they have to be done with head support, which has a cooling, calming effect on the whole body.
When the breath gets rapid or held, it’s a good sign that the pose is too challenging or you need to back off.