Carrmine Ireene - Yoga For High Blood Pressure

This work is my offering to my first and foremost Guru of my life,my Mai, in whose midst and company I grew up with as a child.Mai my Grand Mom, was a great person and a superb humanbeing full of wisdom and knowledge and had a positive approachtowards life. A naturopath and a faith healer in her own way, I hadseen her prepare her body during every seasonal change throughfood and diet. She prompted in me the old-age, time tested method of properbalance of vatta-pitta-kapha dosha prakriti and drilled a good sense of healthyliving, healthy sitting, healthy walking, healthy eating, healthy sleeping andhealthy thinking. Under her guidance and care, I was thrown open to the variedaspects of natural living which came much handy to me later in my growth stagesas a girl to a teenager and of course now as a mother! What sounded as a firmand rigid discipline to me became a positive trait, a need, a passion to satiate myinner quest for physical and spiritual well-being and brought me to this level ofbeing a teacher and a naturopath myself.

When she initiated me through her healing, little did I realize that her dream willbe fulfilled in a bigger and brighter way through me and I would be a messengerto her gospel of good health and good life? I am blessed to have been raised inthe company of such a vivid, visionary an idealistic and adaptive soul.

Though she is no more in this world I miss her presence every time and at everymoment. I pray to God to give her a place in the higher realms and help me andguide me in my work to give the best to the world.

I also pray to God that every child be blessed with a grand-mom like Mai, soevery family will be healthy, wealthy, wise and rich in the culture, tradition andscience of nature, nature cure and live a disease free life.

I hope this book will be useful to all those who wish to make a new beginningthrough yoga way of life and natural healthy living.

Aa rohataayurjarasam vrunaanaa
Anupoorva yatamaanaa yatishtha I
Eeha twasthtaa sujaneemaa sajoshaa
Deerghamaayuhu karati jeevasay vaha II

(Rigved 10/18/6)

God has given longevity to all in this world, but man reduces his life-span byimproper diet and way of living. Therefore it is the duty of every human being toachieve full life-span by leading a disciplined life.

SECTION I

1. INTRODUCTION

Hypertension or high blood pressure (BP) is the scourge of modern man who has become victim of stressful lifestyle. Hypertension is a sign of some underlying disorder. It is a major risk factor for development of cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and renovascular disease.

Although blood pressure can usually be lowered by administration of appropriate anti-hypertensive medication, many patients experience side effects that range from unpleasant symptoms such as headache, dry mouth, lethargy and depression.

Mind and body have an integral relation. If the mind is affected by any outward or inward cause, body is also affected by the same. Yoga training raises the capacity of human mind to respond to higher vibration and to perceive, catch, and assimilate the infinite conscious movement going around us. The mind-body unity is the basic assumption of the modern psychosomatic view of health care. The asanas and the pranayama aspects of the science of yoga which imply the unification of body, breath and the mind is covered in this book.

In the practice of yoga equipoise between the psychic and somatic aspects of bodily functions are brought and is an alternate method of management of hypertension. The solution to health problem does not lie in chemicals, drugs and tranquilizers but with man himself. He must increase the natural vitality so that his body is conditioned to resist disease. But by disregarding nature and abusing the body, man falls victim to sickness. A healthy body is man's birthright and yoga plays a key role in health management through the breathing and relaxation techniques to release the mental tensions.

Our emotional states, of joy, grief, calmness, agitations and conflicts are reflected in our breathing and the steady breathing through yoga slows down the heart beats and prevents both the unnecessary wear and tear of the body and the strain on the nervous system which leaves a profound effect on the whole nervous system and psyche.

Meditation is the heart of yoga practice and is the essence of a spiritual experience. It leads to the infinite union with the divine. The apex of meditation is the state of unity with the universe. Body, mind and spirit are all one with infinity and through regular practice peace, joy and bliss is experienced. A section on Meditation, covered in this book, will attune every reader to reach this higher state of peace and bliss.

A section on diet which details all the aspects of food science for coping and controlling hypertension is also covered. Food works on the emotional and mental plane and the right food with a balanced intake of vitamins, minerals and trace elements will help in bringing the pressure in control. The effects combined with diet, yoga, breathing and meditation as a 'whole' last longer and is therefore a suggestive and advantageous method for the modern life.

Sincere dedicated regular practice will help the body and the mind to co-ordinate in its functions, reducing stress, anxiety, aiding balanced hormonal secretions and normalizing body metabolism.

Through this book, I wish every reader will overcome problem of hypertension and lead a normal healthy and peaceful life.

God Bless.

Carrmine Ireene

2. WHAT IS HYPERTENSION

Hypertension (BP) is the term used for the force or pressure which the blood present in arteries is exerting on the walls of the blood vessels. It is not constant but varies during the contraction of the heart. Blood pressure is the force with which the heart pumps blood through the arteries and so allows the blood to reach the various parts of the body. Without this pressure the blood would not be 6 able to supply the body with the necessary oxygen and food.

Blood picks up oxygen in the lungs from the air that we breathe in. This oxygenated blood enters the heart and is then pumped to all parts of the body in blood vessels called arteries. Larger blood vessels branch into smaller and smaller ones and then to microscopic arterioles, which, eventually link to tiny networks of blood vessels known as capillaries. This network of larger arteries, medium sized arterioles and tiny capillaries allow blood to reach every cell of the body and deposit its oxygen, which is used by cells to make the vital energy they need to survive. Once the blood has deposited its oxygen in the cells, the deoxygenated blood returns to the heart in veins to be pumped back up to the lungs to pick up more oxygen.

When the heart contracts and sends about 80cc of blood in circulation, during each heartbeat, the heart muscles contract to push blood around the body. The pressure produced by the heart is highest when it contracts and this is known as the systolic (higher value) pressure. Then the heart muscles relaxes before its next contraction, and the pressure is at its lowest, which is known as the diastolic (lower value) pressure. The difference between systolic and diastolic blood pressure is called pulse pressure. Both systolic and diastolic pressures are measured when you have your blood pressure checked. Hypertension is simply the state of having a blood pressure that is higher than average.