This World Heart Day, Embrace Yoga, the Holistic Workout for Your Body & Mind

(By Akshar, Founder, Director, Akshar Yoga)
Yoga is referred to as one of the most ancient healing techniques, originated in ancient India. Yoga has been a part of our lifestyle. Our sages practiced it to enhance inner tranquility and spiritual insights. Yoga is performed slowly, stretching the body into various poses, focusing on the breath and meditation. A healthy heart could reflect in your healthy being. A healthy trend of the day is the growing consciousness in the current generation on health and healthy living. A greater number of youngsters are willing to try different sorts of workouts to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle, choosing yoga could be considered a holistic alternative in the best interest of their physical and mental health.
Yoga can provide a holistic balance of both physical fitness and mental stability. Yoga works in unique way to ensure mental strength and physical flexibility.
Stress is one of the major causatives for coronary arteries getting blocked, and this results in cardiac arrests. Yoga can bring down the stress level and helps one stay in peace. Yoga lowers blood pressure naturally by inducing deep relaxation in the body as it helps in increasing antioxidants levels and lowers the stress hormone.

Yoga can not only contribute towards maintaining a healthy heart it can also offer to be an antidote for cardiac patients. Post any cardiac episodes, patients tend to become mentally weak. Bypass surgery patients often deal with difficult emotions including anxiety and depression. One of the major reasons for this is the feeling that they will have to lead the rest of their lives managing a chronic disease. Yoga has proven to be really helpful in handling these stress levels in cardiac patients by providing them with the right mind frame to handle their condition better.
These yoga asanas will help you to keep your heart healthy!
· Tadasana: This asana helps in strengthening the vertebral column and the heart. Deep breaths also expand the lungs.

· Vrikshasana: The tree pose helps in developing a firm and balanced posture. It expands the heart and broadens the shoulders enhancing confidence and mental happiness.

· Trikonasana: Trikonasana expands the heart and enhances cardio vascular strength. Chest tends to expand when the breathing becomes intense.

· Veerabhadrasana: The pose enhances the body balance and stamina. It improves blood circulation and releases stress and keeps the heart rate in check.

· Dhanurasana: The bow pose strengthens the heart region and enhances flexibility.

· Salamba Sarvangasana: This pose pacifies and activates the parasympathetic nervous system which relaxes the body

· Salabha bhujangasana: The pose allows the chest to expand. It stretches the lungs, shoulders and enhances flexibility

· Anandasana: This is the counter pose for all the yoga posture. It makes the body completely relaxed. It improves the overall health of the heart

· Ardha Matsyendrasana: The pose works on whole spinal cord, up the sides of the chest when performed on the left and right sides. The heart is strengthened by doing this asana.