No tension needed!

If you are diagnosed with high blood pressure, don’t worry, because that’s gonna bring your blood pressure even higher up 😉 Breathe in, breathe out, relax, take a closer look at your life and make changes where necessary.

High blood pressure… very simply put means, more force is needed to pump your blood through your arteries, because your blood may either be too thick or your vessels may be to tight. Many factors can be reasons for hypertension, ranging from genetic endowments, hardening or clogging of the arteries (due to plaque or cholesterol), changes in your blood’s viscosity and last but not least, your lifestyle.

Your lifestyle is actually THAT factor that you are responsible for yourself! Do you follow a healthy balanced diet and do you exercise regularly? Do you love your body, feel fit and light or do you carry too much weight with you? Are you emotionally well balanced or do you easily get angry, aggressive… red headed 😉 ? How is your stress level? Can and do you relax?

Think and reflect about these questions and in the meantime go onto your mat and practise Yoga. Yes, you can practise! Yoga is a perfect way to relieve stress and relax the nervous system; there are just a few rules you need to pay attention to.

* Find an appropriate Yoga style that keeps your heart rate more or less constant, like Hatha or Restorative Yoga.
* Try to avoid postures (or at least don’t hold them too long), where your head is below your heart. 
* Inversion poses (headstand, shoulderstand…) and backbending are absolute NO NOs! 
* In general, tune into your body; you will become more aware of your body signals after practicing regularly. 

Two additional powerful tools for dealing with hypertension are Pranayama and Meditation. You can do gentle breathing techniques, but don’t force or hold your breath (avoid Kapalabhati, Bhastrika, Nadi Shodana). You can always balance and calm yourself down with Anuloma Viloma or just sit still and meditate.

Listen to your body signals, treat your soul’s home well and you will notice a less tensed life and a positive change of your hypertension.

 

(Angelika)