World Heart Day is celebrated on September 29th every year worldwide. Regular meditation practice can reduce the risk of heart disease to a great extent. Meditation doesn’t just mean sitting at a place with your eyes closed, you should be able to calm your mind and tame your thoughts. Experts review that mindfulness can do wonders for your heart as well as your overall health. Doing meditation, and yoga motivates you to have a positive outlook towards life. These techniques encourage you to eat healthy, think positive thoughts, be more creative, and cure insomnia.
- Heal your heart through meditation
Meditating daily even for 5 minutes with your eyes closed and focusing on rhythmic breathing can boost your mental health and great health to a great extent. If you are a beginner, sit comfortably in a quiet place or you can put on your earphones and listen to a guided meditation. The aim is to keep your mind away from stressful thoughts so that your mind stays calm. Mediation supports your heart in a lot of ways to cope with stress and anxiety. It also helps to control high blood pressure remarkably. As you meditate, the body goes into deep relaxation which stabilises the rhythm of the heart.
Meditation takes time to get used to but with regular practice and concentration, you can easily master the art. With time you can increase the duration of meditation and reap the benefits of the same. Daily practice can have remarkable benefits for the heart, mind, body, and soul.
- Practice Yoga
Practising yoga daily helps to get a sound mind and a healthy body. Yoga strengthens and protects the heart, and boosts immunity. Heart patients should include yoga which uses various asanas, chanting mantras, specific mudras for heart health, and pranayam for their overall wellness. Yoga also helps to eliminate mental stress and heals cardiovascular problems, anxiety, and depression.
- Kapalabhati Pranayama
Kapalabhati pranayam heals the brain and stabilises the rhythm of the heart. It means skull-shining breath which is an ancient yogic technique to relieve stress and anxiety. This pranayama should be done sitting in a comfortable position with a straight spine and concentrating on your breathwork. You can join a yoga session to learn the proper technique of doing the asanas.
- Fine-tune your breathwork
Breathing comes naturally to us, we do not have to make any effort to breathe. Mindful breathing involves a conscious effort to breathe deeply that fills our lungs with more oxygen. Keep all your distractions away like your phone, laptop, TV, etc., and sit still focusing on your breath only. You might feel a little uncomfortable initially or you can get distracted frequently. With time, effort, and practice, this can be a blissful experience where you will feel the alignment of your mind, body, and soul.
In conclusion, by following various mindful practices, you can avoid the risk of cardiovascular disease. Incorporate healthy habits in your daily life, and avoid smoking, alcohol, and drug abuse. Irrespective of age and gender, taking care of your heart should be the top priority. During these stressful times, meditation can be your gateway to having a balanced mindset. It is important to release stress, anxiety, and fear from the mind to cope with difficulties in life.
