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Cardiovascular Influence of Yoga Assessed with Heart Rate Variability Measures

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The Principles and Practice of Yoga in Cardiovascular Medicine

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Abstract

Over recent decades, there has been an increased interest in exploring the physiological benefits of yoga, resulting in various scientific studies involving different physiological measures in healthy volunteers and patients with various disorders. Of these measures, heart rate variability (HRV) assessment is of prime importance owing to its ability to accurately assess the regulation of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). Through its two limbs (sympathetic and parasympathetic), the autonomic nervous system regulates the involuntary visceral organs and other systems of the body, playing a critical role in maintaining the homeostasis of all physiological functions. However, this homeostasis is altered in various stress-induced disease conditions, including cardiovascular disease (CVD). Yoga is known to effectively tackle the dreaded impacts of stress on physiological systems mainly by achieving sympathovagal balance to maintain homeostasis and restore health. Yoga achieves this balance in various disorders by modulating the ANS, especially heart rate variability and its functions. In this chapter, we review studies conducted on the health benefits of yoga in regulating cardiac autonomic function in patients with cardiovascular disorders.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurophysiology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, India

    Inbaraj Ganagarajan, Kaviraja Udupa & T. N. Sathyaprabha

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  1. Inbaraj Ganagarajan
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  2. Kaviraja Udupa
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  3. T. N. Sathyaprabha
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Cardiologist & Cardiac Electrophysiologist, Director of Cardiovascular Research, Memphis VA Medical Center, Memphis, TN, USA

    Indranill Basu-Ray

  2. Medical Director, Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine & Director, Office for Well-Being, Center for Faculty Development, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Darshan Mehta

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Ganagarajan, I., Udupa, K., Sathyaprabha, T.N. (2022). Cardiovascular Influence of Yoga Assessed with Heart Rate Variability Measures. In: Basu-Ray, I., Mehta, D. (eds) The Principles and Practice of Yoga in Cardiovascular Medicine. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-6913-2_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-6913-2_7

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-16-6912-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-16-6913-2

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