Yoga for High Blood Pressure

Today we are going to focus on Vajrasana. Vajrasana is also a comfortable seated position — this is the comfortable, cross-legged position. In Vajrasana, you sit on your heels, or if you have to be shown, you sit on your heels like this. Your toes flat, your palms either facing up or down. Vajrasana is the only asana that you can practice on a full stomach.

It's very good to sit in Vajrasana after your lunch or dinner because it aids digestion. It prevents piles, fistula and other digestion-related problems. It's also very good for people who suffer from excessive gas problems as well. Initially, start with 30 seconds, and you can move on to one minute, two minutes and so on, till your ankles get used to it and it completely opens out your ankles, and you can sit for very long periods of time without getting uncomfortable.

Sitting on your heels, slowly move on to a tabletop position. Exhale and lower the hips to the heels, forward onto the floor. Keep the knees together, or if you're more comfortable, spread the knees slightly apart. The arms can be overhead with your palms on the floor, palms or fists can be stacked under the forehead, or arms can be alongside the body with palms up.

We're going to come into Nadi Shodhana to balance the left and the right side. Anxiety or stress is normally caused when one side is over-activated. The masculine side, or the solar side, the super-active side, is always active, so the other side of you feels left out, and that's when anxiety or stress comes into play. So, to balance both our sides, you'll come into Vishnu Mudra, with the second and the third finger rolled in.

You'll form this mudra, and with the thumb you'll close the right nostril. The other hand can be either in Chin Mudra or Gyan Mudra, facing up or down. When it faces up, it's asking for more connection with the entire universe, and when it's facing down, it's seeking more grounding in your life. You know best what you need — trust your own intuitive judgment.

With the right thumb we'll close the right nostril. You'll take a deep inhale through the left. With the ring finger you'll close the left nostril and exhale through the right. Just the same movement, inhale again through the left and exhale through the right. Long breaths, breathe with me. Long inhale, pause, long exhale. Again, long deep inhale and a nice long deep exhale.

Do six more such breaths with me. Inhale. Exhale. Again, inhale. Exhale. Remember the long breaths we set in the beginning, same style. Okay, inhale. Feel the whole spine elongate — it's connected to your brain, the center of all emotion. Exhale, release. Close your eyes, there's nothing to see in here. Deep breath in, connect back to the present moment, and a nice long deep exhale. To more, my lungs in here. And one long deep exhale.

Next, we move to the prone postures, and the first is Makarasana. This asana relaxes and heals the entire spine. In fact, this pose is best for relaxing after doing other prone lying asanas. Shavasana we practice at the end of all asanas. It relaxes and rejuvenates the entire physical, mental and spiritual self. It releases the fatigue, stress and the tension. Practice Shavasana for about 5-10 minutes.