Regular Practice of the relaxation techniques may Reduce the high Cholesterol

Emotional stresses have been shown to cause an increased blood level of free fatty acids, cholesterol and triglycerides, all of which are implicated in heart and blood vessel diseases. These somehow cause a rise in the blood cholesterol level and increase the amount of fats released from the body stores and circulated throughout the body in the bloodstream.

If one remains under long stress situation can lead to high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and increased stickiness of various components of the blood. According to researchers Friedman and Rose-man most people who went to cardiologists about heart related diseases have an ambitious and stressful lifestyle to contend with.

Meditation and yogic relaxation techniques have been shown to be of value in the elimination of stress, high blood pressure and in other disease conditions.

Researchers Michel J. Cooper of Kaiser- Permanente Medical Centre in Oakland, USA, and Maurice M. Aygen, director of the Toor Heart Institute in Petach Tiquah, Israel has found that meditation has a direct effect on blood fat levels.

They compared 12 meditators with a control group of non-meditators and found that meditation helps lower blood serum cholesterol levels. The researchers suggest that the regular practice of a relaxation technique may reduce high cholesterol levels, probably through reduced adrenal gland and sympathetic nervous system activity.

K.N. Udupa of Benares Hindu University has shown that it is possible to lower blood cholesterol in normal subjects using asanas and pranayama, especially sarvangasana, halasana and matsyasana. However, these practices should not be performed by heart disease patients. One can practice these practices to avoid the heart diseases.

One another researcher, KS. Gopal performed his research on "Biochemical Studies in Foreign Volunteers Practicing Hatha Yoga”, has found that after 6 months of yogic training, 55 percent of his subjects had lowered blood cholesterol.     

Now the biofeedback instruments have clearly indicated that when the practice of meditation goes deeper and deeper the alpha wave starts appears in the brain. Due abundance of alpha waves in the brain, the pressure is released from the heart and there is a great change in the oxygen consumption of the system.

Conclusion – In nutshell we can conclude that relaxation techniques like yoga nidra, some special type of asanas, pranaaym have the great impact on relieving tension caused by hectic life style.  The relaxed state reduces the heart's need for oxygen and increases the body's fibrinolytic activity, its ability to break down blood clots once they have formed. However, a state of body and mind must be induced where blood clots do not form in the first place. Meditation may be the means to achieve this also, because of its ability to reduce sympathetic nervous system activity which is responsible for those conditions leading to disease.