Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, can have long-term negative effects on your heart, brain, kidneys, bones, eyes, sleeping habits and even your sex life. MayoClinic.com experts recommend stress-reducing activities such as deep breathing, meditating and practicing yoga, which help you relax and can significantly lower your blood pressure.
Check with your physician before practicing yoga. For hypertension, it's best to emphasize restful poses and avoid those where your head is below your heart.
Easy Pose
Start your practice in easy pose, seated comfortably on a folded blanket with your legs crossed, navel back, spine lengthened upward, shoulders relaxed down and neck lifted. Draw the upper palate of your mouth back to align your head and spine. Close your eyes and focus on your breath. Place one hand on your belly and the other on your chest. Notice the expansion and contraction of both as you inhale and exhale. Learn alternate-nostril breathing -- where you breathe through one nostril and then the other -- to build breath awareness and balance your body and mind. Avoid holding your breath.
Cat/Cow Pose
From your hands and knees, match your breath to your movement in cat/cow pose. As you exhale, curve your spine upward and look back for cat pose. Inhale, curve your spine downward and lift your head for cow pose. Repeat five times. Yoga's focus on your breath builds concentration and awareness as you relax. Lift your right arm overhead for a shoulder-opening twist, then repeat on the other side. Practice balance by stretching your right arm forward and lifting your left leg. Repeat on the other side.
Child's Pose
Bring your feet together and your knees apart. Sit back on your feet and lengthen your spine forward as you rest your head either on a yoga block or your two stacked fists. Hold this pose for at least five minutes and concentrate on breathing. Child's pose is considered a very meditative pose. Use this time to express gratitude and slow yourself down.
Crocodile Pose
Lie on your belly and place your head on your hands or forearms. Horizontal poses are beneficial for high blood pressure because they slow the heart down, so it doesn't work as hard to pump blood to the brain.
Savasana
Savasana, or Corpse Pose, gives you a chance to connect with your breath and fully relax. Lie on your back and spread out your arms and legs with your palms turned up. Use a blanket under your head and perhaps a lavender-scented eye pillow.
You can also look into yoga nidra, which means "yogic sleep" and is an excellent meditative practice you can do while lying in savasana.
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