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Intraocular Pressure Changes Following Three "Head below the Heart" Postures in Yoga Practitioners - A Prospective
N Swathi1, Meena Ramanathan2, K Srikanth1
1Department of Ophthalmology, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute, Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth, Puducherry, India.
Practicing specific yoga poses like meruasana, viparithakarni, and sarvangasana may lower intraocular pressure (IOP) in healthy individuals. This study found a significant IOP drop after these head-below-heart yoga poses.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Yoga and Health
Background:
- Intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation is a risk factor for glaucoma progression.
- Certain yoga postures, particularly those with the head below the heart (head-below-heart asanas), may influence IOP.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the acute effects of three specific head-below-heart yoga postures—meruasana, viparithakarni, and sarvangasana—on intraocular pressure (IOP).
Main Methods:
- A prospective observational study involved 33 healthy yoga practitioners.
- Participants performed meruasana, viparithakarni, and sarvangasana in random order, holding each for 30 seconds.
- Intraocular pressure (IOP), blood pressure (BP), and pulse rate were measured before and after each asana.
Main Results:
- All three asanas (meruasana, viparithakarni, sarvangasana) resulted in a statistically significant reduction in IOP (P < 0.0001).
- No significant changes were observed in pulse rate (P = 0.53) or blood pressure (P = 0.27) following the asanas.
Conclusions:
- Performing meruasana, viparithakarni, and sarvangasana for 30 seconds can lead to a post-asana decrease in IOP in healthy individuals.
- These yoga postures did not significantly alter pulse rate or blood pressure.
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