Yoga and exercise for palpitations

Gentle movement and calming practices can help with stress-related palpitations and general heart health. Check with your doctor first if you have a heart condition or recurrent episodes.

Exercise

• Walking, cycling and swimming: about 150 minutes a week of moderate activity helps the heart and lowers stress
• Start slowly and build up
• Warm up and cool down to avoid sudden changes in heart rate
• Stay hydrated, and avoid exercising after a heavy meal or after caffeine

Yoga and breathing

• Slow breathing: inhale for 4 and exhale for 6 to calm the nervous system
• Anulom Vilom (alternate nostril breathing) done gently without forceful breath-holding
• Bhramari (humming bee breath) for calm
• Gentle poses: Tadasana, Vajrasana, Shavasana and seated forward bends
• Meditation and Yoga Nidra for stress and sleep

Be careful with

• Avoid Kapalabhati, Bhastrika and other forceful breathing if you have palpitations or heart disease
• Avoid long breath-holding, hot yoga and strenuous inverted poses
• Stop if you feel dizzy, have chest pain or a racing heartbeat that does not settle

Ayurvedic view

Yoga and Pranayama are traditional practices to calm Vata and the mind. This is a supportive framework.

Call 112 or stop and seek care for chest pain, fainting or severe breathlessness during exercise.

See a doctor if exercise regularly brings on palpitations or unusual breathlessness.

When to get help

See a doctor if palpitations are new, frequent, last more than a few minutes, or come with dizziness, chest discomfort or breathlessness. An ECG, simple blood tests and a heart rhythm monitor can usually find the cause. Call 112 for chest pain, fainting or severe breathlessness.

Remember

Calm, regular movement and slow breathing help. Forceful breathing and extreme exertion do not.