During our Yoga Your Back session a few weeks back, chiropractor Jean-Baptiste Daumont and I conducted a fascinating experiment that put claims about yoga, inner balance, and stress reduction to the test. As we were preparing the session together, we started playing around with JB's oximeters (heart rate and oxygen monitors). Just for fun, I decided to see what would happen to my own heart rate if I went upside-down into a headstand (sirsasana)... lo and behold, after 10 seconds in an inverted posture, my heart rate dropped 10 bpm! We tried again with a simpler inversion, an easy forward bend (uttanasana)... same effect!
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forward bends and inversions, like uttanasana, lower your heart rate like magic. |
Fascinated by this effect, I decided to try out FirstBeat, a 48-hour monitoring and analysis of my heart rate to better understand this mind-body phenomenon on a personal level.
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me and my FirstBeat heart monitor |