Slow Yogic Breathing and Long-Term Cardiac Autonomic Adaptations: A Pilot Study.

Author: Bertisch SM1,2, Hamner J2, Taylor JA2,3
Affiliation: <sup>1</sup>1 Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center , Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. <sup>2</sup>2 Cardiovascular Research Laboratory, Spaulding Hospital Cambridge , Cambridge, MA. <sup>3</sup>3 Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School , Boston, MA.
Conference/Journal: J Altern Complement Med.
Date published: 2017 Apr 18
Other: Special Notes: doi: 10.1089/acm.2016.0074. [Epub ahead of print] , Word Count: 152


OBJECTIVES: To examine whether long-term practice of yogic breathing alters cardiac autonomic control.

DESIGN: Age-sex matched, cross-sectional, physiologic pilot study.

SETTINGS/LOCATION: Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Cardiovascular Laboratory, Cambridge, MA.

PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-six (26) long-term yoga practitioners and 26 age- and sex-matched controls, free of cardiovascular disease.

OUTCOME: Cardiac vagal outflow as assessed by respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA).

RESULTS: During unpaced (spontaneous) breathing, yoga practitioners exhibited augmented RSA compared to controls (yoga 364.8 ± 75.3 vs. 194.7 ± 46.0 ms2Hz-1, p = 0.03). However, during paced breathing at 0.25 Hz (15 breaths/min), which accounts for inter- and intravariability in breath rate, RSA did not differ between groups (yoga 224.8 ± 48.4 vs. 271.3 ± 59.7 ms2Hz-1, p = 0.98). Furthermore, the relationship between age and RSA, such that RSA declines with age, did not qualitatively differ between groups.

CONCLUSIONS: Long-term practice of yogic slow breathing does not appear to augment cardiac vagal control nor prevent known age-related declines.

KEYWORDS: autonomic; heart rate variability; respiratory sinus arrhythmia; vagal; yoga

PMID: 28418684 DOI: 10.1089/acm.2016.0074