In the current issue of the International Journal of Cardiovascular Sciences, Fetter and colleagues found that respiratory movements of the abdominal cavity and rib cage, evaluated by circumferences measurements, were higher in Yoga practitioners than in an age-matched sedentary group. Also, the study confirmed that Yoga practitioners showed higher maximal expiratory strength and lower heart rate at rest than non-practitioners. Yoga has been recommended as a non-pharmacological therapy to control cardiovascular risk factors. Respiratory exercises are part of the Yoga […]

Abstract Background Increasing thoracic expansion is effective at reducing blood pressure in hypertensive subjects. Yoga prescribes many respiratory techniques with a growing number of practitioners. However, very little is known whether sedentary or yoga practitioners show measurable differences in their respiratory patterns. Objective This study aims to demonstrate differences between healthy sedentary individuals and healthy yoga practitioners regarding maximal respiratory pressures and thoracic and abdominal respiratory expansibility. Methods Maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressures (MIP and MEP, respectively) were evaluated by […]