When people join yoga classes, they generally have a goal. Some want to do yoga for better gut health, others think it is a great way to destress. It turns out, yoga may also help stroke patients. Stroke is a type of cardiovascular disease that can interfere with speech. It can also cause memory problems, or affect the way your arms and legs move. According to Harvard Health Publishing, stroke also can lead to difficulty with balance, which means that there is an increase in the risk of falling down. Read on to find out how yoga can help in stroke recovery.

To know how yoga can fit in a stroke rehabilitation therapy, HealthShots reached out to Dr Mickey Mehta, a global leading holistic health guru and corporate life coach.

Here’s what a stroke patient (stroke symptoms and treatment) can do to rehabilitate.

1. Breathe properly

Breathing in through the nose and breathing out slowly through the mouth is the way to do it. This way large volumes of air can ease out. This will help to improve your vital capacity of oxygen in your lungs and saturation of oxygens immediately.

2. Sit quietly and do nothing

Just resting and shutting your eyes brings order in place and gets you back in rhythm flow and gets you synchronised, says Mehta.

3. Eat well

Resorting to sweets like honey, raisins, dates, figs, jaggery (ways to eat jaggery) and chocolates usually help in elevating mood and conditioning your heart better, making it pump better.

Yoga for stroke recovery

Yoga is more about our body and mind connection, which is why it can greatly help in stroke recovery (health benefits of yoga). So, coming to yoga asanas that can help to improve and recover from stroke. Here are some of the asanas that Mehta recommends.

1. Ustrasana

• Sit in kneel down position then inhale.
• Slowly bring your hands down towards your heels or simply keep your hands behind your back.
• Exhale, bring your head down and then relax.

2. Setu Bandhasana

• Lie down on your back and fold your legs at shoulder level distance.
• Inhale and lift your chest and back up then exhale and slowly come down.

3. Bhujangasana

• Lie down on your stomach and keep your hands next to your chest.
• Inhale, arch your back, straighten your hands, with your shoulders back and hold. Exhale then come back.

4. Paschimottanasana

• Sit with your legs straight.
• Inhale and stretch your hands up and then exhale and bend forward.

5. Seated Parvatasana

• Sit in a comfortable position or Padmasana.
• Inhale and lift your hands up in the namaste position then exhale and relax.

Also, heavy foods and exercises are a complete no. So, avoid foods that have a lot of carbohydrates. Take a break from running, cycling and jumping if you did all this before the stroke. Do not engage in high intensity sports activities. In fact, even in yoga, low intensity asanas are what you should stick to if you just had a stroke. Stretching your body just to ease out is also something that you can try.