Diet is clearly a cornerstone of the holistic approach to heart health, and both, Dr. Dean Ornish and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn Jr. (heart health experts), encourage a low-fat, vegetarian diet. Ornish originally learned the basics of this diet from his spiritual teacher, Swami Satchidananda, the founder of Integral Yoga. Years later, Ornish began testing the diet's benefits on heart disease patients, with great success. Today, he recommends the following:
- a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes
- natural, unrefinded soy foods (think miso and tempeh, not products with soy protein isolate or hydrolyzed soy protein)
- no more than one cup a day of non-fat dairy products
- 3-4 grams per day of omega-3 fats (derived from algae or from fish oil that has been purified of toxins)
- Do a yogic relaxation for at least a few minutes every day. Research suggests it can increase your resiliency to stress, - and, by etxtension, to heart disease
- Balance your emotions with a regular yoga practice. Studies suggest that yoga helps diffuse emotions such as anger, hostility, and impatience that are linked to hear attacks
- Combat loneliness, another risk factor for heart disease by becoming part of a community. A recent study suggests that people with a spiritual practice who meet regularly in a group livie longer and have fewer heart attacks
- Offer service (karma yoga) to those less fortunate than yourself
- Don't overexercise; recent studies suggest that extreme exercise, like running 10 miles if that is not your norm, may actually promote inflammation
- Get 20-30 minutes of slow to moderate walking daily, Dr. Ornish recommends
- Practice gentle asanas - such as Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half Lord of the Fishes Pose); Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose) with the chest barely lifted; brief, modified Salamba Sarvangasana (supported Shoulder Stand) with your feet on the wall; and Savasana (Corpse Pose) - easy pranayama exercises such as three-part breathing, and mediation. Even a few minutes a day can make a huge difference