Friday Q&A: What is Slow, Gentle Yoga?

Seaweed by Melina Meza

One of our readers left the following question on the post Degenerative Disk Disease and Yoga:

Q: I wonder what you mean by 'gentle, slow yoga'? Could you give some examples?

A: In the post in question, I was reviewing a study that looked at the spines of experienced yoga teachers and observed that the discs between the bones of the spine—the vertebrae—were healthier than a control group who did not do yoga. The teachers, who were from Taiwan, all taught a “gentle, slow form of yoga.” Unfortunately, from what I could find online, I was not able to ascertain which yoga lineage or modern strain of yoga they were teaching.

When I speak of “gentle, slow yoga,” I am referring to practices that would typically include mostly beginning-level yoga postures, although some intermediate poses, especially seated poses, could be done in a gentle way. In fact, the way in which the poses are instructed or performed, that is, the quality of the effort, would be gentle. The poses could be held for a while, say a few breaths to several minutes, if the gentle quality could be preserved, or there could be a slow transition from pose to pose, a kind of slow motion vinyasa style practice. Many of my colleagues teach what they call “Slow Flow,” which could qualify in this category of style of practices, to differentiate from the faster vinyasa classes that move more rapidly from pose to pose, such as “Power Flow” classes or the Ashtanga Primary series. More obvious, perhaps, would be Restorative Yoga classes, where the effort is minimal, and one tends to be in each pose for several to many minutes. Many studios now offer public classes that they actually name “Gentle Yoga.” But names can be deceiving, so the proof is in the pudding, as they say. See what your experience is like in so-named classes before you give it the “gentle, slow yoga” seal of approval.

And don’t be led to believe that just because a practice is gentle and slow it may not be effective, or that you won’t feel much. In the study at hand, it may have led to the better disc health for these teachers as demonstrated on MRI studies. And on a day-to-day or week-to-week basis, you may also notice distinct improvement in mobility, strength, balance and agility despite the “name” of the class or style. If you haven’t given this kind of class a spin, maybe this is the weekend to do so!

—Baxter

Lowering Your Blood Pressure

by Nina

If you have high blood pressure—or even high blood pressure that is being controlled with medication as Timothy wrote yesterday—there are certain anti-stress poses that you should not be doing. Although inverted poses can lower blood pressure due to the interaction between your baroreceptors and your nervous system (see Why You Should Love Your Baroreceptors), going upside down initially raises your blood pressure before feedback from the baroreceptors to the nervous system causes the Relaxation Response to kick in. This initial rise in blood pressure is why the poses are considered dangerous for those whose blood pressure is already high (and perhaps for those whose blood pressure is being controlled with medication as Timothy wrote in Keeping Yoga Safe for People with High Blood Pressure), because there is concern it could cause a stroke.

Timothy didn’t list exactly which inverted poses besides Headstand that people with high or even controlled high blood should be avoiding, so I decided to talk with Baxter about the topic in order to list them out for you. The good news is that Baxter considers three of the most effective stress-reducing inversions to be generally safe. I’ve divided the inverted poses into same three groups I used in my post All About Supported Inversions. So here goes:

Full Inversions: Poses to Avoid

• Handstand (Adho Mukha Vrksasana)
• Forearm Balance (Pincha Mayurasana)
• Scorpion (Vrschikasana)
• Headstand (Sirsasana)
• Shoulderstand (Sarvagasana), including the chair version
• Plow (Halasana), including the chair/bench version

Because you are fully inverted in these poses, the blood quickly rushes toward your head, initially raising your blood pressure. In addition, most of these poses are stressful to perform, especially for beginners, and the stress itself can raise your blood pressure.

Half Inversions: Poses to Evaluate

• Downward-Facing Dog pose (Adho Mukha Svanasana)
• Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana), with or without support
• Wide-Legged Standing Forward Bend (Prasarita Padottanasana)

Poses where your head and torso are inverted but your legs not, such as Standing Forward Bend, are probably safe. But Baxter recommends that you ask your teacher to look at you while you are doing the poses. The same questions about how you look in the pose that Timothy listed yesterday would be helpful for assessing the suitability of these poses for you or, if you’re a teacher, for your student.

“Does the student appear to have the strength and flexibility to do the pose safely? How is their breathing in the pose? Do they look uncomfortable? Are they able to maintain a healthy curve in the neck? Are their neck veins bulging? How do they say they feel in the pose? It is even possible, if you've got a blood pressure device, to measure the pressure to make sure it isn't spiking in the pose or poses you're concerned about.”

If the pose is difficult or stressful for you, you may want to exclude it from your practice. If you decide to exclude these poses, you can practice Half Downward-Facing Dog pose at the Wall instead.

Gentle Inversions: Poses that are Generally Safe

• Legs Up the Wall pose (Viparita Karani)
• Easy Inverted pose (Viparita Karani with bent legs)
• Supported Straight Leg Bridge pose (Setubanda Sarvangasana)

According to Baxter, gentle inversions where your heart is only slightly higher than your head and your body slopes gradually down, such as Legs Up the Wall pose, do not seem to cause an initial rise in blood pressure (he has done some informal testing). Therefore, he feels comfortable in saying they are generally safe. One caveat might be that if your blood pressure is wildly out of control, it might make sense for you to do a different type of practice for stress reduction (see below).

Safe Ways to Lower Blood Pressure

Remember, there is no need for you to do any inverted poses! If you are at all concerned about going upside down, you can choose from several other very effective and safe techniques for lowering your blood pressure. Any yoga or meditation technique that triggers the Relaxation Response (see The Relaxation Response and Yoga) will lower your blood pressure (this was proven in the 70s by Dr. Herbert Bensen and described in his book The Relaxation Response, which I highly recommend). Probably the easiest thing to do is just to sit quietly and observe your breath or recite a mantra. But you can practice any form of mediation, practice Yoga Nidra, any guided Savasana, or any form of Relaxation pose (Savasana) with a mental focus. You could also practice your favorite restorative poses (see Mini Restorative Practice, also with a mental focus. Just be sure to take a non-judgmental attitude toward your practice, give yourself at least 10 to 20 minutes of practice, as it takes a while for the Relaxation Response to kick in, and don’t fall asleep (sleeping is different than conscious relaxation).

All of these options are wonderful for anyone who experiences “situational” high blood pressure (when getting stressed out or angry causes... well, you know!) And practicing conscious relaxation on a regular basis will also enhance your health in the short term (bolstering your immune system) and the long term (helping to prevent heart disease, strokes, and other diseases of aging).