Try Yoga For Kidney Health

The origin of Yoga can be traced back to ancient India. It is a practice that focuses on harmony between mind and body. Yoga combines different asanas (posture), breathing and meditation techniques. It demonstrates some benefits on fitness, flexibility, balance, and release of stress and anxiety, which are equivalent to mild or moderate exercises. Other than these, a small study showed that Yoga benefits people with chronic kidney problems.

The study recruited 54 participants with chronic kidney problems and divided them into two groups: Yoga Group and Control Group. Participants in the Yoga Group were required to practice specific yogic asanas for at least 5 days per week for 40-60 mins each time, along with conventional treatment. On the other hand, participants in the Control Group were offered traditional treatment only. In the end, 50 participants (Yoga Group: 50; Control Group: 50) completed 6 months follow-up.

Specific yogic asanas include:

Standing asanas: Mountain posture with arms stretched up and with bound hands, standing forward bend, hand-to-foot pose, and half-waist-rotation pose

Sitting asanas: Seated forward bend, sitting half spinal twist, extension of the front body, and hare pose

Supine asanas: Sphinx pose, bridge pose, boat pose, reclining bound angle posture, bow pose, crocodile pose, and corpse pose

Breathing techniques: alternative nostril breathing, humming bee breath, cooling pranayama, and abdominal breathing in a lying-down position

Yogic relaxation technique with imagery or mindfulness-based stress reduction

The result showed that Yoga Group participants significantly reduced blood pressure, blood urea, and serum creatinine levels. There was also a significant improvement in the physical and psychological domain of quality of life. For the Control Group, a rise in blood pressure, a decline in kidney function, and quality of life were observed.

Yoga is for everyone regardless of age or gender, and no expensive equipment is required. It may be a good choice for managing chronic kidney problems.