Application of an integrative yoga therapy programme in cases of essential arterial hypertension in public healthcare

•Patients following the programme decreased systolic, diastolic pressure and heart rate.•Yoga programme resulted in reduction of anxiety, negative affect and stress degree.•There was an improvement of the cardiovascular response to the physical exercise.•Integrative yoga was applied: asanas, breathing, relaxation, meditation, mindfulness.•Yoga practice can be an alternative to traditional pharmacological treatment.

ObjectiveTo examine the efficacy of an integrative yoga programme as adjuvant treatment of essential arterial hypertension.MethodsAn Integrative yoga programme was conducted during three months in 26 sessions with a group of ten essential arterial hypertension patients at a public health centre. The same number of patients acted as the control group without treatment. The patients were randomly selected and assigned to the groups. All patients filled in the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Smith Relaxation States Inventory 3 (SRSI3) before and after the treatment.ResultsA statistically significant reduction of systolic and diastolic blood pressure, negative affect, symptoms of anxiety and degree of stress could be observed in the study group.ConclusionsThese positive and promising results confirm the effectiveness of these techniques in the treatment of essential arterial hypertension and suggest possible further investigations.