To recognize February as American Heart Month and to encourage people to take steps to improve their heart health, HSHS Holy Family Hospital will be hosting an “Open Up Your Heart to Yoga” event on Thursday, February 15 at 5:15 p.m. This event will be held in the hospital’s Fair Oaks Conference Room. It is free and open to the public.
Kerry Steinmann, Cardiopulmonary Services Director at Holy Family Hospital, will open the event with a brief discussion on heart health and how yoga can play a role in a heart-healthy lifestyle. The discussion will be followed by a yoga class instructed by Sharon Schmitz, a 200-Hour Yoga Alliance Certified Yoga Instructor. The class will be for beginners and focus on heart opener poses and positions. Registration is required, as spaces are limited. Call (618) 651-2588 or email Ashley.gramann@hshs.org to register. Participants are encouraged to bring yoga mats if they have them.
According to the American Heart Association, practicing yoga can help prevent or reverse heart disease when done as part of a heart-healthy lifestyle. As such, yoga can help lower blood pressure, increase lung capacity, improve respiratory function and heart rate, and boost circulation and muscle tone. It can also improve your overall well-being while offering strength-building benefits.
For information about HSHS Holy Family Hospital, visit Holy Family’s web site at www.hshsholyfamily.org. HSHS Holy Family Hospital is part of the Southern Illinois Division of Hospital Sisters Health System, which also includes HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in O’Fallon, HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital in Effingham, HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital in Breese, and HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital in Highland.
