Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2025 May 28;2025(5):omaf049.
doi: 10.1093/omcr/omaf049. eCollection 2025 May.

Yoga in the emergency room: termination of SVT with the Child's pose

Mohamed Zuhair  1   2 , Samuel Seitler  2 , Nandita Kaza  1 , Phang Boon Lim  1 , Daniel Keene  1   2 , Raj Khiani  2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Yoga in the emergency room: termination of SVT with the Child's pose

Mohamed Zuhair et al. Oxf Med Case Reports. .

Abstract

We present the case of a 27-year-old woman who has successfully self-managed her supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) episodes since her teenage years using the Child's Pose, a technique adapted from yoga. This non-pharmacological approach enabled her to independently terminate SVT episodes, a capability confirmed in a controlled clinical setting where the patient's return to sinus rhythm was immediately achieved upon assuming the pose. The Child's Pose represents a solitary and patient-empowering intervention, contrasting with the assistance-dependent modified Valsalva manoeuvre. This case demonstrates the potential for yoga-influenced practices in the personalized management of cardiac arrhythmias.

Keywords: Valsalva; atrioventricular nodal Re-entrant tachycardia (AVNRT); autonomic nervous system modulation; non-invasive cardiac management; supraventricular tachycardia (SVT); vagal manoeuvres; yoga therapy.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

No funding was received for this case report, and the authors declare no conflict of interest. Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this case report and accompanying images adhering to all local ethical policies.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(a) ECG on admission demonstrating AVNRT (b) ECG following patient assuming Child’s pose demonstrating sinus tachycardia.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Child’s pose, also known as Balasana.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Lakkireddy D, Atkins D, Pillarisetti J. et al. Effect of yoga on arrhythmia burden, anxiety, depression, and quality of life in paroxysmal atrial fibrillation: the YOGA my heart study. J Am Coll Cardiol 2013;61:1177–82. 10.1016/J.JACC.2012.11.060 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Hagins M, States R, Selfe T. et al. Effectiveness of yoga for hypertension: systematic review and meta-analysis. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2013;2013:1–13. 10.1155/2013/649836 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Shenthar J, Gangwar RS, Banavalikar B. et al. A randomized study of yoga therapy for the prevention of recurrent reflex vasovagal syncope. Europace 2021;23:1479–86. 10.1093/EUROPACE/EUAB054 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Hare M, Ramlakhan S. Handstands: a treatment for supraventricular tachycardia? Arch Dis Child 2015;100:54–6. 10.1136/ARCHDISCHILD-2014-306949 - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources