Yoga for asthma: 3 asanas to improve lung capacity
Breathing issues and tightness in the chest are just some of the problems that women with asthma face. Sometimes family history plays a role in it or stress, phobias, or pollution that cause asthma. Many believe that working out can make asthma worse. Yes, there are things that can trigger asthma attacks but that doesn’t give you an excuse to say goodbye to fitness. You can always try yoga for asthma. Read on to find out which all asanas are good for you if you have a common respiratory disease.
If you are an asthmatic, first you should know asthma triggers to help you breathe better.
As for staying fit through yoga, Health Shots reached out to Dr Mickey Mehta, global leading holistic health guru and corporate life coach to know more.
He says that the asanas which involve the diaphragm opening and contraction will certainly help people with asthma. They will help to fill in more oxygen and let out the stale gases and empty the lungs.
Breathing in can bring a lot of enthusiasm, uplift your mood and motivate you. Breathing out can result in removing anxieties, despair, resentments, phobias and many such psychological and emotional toxins.
Yoga for asthma
Here are some yoga asanas for asthma:
1. Ustrasana
• Sit in a kneel down position.
• Inhale, bring your hands up, move your torso and pelvic region forward and take your hands behind your back or touch your heels.
• Exhale, slowly come down and relax.
2. Bhujangasana
• Lie down on your stomach while keeping your palms next to your chest.
• Inhale, slowly go up while expanding your chest and shoulders.
• Exhale and come down.
3. Setu Bandhasana
• Lie down on your back and then fold your legs.
• Keep your hands on the ground. Inhale and lift your chest and hips up.
• Hold the pose for 10 seconds, then exhale and slowly come down.
The expert says that all these asanas stretch your chest, shoulders and abdominal area muscles. They not only help to improve lung capacity, but also reduce back pain, rejuvenate your heart, uplift your mood and reduce stress.
Apart from performing asanas, deep breathing is also important, according to Dr Mehta. Deep breathing can help to make you feel calm as well!
How to do deep breathing?
• Sit comfortably with your back straight on a mat or on a chair. Make sure that your back is not stiff or constricted. You should feel relaxed in this position.
• Breathe in through your nose and let your belly fill with air.
• Breathe out through your nose and fill in your alveoli (small branches of air tubes in your lungs) like you fill the air in a balloon, with every breath going in and out.
• Place one hand on your belly. As you breathe in, feel your diaphragm moving up and down like the waves of an ocean.
More the diaphragm moves, the more your lungs will get stimulated and more your respiratory tract will get stimulated.
Early morning nourishment is vital, according to the expert. Once you are awake, it’s important to have lots of oxygen. Take in a lot of sunshine and fill your lungs with oxygen.