World Asthma Day 2022: Asthma is a respiratory disease which involves shortness of breath, difficulty in breathing, coughing and chest tightness. Caused by a range of environmental and genetic factors, asthma is non-communicable and considered to be one of the most common chronic diseases among children.
Yoga and breathing exercises are important alternative treatments of asthma. In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Yoga expert Akshar said, “Yoga asanas and pranayama exercises provide holistic solutions that assist in improving the health of your lungs. Practice these pranayama and asanas to strengthen lungs and improve their capacity to take in oxygen. Along with these breathing techniques, you can also practise heart openers such as Camel Pose, Bow Pose and Wheel pose in order to increase lung capacity. Yoga asanas and breathing exercises act as lung cleansing techniques that help dislodge to mucus from the lungs and airways.”
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He further noted down a few breathing exercises and yoga asanas that can help in improving the capacity of the lung:
Bhastrika Pranayama: Also known as Bellow Breath, it helps in improving the lung capacity and reducing symptoms of asthma.
Bhramari Pranayama: It helps in self-healing and relieves hypertension.
Khand Pranayama: This breathing technique involves the breath being divided, in both cases of inhalation and exhalation.
Dhanurasana: Also known as the bow pose, it helps in opening up the chest region and promoting better breathing.
Ustrasana: It helps in stretching the abdomen, chest and throat and helps in improving the lung capacity.
Ardha Chandrasana: This asana helps in stretching the chest and shoulders, besides strenthening ankles, knees, legs, abdomen, buttocks and spine.
Chakrasana: This yiga asana also offers a deep stretch for the chest and shoulder muscles, which further helps in boosting breathing.
“If you are looking for safe and holistic practice to improve your health, then yoga is recommended to maintain with your fitness. Even as it is gentle, yoga can also be tremendously effective in building the lung capacity in terms of strength,” Yoga expert Akshar added.
