Asthma Breathing Exercises

Asthma is basically a disorder of breathing caused due to the inflammation and narrowing of the airways in the lungs. Breathlessness, wheezing, cough and rapid breathing are some of the prominent symptoms of asthma. These symptoms may only worsen with poor techniques of breathing.

The patterns of breathing should be manipulated with relaxation sessions, deep breathing and other exercises. These techniques that enhance the breathing are well known as breathing exercises and will aid the patients to control their respiratory muscles and enhance their condition.

Pranayama which is a set of breathing exercises in Buteyko and yoga is basically a Russian method. Breathing exercises for asthma are of two main types which are helpful in asthma. Yoga is a powerful therapy which is being used widely for reducing the frequency and severity of asthma attacks including the use of medication.

Pranayama and yoga when done again and again, increases the airflow, air capacity, efficient of the lungs and stamina in the patients. Pranayama is an effective breathing technique of yoga that aids in maintaining controlled and relaxed breath. Pranayama is basically a Sanskrit work which means control of the life force. For achieving control over the life force two steps are required to be followed i.e. control of breath and control of the body by means of posture.

There are mainly three phases in exercises of pranayama i.e. inhalation or puraka, retention or kumbhaka and exhalation or rechaka. Puraka encourages the system and fills up the lungs with fresh air, Kumbhaka raises the internal temperature and boosts the absorption of oxygen and rechaka leads to the diaphragm to go back to its original position apart from forcing out air full of impurities and toxins by the contraction of inter-coastal muscles.

Exercises of pranayama should be practiced depending on what causes the attack of asthma. Naadi Shohana, Dirga pranayama, Shitali Pranayama, Ujjavi pranayama and Kapalabhati pranayama are some of the exercises that can be followed in asthma.

Buteyko is based on techniques for normalizing patterns of breathing as it believes that asthma is caused because of hyperventilation. It focuses at normalizing patterns of breathing and changing the symptoms of asthma.

It is a simple, easy and effective technique which has no side effects and aids in removing almost every symptoms of asthma.

While these breathing techniques aid patients in improving their patterns of breathing and removing symptoms, they are no alternates for conventional medication and have to carried out under proper medical supervision.