Yoga is Essential for Respiratory System:

“Yoga Poses & Pranayama Breathing helps to  stimulate the lungs.Its Therapeutic for Asthma.”

Every day we breathe around 20,000 times. Respiration is essential for life. Oxygen is essential for every cell in our bodies – cells use oxygen to produce energy. In the process of producing energy carbon dioxide is formed as a waste product. It is throughout the respiratory system that oxygen is brought into the body and carbon dioxide expelled out of the body. The respiratory system consists of the nose, the nasal cavities, sinuses, pharynx (connects the nose and mouth to the larynx), larynx (voice box), trachea (windpipe), and the lungs – including the bronchi (air passages), alveoli (air sacs), and the pleura (lung sacs).

Complete breathing splits into three parts: Inhalation, Holding and Exhalation one’s breath. With each of these three parts you can feel the work it is doing, how oxygen enters the body with inhalation, how it is used and circulates while holding and how you exhale the used rests that your body does not need. Breathing deeply is like vacuum-cleaning your body, taking out all carbon dioxide and leaving the body with fresh and refreshing air.Certain healthy life-style adjustments and medical care can help to strengthen our system.

Yoga Postures for your Respiratory System:

Apart from the breathing exercises there are of course also physical yoga poses that support the respiratory system in doing its work by expanding the lungs and giving them space to breathe, by activating the different body parts and stimulating the blood flow so that oxygen can be provided until the tips of your toes. Asana (poses) that evenly strengthen and lengthen all the areas around the thoracic and abdominal cavities. 

  • Ardha Chakrasana
  • Vrikshasana
  • Dhruvasana
  • Adho mukha Shwanasana
  • Bhujangasana
  • Dhanurasana

Pranayama – Breathing Exercises for your whole Body

Pranayama translated from Sanskrit into English means ‘Expanding Vital Force’. We are considered alive as long as we breathe and Pranayama talks about extending your life simply by breathing healthily.

Breathing(Pranayama)exercises that increase the capacity for both inhalation and exhalation.

Pranayama offer many different ways of breathing for different problems with the respiratory system like sinus problems, asthma, hay fever, shortness of breath and allergies. There are breathing exercises that heat or cool the body.

You give your lungs the ability to breathe properly. We usually use only a minimal part of their capacity and asthma and frequent breathlessness can be helped immensely by practicing Pranayama regularly as your body slowly gets used to take deep breaths even when you are not especially concentrating on it.

Useful Pranayama(Breathing) are used most of the time during asana:

  • Kapalbhaati(Abdominal breathing)
  • Nadi shodana (Alternate nostril breahting)
  • Sama Vrtti (Equal inhale and exhale)
  • Ujjayi (Throat Breathing)
  • Bhramari

Regards,

Sunita

200Hr YTTC August 2017