How to Cure Asthma and Bronchitis with Yoga?

Both asthma and bronchitis are respiratory disorders and cannot be completely cured with medicines. Bronchitis is a medical condition in which there is inflammation of air passages within lungs. The reason might be bacterial or viral infection. This inflamed bronchial tubes leads to difficulty in breathing and that condition is referred to as asthma. When a person suffers from asthma, the normal ratio of inspiration and expiration is disturbed due to constricted blood vessels in the lungs. It is a very common disease and can affect young, old and even children.

These chronic diseases are best controlled with the help of Yoga. Several yogic postures help to cleanse the mucus lining of the bronchial tubes and restore better health of lungs by relaxation of the lung muscles. Most importantly different breathing techniques if practiced on a regular basis can help to keep the lungs mucus free and thereby enhance free air flow. Yogic postures also help in stabilization of autonomous nervous system and also strengthen body immune system to fight infection especially in the respiratory tract.

Here are some of the yogic postures that can be performed in an empty stomach to cure asthma and bronchitis. You should sip water from time to time to keep your airways moist

• Depending upon the cause of asthma such as cold, emotional stress or allergies, different pranayams or breathing exercises need to be done. Ujjayi pranayam helps if asthma is triggered by cold, while asthma and bronchitis triggered by allergy could best be controlled by performing Shitali Pranayam. Nadi Sodhana is the best pranayam to fight diseases resulting from emotional turmoil. However it is Kapalbhatti pranayam is considered best to reduce mucus congestion and clear the air passages.

• To improve heart and lung condition, back-bending postures is the best. Practicing chest opening postures help in exhaling while forward bends poses help in inhalation. One also needs to practice inverted postures to remove excess mucus and also aids in strengthening body immune system.

• Some other yogic postures that help in controlling asthma attacks include
  1. Tadasan ( palm tree) pose-This helps in strengthening the lungs muscle
  2. Simhasan (lion) pose- Aids in curing tonsillitis and strengthens bronchioles.
  3. Utarasan (camel) pose-Clears and activates the nasal passage for clear airways and better air influx.
  4. Matsayan (fish) pose- Helps correct respiratory disorders by stimulating the breathing organs
  5. Sarvangasan: This helps in improving circulatory system

Last but not the least, is to practice Surya Namaskar or Sun Salutation for an overall wellbeing and to prepare the body for practicing other yogic postures.