Yoga Teacher Training Forum

Living with asthma can be a real struggle and is often quite frightening when a sudden attack occurs. Being dependent on an inhaler and restricting your activities to those that won't induce an attack can significantly lower your quality of life. However, you can begin to practice yoga to treat asthma and see that it is possible to ease many of your symptoms naturally. Of course, don't change or stop your medications without consulting your doctor first. But why not try yoga-you don't have to be flexible, the poses described below are great for beginners. Over time you may find your asthma symptoms lessening and your breathing is easier with fewer attacks.

How does yoga help to alleviate asthma symptoms? The main way is by promoting deeper breathing. People with asthma tend to have shallow breathing, so breathing deeply will encourage a better breathing pattern. Also, yoga poses that expand the chest and ribs will increase your lung capacity which also helps you breathe better. So which poses are best to treat asthma? Try the three described below:

* Fish Pose - Lie down on your back, with either your legs straight and together with toes pointed outwards or with them bent at the knees. Place your hands palms down under your buttocks and keep your elbows close to your body. Lift your torso off the floor but keep most of the weight on your elbows. Rest either the top or back of your head gently on the floor, keeping your face and neck relaxed. Breathe deeply for about 15 breaths, then lift your head slightly and lower your body back to the floor.

* Camel Pose - Kneel down on your knees with your thighs about hip width apart. Start to lean backwards slowly, reaching behind you for your feet. Only go as far as is comfortable. If you can't reach your feet, you can use a prop until you become more limber. Don't tilt backwards at your thighs, keep them vertical. Hold this pose for about 30-60 seconds, then come back up slowly and rest.

* Cobra Pose - Lie down on your stomach and keep your hands under your shoulders. Keep your legs straight with the heels pointing outwards. Inhale and slowly lift up, but let your back do most of the lifting, not your arms. Press your abs, thighs, and feet into the floor. Only go as high as is comfortable. Hold for about 15-30 seconds, then come back down and rest.

Over time you'll find that you breathe deeper and easier. Don't worry if you can't stretch very far, even just a little bit will help and soon you'll become quite limber. With more practice you may find you don't have as many asthma attacks as before. In the meantime, enjoy your new yoga practice and the path to breathing better naturally!