How To Reduce Your Asthma With Yoga
A few years ago it was a lot easier for me to deal with my asthma. I exercised regularly, ate well, and had time to take care of myself. Now, between working two jobs trying to stay afloat and the daily stresses of life, it’s hard for me to catch up on rest and relaxation. And that’s why I have no idea how I still have asthma sometimes! Yoga is just what the doctor ordered though- it helped me figure out what triggers my asthma episodes and now when I feel one coming on I do a quick yoga routine at home or at work that takes 10 minutes or less before most of the symptoms are gone. I’m not kidding!
This kind of yoga is called Pranayama, which means “to balance the life force.” It’s different than the kind of yoga you might have seen a million pictures of on Facebook or Instagram, but I doubt that you’ll be disappointed by it. Pranayama is about breathing and redirecting your energy and focus to relaxation rather than just trying to move your body or get a certain muscle group worked out. You can learn more at yogajournal.com .
I have severe asthma. The kind that requires me to be connected to an inhaler at all times, the kind that makes me wheeze every time I exercise, and the kind that tends to flare up when I am under stress or sick. Sometimes no matter what I do or how hard I try it’s going to act up and stay with me for a few days until my body gets better. That being said, if you have milder symptoms of asthma then this routine may help you too!
There are three parts of the Pranayama practice that can help reduce your asthma symptoms- breathing techniques, bandhas (or locks), and the use of mantra (chanting). Breathing techniques are very important in yoga because it’s essentially the way you move energy in your body. Breathing techniques are especially important for asthma, as it can be one of the biggest triggers for asthma attacks. You can learn more about breathing techniques and how they can help with your asthma here .
This next part of the routine is great for everyone to try, but especially those with asthma. The bandhas are basically just fancy yoga words for locks or binds. In an asthma flare up your chest will constrict abnormally and squeezing bandhas together can help open up your lungs so they don’t feel as limited or restricted by gravity. Learn more about bandhas and how they can help with your asthma here .
The final part of the routine is about chanting OM, which you can chant in your head or aloud as you move through the practice. OM is a very powerful word and actually means “That there is” or “That one exists.” OM is also sometimes referred to as God’s name, which is pretty remarkable considering it’s Sanskrit and not English. Basically chanting OM will relax you and focus your energy on the goal at hand- staying calm rather than being agitated by symptoms like asthma. Learn more about OM and how to chant it here .
I learned all of these techniques from a yoga studio in Virginia called Breathe. I did the Asthma Relief class as part of my membership and felt better almost instantly. No, this isn’t a sponsored post by them or anything- I just love them so much! If you’re ever in Northern Virginia definitely check this studio out. They have all kinds of great classes for those with varying flexibility and experience levels. If you’re up for it check out the video below and let me know how your asthma goes!
Asthma Relief Yoga Routine
1-10 minutes: a 10-minute sequence that starts with relaxation, followed by some pranayama breathing techniques. Breathe is my favorite studio to go to in the D.C. area because the instructor has so much expertise about these kinds of yoga workouts for people with asthma and can really tailor a routine that will work for you. This one is great before or after a run or other strenuous activity because you’ll have time to breathe into your symptoms while still moving your body through the routine. Check out their website (www.breatheyogafitness.com) for more information about the class.
The Asthma Relief Yoga Routine from Breathe 10 minutes: Repeat the previous 2 exercises, repeating them each time they repeat. This is great because it will help you regulate your breath and relaxing in between takes a bit. Know that you can take as long as you like to do each section (or skip them altogether if you don’t have time) as long as you keep moving.
A few yoga poses to help ease asthma - they don't take 30 minutes (or even 10) but they'll help you feel better after your routine.
12-15 minutes: This is the advanced part of the class and it will work best if you’ve already done a few breathing exercises and a few poses. The instructor will show you how to do some asanas that open up your chest and lungs for better breathing. Additionally, she’ll teach some bandhas (locks or binds) that are great for helping to reduce wheezing and let air in when your lungs are constricted from asthma. The instructor will also explain how to chant OM as part of the routine. OM is one of the most powerful sounding Sanskrit words you’ll ever hear and will help you to focus your energy on staying calm rather than aggravated by negative symptoms.
The Asthma Relief Yoga Routine from Breathe 15 minutes: Repeat the previous 4 exercises, repeating them each time they repeat. This is great because it will help you regulate your breath and relaxing in between takes a bit. Know that you can take as long as you like to do each section (or skip them altogether if you don’t have time) as long as you keep moving.
Overall this routine took me 45 minutes to complete and felt great. The breathing techniques helped me so much that I went home and did a few things in the next hour (we’ll get to those after I post this) that normally would have made me wheeze or bring on an asthma attack.
If you have asthma or know someone who does, then try a yoga routine like the one above! Hopefully it will help you feel better and give your asthma some relief! Let me know what other asthma-friendly things you do to keep your symptoms under control below!
Happy Friday everyone! As usual I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.
Conclusion
It took me about a month and a half to figure out what I did to trigger my asthma attacks, but it wasn’t all that difficult. My doctor diagnosed me with eczema and gave me steroids to help with the inflammation so I decided on some of those treatments for a while, but they didn’t work well at all. Lesson learned (I think) from this experience is learn from your mistakes. Don’t stop trying things because the first few times you don’t see results immediately.