Yoga helps to relieve symptoms of asthma. It is a great way to make it just more bearable as it contributes in decreasing the dependence of a person on medicines. It gives a real sensation of well being. Regular practice of yoga decrease the constriction of the bronchial tubes and increases airflow of lungs. However, yoga cannot be substitute for the conventional western medication but clubbing both can do wonders. Below are the yoga poses for the relief of asthma:
1. Dandasana
Dandasana is the perfect pose out of which other seated postures came into origin.
Steps:
Sit on the floor with legs together in front of your torso. Make sure that a curve is created in the lower back that can be felt by the hand. An easy way to check the curve is to sit with your back against the wall. The sacrum bone and shoulder blades should feel the wall, but not your back’s lower portion. The palms should be rested on either side of the hips with fingers aiming in the front. Press the knees down and extend toes, and press the heels hard on the floor by bending the ankles. Press the palms firmly to straighten the arms and sit up straight. The shoulders and hips should be aligned. Then. lift up abdomen to ease the force in diaphragm. Exhale and relax your body.
2. Baddhakonasana
In many classical yoga books, Baddha Konasana or Bound Angle Pose, is known to destruct asthma and also remove fatigue. This sitting pose is certainly powerful as it stretches the groins, inner thighs, opens up hips and stimulates the heart.
Steps:
Sit down with your legs out in front. Ensure you are sitting high on your sitting bones and not on your tail bone. The pelvis should be in a neutral position. While exhaling, bring the soles of the feet together and draw your feet near to your body in a comfortable position. Let the knees soften out to the opposite sides. Work on to lengthen the crown of your head and spine upwards. Make sure that you keep the sitting bones rooted. Use each inhale to prolong in this way, and exhale to soften into the edge. Come up slowly on the inhale. Stretch out the legs in front of you to ease the thighs.
3. Vajrasana
The Hero Pose is the basic Seated Postures, also best for meditation. The internal rotation of the upper legs and knees is opposite to the movement involved in the Lotus Pose; as such, it eases the hips, knees, and ankles to make ready for the Lotus Pose and acts as a softcounterpose. The Hero Pose is also the beginning Yoga position for several forward bends, backward bends, and twists.
Steps:
Kneel on the floor (on a wrapped blanket to pad your knees, shins, and feet if needed), with your thighs perpendicular to floor, and touch your inner knees together. Keep your feet apart, slightly wider than the hips, with the tops of the feet flat on the floor. Angle your big toes slightly in towards each other and press the top of each foot evenly on the floor. Exhale and sit back halfway, with your body trunk inclining slightly forward. Wedge your thumbs into the backs of the knees and bring the skin and flesh of the calf muscles toward the heels. Then sit down between the feet.
4. Adhomukha Svanasana
In Sanskrit, Adho implies downward, mukh implies face and svan implies dog. In this asana, the practitioner’s face is downwards.
Steps:
Sit on some surface on your knees and hands. Position the knees directly under your hips and your hands a little forwards of shoulders. Spread the index fingers, palms parallel or little bent out, and turn the toes under. Breath out and lift the knees away from the floor. First keep the knees little turnedout and the heels lifted away from the floor. Lengthen the tailbone away from the back of the pelvis and press it softly towards the pubis. Against this pressure, lift the sitting bones towards the ceiling, and from the inner ankles bring the inner legs towards groins. Then with the exhalation, push the top thighs back and stretch your heels into or down towards the surface. Straighten your knees but be sure not to lock them. Firm the outer thighs and roll the upper thighs inward slightly. Narrow the front of the pelvis.
5. Uttanasana
There are two lines of energy in Uttasana that are raying outward from the center. The hips should be in dog tilt, and the spinal column be the primary line of energy. It elongates the spine outwards through the crown of the head as you fold into the pose. This is the simple forward fold.
Steps:
Initially, you need to stand in Tadasana position with your hands on the hips. Breath out and bend frontwards from the hip joints. While coming down, bring the front body portion out of the groins and open the place between the pubis and top sternum. With the frontward bend, the stress would be to lengthen the front body portion when the body is in complete posture. Press the heels hard into the floor and bring up the sitting bones towards the ceiling. Move the top thighs a little inward.
