Asthma and Yoga
Asthma is primarily a disease of the respiratory system, where there is a wheezing cough and a sense of suffocation, since the patient has difficulties in inhaling rather than exhaling the air. The attack of asthma may last for a few minutes to few hours or even days wherein the patient is exhausted. It is common to all ages, children and adolescents of both sexes, irrespective of socio-economic background.
Causes:
Asthma may be hereditary, where the patient is allergic to pollen grains, food products, dust, animal hair, drugs, pollution, industrial smoke and diesel fumes, milk and dairy products.
Suppression of negative emotions like jealousy, anger, resentment, hatred, are often the precipitating causes.
So also loneliness, emotional hypersensitivity, fears of rejection, super ego consciousness are the other causes.
Due to short breath, carbon dioxide is not expelled completely from the body whereas even constipation and indigestion produce toxins and they accumulate in the body. These are also the reasons for developing asthma in a person.
Symptoms:
Mucous gets accumulated in the chest, bronchi are constricted and therefore the respiration is obstructed later giving rise to dyspnoea or breathing trouble.
Some people also develop spasm in their chest.
There is also a sudden onset of cold symptoms like nasal congestion, nasal irritation, sneezing, and swollen nasal mucus membrane.
Person gasps for air.
Distress and anxiety increases due to laborious breathing.
Eosinophil count in blood increases.
Mucus secretion becomes thick and sticky.
The chest becomes hyper-expanded and the lungs hyper-inflated. So the person has to exhale with efforts, which also becomes short.
Inhaling is also shallow and short.
Bluish colour of mucus membranes indicates less oxygen supply.
Longer the fighting for breath more is the severity of the attack, distress and anxiety.
The asthmatic is unable to relax, since he gets exhausted and develops the flexion attitude of the body in a defense.
Treatment:
Main focus is on the restoration of depleted and blocked pranic energy channels thus the yogic treatment is used more for reducing asthma. Yogic treatment reduces the intensity of attack and increases the gap between two attacks. It enhances the stamina, endurance and reduces hyperacidity. The treatment is done through shuddhi kriyas, asanas, and pranayamas in attack free condition. They are as follows:
Asanas: Sarvangasana or Vipritakarani, Ardha and puma halasana, Matsyasana, Pawanmuktasana, Bhujangasana, Makarasana, Ardha-shalabhasana, Vakrasana, Parvatasana, Ushtrasana, Gomukhasana, Chakrasana, Tadasana, Shavasana. The practice of Surya-namaskar is also helpful.
Mudras: Brahmamudra, Simhamudra.
Bandhas: Uddiyana, Agnisara (Mild).
Pranayama: Anuloma-Viloma, Bhastrika, Bhramari, and Ujjayi.
Kriyas: Neti, Dhauti (specially Vastra dhauti), Kapalbhati.
Om recitation: 10 times or more
Diet: Have light and easily digestible diet. Avoid milk and milk products, rice, curd, banana, sour fruits and fried items. Avoid cold drinks and sudden exposure to cold weather. Drink warm water instead of frequent tea or coffee.
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