In the News today, ‘….Dr. Firshein advises everyone with asthma to engage in regular moderate exercise. “It strengthens the lungs, which helps prevent asthma symptoms,”…’ He continues on to recommend Yoga.
It comes as no surprise to me that Yoga can be beneficial to those who are challenged by Asthma. It seems like common sense but common sense is not always enough to convince people to try alternative approaches in medicine. Rightly so! I am not quick to offer student’s advice or suggestions about health concerns except to share my own first hand experiences when I think those experiences might be useful to the particular student.
I am not shy to pass on information about medical and scientific studies, or first hand accounts of healing practices and not all of those come from the world of Yoga. For example, I will tell students who disclose their asthma condition that Nadi Shodhana has been helpful to many patients.
I am not a Medical Doctor, why would I suggest that?
I have a friend whose son suffers terribly with asthma. One day she showed me a handout offered to her by the Pediatrician. It showed a breathing exercise, called alternate breathing, recommended for her son. It was clearly and exactly the practice of Nadi Shodhana, AKA Alternate Nostril breathing – a breathing exercise dating back thousands of years, that is in the foundation of most Yoga traditions! I was thrilled and didn’t care what the doctors call it.
On the other hand, I strongly bellieve it is crucial to inform people of contraindications in Yoga practices. It is a little alarming that in the following article which recommends, exercise for Asthma patients, particularly Yoga, there is lack of advice to inform your instructor of your condition. There are in fact, several Yogic Breath exercises that are contraindicated for people with Asthma. Kapalabhati, AKA Skull Shining Breath, which requires a student to forcefully expel the breath through the nose in rapid succession by contracting the abdominal wall, for example is not a safe or beneficial practice for people with Asthma.
My point?
Take a Yoga class! Enjoy it! Allow it to be a healing experience. BUT please inform your teacher of any physical conditions, challenges, injuries or illnesses BEFORE you roll out the mat because we teachers want Yoga to be healing and nurturing for all.
Read it here.
Yoga breathing and asthma
To doubt the accepted etiology of asthma would apparently seem to be a sacrilege, like accusing all medical doctors of being involved in a giant conspiracy or worse. However because of the vast dimensions of the asthma problem, one aspect should be considered.
It is established in research (Dr. Gwen Skloot) that an asthmatic has difficulty in inhaling. However eastern breathing techniques for improving the ability to inspire are not considered.
Consider the mechanism of inhaling in “The Circulation System” by J. Steven Alexander Ph.D (http://www.sh.lsuhsc.edu/intragrad/slides/212/alexander/L15_alex.ppt). When the Power Point file is on screen, depress the right mouse button and load slide 18. It is clear that on inhaling pressure in the abdomen is increased. It would therefore be logical to suppose that increasing such pressure would aid an inhale. This technique is a fundamental part of eastern breathing routines which refer to putting pressure on the Tanden (in Japanese) or the Dantian (Chinese) during an inhale. The fact that the Tanden cannot be anatomically recognized should not cause difficulty in view of the substantial circumstantial evidence of beneficial effects on breathing.
Slide 18 refers to:
“Respiratory (Abdominothoracic) Pump
* Inspiration
* decreased intrathoracic pressure
* increased transmural pressure in thoracic cavity
* distends vessels
* decreased resistance and effective ‘suction’ of blood
* enhanced venous return”
Assuming that the changes in pressure are linked together, the beneficial effect of increasing abdominal pressure (Japanese technique) might well promote suction in the chest and the distension of its blood vessels. and hence improvement in blood supply to the lungs. Asthmatic narrowing of airways might well be due to an attempt to balance air supply to the lungs, which are not getting enough air.
A further difficulty with accepted asthma etiology is that the extremely thoracic or collar-bone breathing in attacks might well be a failed but intelligent tactic of the body which in principle is correct but flawed by lack of abdominal pressure.
I would recommend the videos of Ramdev on Youtube, particularly bhastrika, emphasizing drawing the navel towards the spine during an inhale.
To me asthma itself can not be a mystery as long as an obvious scientific approach is ignored. Richard Friedel. s3e0101@mailin.lrz-muenchen.de