Contents
- Yoga Therapy and Asthma
- Asthma: A background
- Why use yoga as an adjunct therapy for asthma?
Yoga Therapy and Asthma
Asthma is a common, long-term disease for which the exact cause is unknown. While many people lead perfectly happy and healthy lives with asthma, it is a serious and long term illness which requires ongoing management, as asthma attacks can be life-threatening.
Alongside doctor-led treatment (which includes the use of inhalers and sometimes further medication), yoga and yogic breath practices can help people with asthma find confidence in their breathing, and learn to stay calm if they feel the initial symptoms of an asthma attack.
Asthma: A background
According to Asthma UK:
- 5.4 million people in the UK are currently receiving treatment for asthma: 1.1 million children (1 in 11) and 4.3 million adults (1 in 12).
- In 2016/17 (the most recent data available) there were 77,124 admissions to hospital for asthma in the UK.
- The NHS spends around £1 billion a year treating and caring for people with asthma.
There is neither a clear cause or comprehensive cure for asthma, and cases can vary significantly in severity. People with asthma have swollen and “sensitive” airways that become narrow and clogged with sticky mucus in response to certain triggers – which can include environmental factors (such as pollen) or physiological ones, including stress. A number of factors have been linked to developing asthma, from being exposed to tobacco smoke as a child to having a family history of the illness.
Why use yoga as an adjunct therapy for asthma?
“The wonderful thing about yoga is that anyone can do it, but it’s particularly good for people with asthma”
Julie White, Yoga Teacher and Asthma Sufferer
While the benefits of yoga for asthma are, at this stage, largely anecdotal, there is some promising research into the subject and a broad agreement that there is no harm in practicing yoga should people find it improves their symptoms.
A 2014 review with 824 participants found that while yoga couldn’t yet be recommended as a routine treatment, it could supplement existing therapy, especially if it makes the asthma sufferer feel better. (1) Another from 2016 came upon similar results, finding moderate evidence that yoga provides some benefits to those living with asthma. (2)
With the guidance of a yoga therapist, people with asthma can promote more effective breathing and develop their breath control through yogic breathing exercises. People with asthma often find their body has to work harder to breathe correctly, and they may develop more anxiety concerning their breath, which can exacerbate symptoms. Techniques such as diaphragmatic breathing can open airways, strengthen abdominal muscles and improve heart and lung function, potentially soothing asthma symptoms and making sufferers feel more in control.
As stress is a trigger (and can exacerbate other triggers) of asthma attacks, yoga’s function of calming people’s nervous system and relieving panic can be extremely valuable for those living with asthma. For most people, having an asthma attack can be extremely frightening, and over time fear of symptoms may grow. Yoga ends this cycle of stress and builds people’s confidence in their body and ability to breathe.
Yoga involves learning how to breathe deeply in and out and find a natural, balanced breathing pattern. Over time this helps to increase lung capacity and enhance breath control, which in turn reduces any anxiety someone may feel towards their breath.
* It is important that people with asthma can manage their symptoms and have talked to their GP before attempting yoga. It is also highly advised to consult a trained yoga therapist or teacher, rather than attempting yoga techniques alone.