We read a lot about the pollution in Indian cities. Particularly in North India, the pollution levels are so high it is akin to smoking packets of cigarettes each day. Plus there is the fact that the novel coronavirus impacts the lungs. For all of these reasons it is important to shore up the body’s immunity, to strengthen the lungs and increase lung capacity.
How yoga improves lung health
As we know, doing yoga regularly helps boost immunity and improve overall health. Improved blood circulation and oxygenation of blood helps the body’s organs to function optimally, so that the body is able to resist disease and disorders more effectively. Further, yoga is also seen to lower stress and improve the mood. This helps one sleep better and indirectly helps to further boost immunity.
Obviously these are vitally important at a time when the world is facing a pandemic and one’s immune system is the best defence against it. There are specific poses that help us increase lung capacity. Improved lung capacity means that you can hold your breath for longer and get breathless much less easily.
Yoga poses for improving lung health
There are yoga poses that place the lungs in a specific position vis-à-vis the rest of the body and make the lungs work harder. While some of the aasans take pressure away from the lungs others help expand the chest. The following yoga poses help to improve lung function:
Setubandhasan or the bridge pose – This position where the feet and shoulders rest on the ground with the knees and pelvis raised, helps open up the lungs. It helps the lungs fill up with more air. This position is also known to help people with hypertension and asthma.
Dhanurasan or bow pose – This pose requires you to lie face down and then reach back to grasp your ankles with your hands and sort of rock on your stomach. This also helps to open up the chest and makes the person breathe deeply, working the abdominal muscles and the diaphragm.
Chakrasan or the wheel pose – This requires one to lie on the ground and then lift the whole body to position it like a wheel — the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet on the ground. This stretches the whole torso, opens the lungs and diaphragm, and exercises the lungs, which are now opposing gravity.
Sarvangasan or the shoulder stand – This requires one to lie on the ground and then raise the legs and hip and torso up high with the feet towards the ceiling and arms supporting the torso. Whereas the above aasans open up the chest, this does the opposite; again making the lungs and diaphragm work hard.
Pranayama – It is also recommended that pranayama techniques such as anulom-vilom, kapalabhati and sitali pranayama be practiced regularly since they help clear the nasal passages and improve lung function.
It is important that yoga practitioners perform a range of varied poses to exercise using the correct breathing techniques at all times. Doing the right yoga exercises helps improve lung function, which in turn means better oxygenation of the body and stronger immunity.