Enhance Your Respiratory Function with Yoga

 

Yoga can enhance your strength and focus, but the study shows that it can also boost the function of the lungs. According to a study in Thailand, most healthy young adults showed an immense improvement in seven areas of their respiratory function after completing the short-term yoga session. This research suggests that yoga exercise can indeed enhance our breathing capacity by expanding our chest walls. According to the experts, this can be the solution that people with respiratory ailments are looking for.

 

How Yoga Can Boost Your Respiratory Function

 

The said study was comprised of 58 volunteers that are around 20 years old. They were asked to participate in a short-term yoga session for six weeks. At least half of them had to conduct five Hatha yoga poses three times per week. The remaining group was instructed to stay away from smoking and drinking, but they should also avoid doing exercise. Before the experiment commenced, the researchers measured the lung volume and the lung expansion of the volunteers. The researchers also took the measurement after the end of the study. The development of the chest wall supports individuals to breathe fresh air and deliver it to the linings of the lungs.

 

The Result of the Study

 

After the study, the researchers found out that the group who performed short-term yoga sessions had immensely enhanced the expansion of their chest walls. They also improved their FEV-25%, FEV 1, and on their FVC. FEV1 is the capacity of the person to blow out forcibly in a matter of one second. It is one of the most critical factors of your lung function. FEV-25%, on the other hand, refers to the average speed of air that is being expelled out of our lungs in the middle of the respiratory process. FVC is the total amount of air that a person can release after a complete inhalation. Currently, the reason behind this improvement is still unknown; some of them believed that it is due to the strengthening of the expiratory muscles, while others assumed that it is because of the cleared obstruction.

 

Other Benefits of Yoga

 

Aside from the capacity of yoga to develop your respiratory muscles, you may also practice asana to reverse some changes in your body caused by scoliosis, injuries, physical habit, and aging, which negatively impact your breathing. Some asanas target a particular respiratory problem. For instance, if you have a problem with your thoracic spine, back bending poses will add dynamic and reduce the rounding of that spine. The weaker chest muscles can also be fortified by practicing yoga asanas.

 

Your breathing can also be affected by unhealthy breathing patterns, which the tensions in the abdominal muscles may cause. By practicing conscious breathing and paying extra attention to the motion of your belly and chest, you will be able to understand your unique breathing pattern and identify possible problems related to your respiratory system. There are also breathing practices that calm your nerves and decrease your stress level, which will contribute to your respiratory function.