
With high pollution levels everywhere, it has become to find fresh oxygen. This in turn has given rise to numerous breathing problems like lung diseases, acute bronchitis, and asthma. One of these is COPD, short for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, which makes it hard for you to breathe. Luckily, you have the ancient art of yoga that helps you recover from this health issue. You can enroll in a certified yoga school and learn the best yoga asanas to deal with this health problem.
COPD is an inflammatory lung disease that causes obstructions in the airflow from your lungs. Moreover, if you suffer from COPD, you are at a high risk of developing heart disease, lung cancer, and a host of other medical conditions. The worst part about this lung disease is without proper treatment it gets worse with time. With a little management, you can improve quality of your life.
But, before we move further, let us check out the symptoms of this chronic health condition.
Symptoms Of COPD
Keep in mind, the symptoms of COPD do not make an appearance until there is too much damage to your lungs. Moreover, these get worse especially if you have developed a habit of smoking.
Given below are the signs and symptoms of this lung health problem;
- Shortness of breathing during physical activities
- Chest tightness
- Wheezing
- Lack of energy
- Swelling in ankles, feet, or legs
- Respiratory infections
- Sudden weight loss
- Chronic cough with mucus that is either yellow, clear white, or greenish
However, that is not all. You are at an increased risk of developing COPD due to some other factors too. Yoga experts have come up with a list of risk factors that increase your risk of developing this chronic lung disease.
Risk Factors For COPD
Given below are the risk factors that can put you at an increased risk of COPD.
1. Exposure To Tobacco Smoke
A significant factor behind COPD is cigarette smoking. The more you smoke over a period of time, the greater the risk is. Yoga experts recommend you give up smoking and resort to a clean diet which is free of all intoxicants.
2. Asthma
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory airway disease which is a major risk factor behind COPD. You should learn the best yoga asanas to improve your lung capacity and stay away from this problem.
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3. Exposure To Fumes From Burning Fuel
This is most commonly found in developing nations where cooking and heating of fuel takes place in poorly ventilated homes.
However, you might ask;
How Can Yoga Help Me Deal With COPD?
Yoga is a meditative practice that originated in India. This ancient art focuses on uniting your mind and body using asanas and Pranayama. If you suffer from COPD, yoga can help you get back your lungs strength.
With that said, given below are three major benefits of yoga to help you treat COPD.
1. Improved Breath Control
Yogic breathing techniques improve your breathing control. Yoga experts recommend you should practice diaphragmatic breathing to learn the proper technique of using diaphragm. In the long run, this helps you inhale and exhale more air.
2. Improved Exercise Tolerance
Having COPD makes it harder for you to enjoy physical activity. However, on the other hand, a lack of exercise weakens your muscles and worsens the lung problem. Luckily, you can learn and practice the best yoga asanas to take care of this issue.
3. Strengthens Respiratory Muscles
When you start practicing the yoga asanas, it improves your breathing providing your respiratory muscles more power. Daily yoga practice increases movement and flexibility in the chest, which stretches these muscles and expands your breathing capacity.
However, for you to improve breathing capacity and get rid of COPD, you must practice the right yoga asanas. Yoga experts have come up with a list of yoga asanas to help you with this.
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Best Yoga Asanas To Deal With COPD
Given below are three of the best yoga asanas to help you deal with COPD.
1. Sukhasana (Cross-Legged Sitting Pose)
An effective yoga asana to handle lung anomalies. This yoga pose provides your lungs with fresh blood, which removes all toxins from the lung muscles. It also helps you deal with many respiratory problems as well as cough and cold.
2. Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)
Cobra Pose not just improves your mental health but also gives the muscles of your chest and lungs a good stretch. It is one of the best yoga asanas to help you get rid of asthmatic symptoms.
3. Padma Sarvangasana (Lotus Shoulder Pose)
Lotus Shoulder Pose is an excellent yoga asana for expanding your chest and allowing more air to reach your lungs without any problems. This yoga pose also massages your internal organs which helps in removing all toxins from your body.
Conclusion
COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) is a severe breathing problem and without proper treatment, it only gets worse. However, you should enroll in a certified yoga school and learn the best yoga asanas to deal with this issue.
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