Yoga, the ancient Indian healing therapy, puts a lot of emphasis on breathing. The driving force behind this wellness therapy is that breath or ‘prana’ is the life force that controls our life. There are a lot of asanas in yoga that boosts lungs improves respiratory function. If you practice these asanas daily, you will see a marked improvement in the way you breathe. These exercises will also make your chest muscles strong, increase lung capacity and boost oxygen intake. Here are two asanas that you can try.
Trikonasana
This enables easy flow of air to the lungs. Trikonasana also opens and expands your chest cavity and it gives a good massage to your internal organs.
How to do it: Stand straight with your your legs three feet apart. Your right foot must be at a 90 degrees angle and left foot at 15 degrees. Center of your right heel must be aligned with the center of the arch of the left foot. Inhale deeply and while exhaling, bend your body to the right from below your hips. At the same time, lift your left hand up and touch the ground with your right hand. Both arms must be in a straight line. Place your right hand on your ankle or outside the right foot on the floor. Repeat on the other side.
Nadi Shodhan Pranayama
This helps you to de-stress. It improves lung function in asthma patients.
How to do it: Sit comfortably with your spine straight and shoulders relaxed. Put your left hand on the left knee with palms facing up. Place the tip of the index finger and middle finger of the right hand in between the eyebrows, the ring finger and little finger on the left nostril and the thumb on the right nostril. Close the right nostril with your thumb and exhale gently through the left nostril. Now keeping the right nostril closed inhale through the left nostril and then press the left nostril gently with the ring finger and little finger. Remove the right thumb from the right nostril and breathe out from the right. Breathe in from the right nostril and exhale from the left. Continue inhaling and exhaling from alternate nostrils.