Author: Randeep Singh / go to all articles on Yoga cure
Yoga for lung capacity:
Each one of us suck in a certain volume of air with every inhale, and release the same volume on every exhale.
This volume of air taken in with each inhale is different for different people, and if directly proportional to the health of their lungs.
Check how much you; know your lungs. One of the parameters for determining the health of the lungs is its capacity. Simply put lung capacity means the volume of air one can intake during a normal inhalation.
Ideally human lung capacity is many times more than the air quantity we actually utilise in our body. The muscles of the lungs need to be strong enough to be able to suck in air to the full capacity or the volume of air lungs are capable of inhaling. The more air we can inhale the more oxygen reaches the blood leading to better health for each cell comprising the body.
What causes to decrease the lung capacity?
Apart from certain diseases like asthma, emphysema, and restrictive lung disease the capacity of the lungs is also affected by emotional & physical stress, negative thinking, all forms of fears, anger, and anxiety to a larger extent. Any form of fear or panicky sensations constrict the muscles of the chest inward as a safety response to any external threat. In case this situation is sustained for longer periods of time the muscles freeze into their shorter forms itself reducing the overall volume of the thoracic cavity.
This restricts the lungs from bulging to their maximum reducing their overall breathing capacity. One can easily learn to handle the emotional disturbances like anger and anxiety the constructive way in order to whittle their impact on the breathing capacity of the lungs.
How does Yoga benefit lungs?
Yoga exercises are good for lungs. Most of the Yoga postures stretch twist and extend the thoracic cavity to its maximum capacity. The forward bending asanas stretch the intercostal muscles ( muscles attached between two ribs) creating more space for the rib cage and the lungs to expand.
The yoga pranayama balance the prana in the whole body which calms the mind down. This creates a ripple effect of relaxation on all the major muscles of the body, thus releasing any tension in the chest as well. Calmer the mind is, fuller is each inhalation.
One of the benefits of practicing pranayamas is that their are the best workout for the muscles of the Lungs. One must follow the guidelines for enhancing the positives of pranayamas in order to benefit maximum from the same. The technique of reflecting on a day’s events is also known to calm the mind by inducing the ability to let go off anything one is holding to.
Yoga as a form of spiritualty in its pure form, as opposed to its adulterated versions being used for commercial purposes, can help solve most of the problems of human life.
Yoga Poses for Lungs and Breathing
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