Asthma attacks may last for a few minutes or for hours or days. During an attack, the air passages on the way to the lungs tighten and become inflamed while the smooth muscle of the bronchioles contracts, reducing the diameter of the airways.

Air moving in and out of the lungs becomes constricted, making it difficult to breathe. Not only do the body cells not get enough oxygen, but excess carbon dioxide remains in the body. As there is no supporting cartilage, the muscle spasms can potentially close off the airways, inducing a life-threatening situation.

Affecting between 100 and 150 million people world wide, asthma is found among people of all age groups, but mostly in young children. The majority of absentee slips in schools relate to asthma. In the 1995 National Health Survey (NHS) it was estimated that more than two million Australians had asthma and prevalence rates were highest among five to 14-year-olds.

The number of people who suffer from asthma has doubled in Australia during the last 20 years and, although the risk of dying from asthma is low and continues to decline, asthma is an increasing concern.

The Western approach

An asthmatic episode features persistent cough, recurrent episodes of dyspnoea (shortness of breath or laboured breathing), wheezing, tightness of the chest and a loss of energy due to excessive exertion on inhalation.

According to Western medicine, any of the following, either in combination or on their own, can result in inflamed respiratory airways and cause or trigger asthma:

Genetic factors

• Exposure to allergens (eg house dust mites, animal dander, moulds, pollen, flowers, grass, cockroaches, latex, food additives, soap powders, tobacco smoke and medications)
• Weather conditions (eg cold air in winter and rainy seasons)
• Environmental irritants such as air-conditioning
• Exercise
• Psychological issues (asthma often develops after an experience of loss, rejection or major threat to one’s personal security; eg, the loss of a loved one)
• Constipation (a common complaint among asthmatics which either leads to or exacerbates their condition).

Feeling desperate and helpless, asthmatics frequently come to rely heavily on medication. So far, Australia’s commonest approach to asthma has been the use of orthodox medications.

Treating symptoms this way is a temporary solution and medications often have negative side-effects. Inhaling steroids can cause yeast infections in the mouth, cataracts in the eyes and brittleness of the bones. So, rather than form a dependence on medication and drugs, how can you empower yourself?

Yoga for asthmatics

In Chinese medicine, asthma is seen to be the result of phlegm (a by-product of a weak lung, spleen or kidneys). Similarly, in Ayurveda, asthma is considered to be essentially a kapha (mucous element) syndrome.

Although exercise can actually trigger asthma, asthmatics needn’t avoid exercise but must approach it with awareness and sensitivity, seeking professional advice before they undertake any program.

Whereas more strenuous forms of exercise may open up the airways too suddenly and worsen the problem, yoga, performed gently and mindfully, with awareness on the breath, opens up the airways to the lungs slowly and gradually.

As mental tension and asthma are interlinked, an asthmatic who learns to keep his mind relaxed can reduce the frequency and severity of attacks. This is why yoga, breathing techniques and meditation practices are so beneficial.

The yogic practice of neti kriya is highly recommended for asthmatics to help develop resistance against allergens and clears mucus from the system. Neti kriya involves pouring warm salt water into each nostril with the use of a spouted pot and should be practised, on an empty stomach, before yoga asanas. It’s important to learn this practice under the guidance of a trained yoga teacher.