Tuberculosis is one of the world's deadliest illnesses, even if it is largely forgotten in America. More than 2 million people worldwide die from the disease every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
There are many yoga breathing styles out there for you to choose from, but one thing that many of them have in common is that they can help you brace your body with energizing oxygen. This is one reason why yoga breathing exercises are so popular. They may also contribute to better pulmonary health.
Breathing deeply, slowly and rhythmically has been shown to improve the lungs, whose increased air capacity can in turn benefit the entire body. Many Dahn Yoga teachers, for example, emphasize that breathing shallowly can predispose you to tiredness, inertia or even anxiety.
On the other hand, taking gentle, deep breaths can put you in optimal condition, since it may help equalize your blood pressure and lower your heart rate.
The benefits of yoga-based breathing techniques are available to more than just healthy people. Individuals with lung disorders can also see improvements after doing specially designed yoga, mindfulness meditation and breathing exercises.
For instance, a study published in the journal Respirology found that yoga and breath awareness each improved the symptoms of pulmonary tuberculosis, when combined with a traditional medicinal regimen.
Tuberculosis is one of the world's deadliest illnesses, even if it is largely forgotten in America. More than 2 million people worldwide die from the disease every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Scientists at the Vivekananda Yoga Research Foundation in Bangalore, India, asked 73 participants with tuberculosis to take yoga- or breathing-based therapy classes.
After two months, individuals in both groups saw a decrease in symptoms, an increase in body weight and improvements in sputum cultures and chest X-ray diagnoses, all of which indicated moderate gains in pulmonary health and function.
With long-term medical treatment, tuberculosis is often curable, the National Institutes of Health states.
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Tags: pulmonary tuberculosis, yoga breathing exercises, yoga breathing styles
