Breathing problems of any kind, whether shortness of breath, obstruction in the throat, breathlessness, or difficulty in breathing can occur due to a number of reasons. But, if they are not caused due to a specific disease such as asthma, bronchitis or other lung problems, they could be stress related. Also, respiratory problems are on the increase in an environment filled with pollutants.
Yoga is an effective way to harmonize and balance your whole system, its exercise, breathing and meditation routine helps to cleanse the system, ensure proper blood circulation, remove obstructions in the nervous system and calm the mind. All this should certainly help in breathing smoothly and in the case of tension and panic related breathing difficulties.

For you to breathe normally, your brain, heart, lungs and respiratory muscles and airway must all must work properly in tandem. A problem with any of these can cause breathing difficulties. Yoga teaches proper breathing techniques which make full use of the lungs. These techniques also help in regulating the temperature of the breath flow which helps to resolve any breathing problems.

Benefits Of Breathing Techniques

These exercises can be performed in any sitting yoga posture. In the elementary form, you should practice inhaling fully through one nostril and filling the abdomen with air and exhaling through the other nostril while compressing your diaphragm. This exercise clears all the channels in your nostrils. There are other breathing exercises such as Complete Breath and Bellows Breath, which should be done regularly. The Rapid Breathing exercise or Breath of Fire is particularly useful though it should be learned from an expert. In this exercise, inhalation and exhalation is done forcefully and quickly, thereby giving the cells, nerves and muscles a violent tremor. It clears the skull, the respiratory system and the nasal cavities. It removes accumulated phlegm and supplies plenty of oxygen to the air pores in the lungs. It purifies the blood by drawing out carbon dioxide from the system. It tones the heart and activates the respiratory system, circulatory system and the digestive system.

There are certain yoga poses that improve the condition of internal organs that aid regular flow of breath. For example, the Half Tortoise Pose curves indigestion and stretches the lower part of the lungs and increases blood circulation to the brain. The Bow Pose and Camel Pose open up the ribcage and give more space to the lungs.

Some of the above poses also aid relaxation which is necessary for you to feel calm and breathe deeply and comfortably. These are the Half Tortoise Pose and the Camel Pose which releases emotional tension.

The practice of these postures and breathing exercises with meditation to calm your mind and focus on the present will definitely make you a stronger, happier person and help ease your breathing problems.