Short-term Yoga Training Expands Breathing and Lung Capacity

Hatha Yoga and Health

Young and healthy Thais who participated in just 18 short yoga sessions showed significant improvements on six of seven measures of respiratory function, according to research from Khon Kaen University.

"This research suggests that short-term yoga exercise improves respiratory breathing capacity by increasing chest wall expansion and forced expiratory lung volumes," said lead researcher Raoyrin Chanavirut. "These findings may benefit people suffering from illnesses that affect breathing, including asthma." The researchers chose five Hatha Yoga positions designed to improve chest wall function, including the cat, tree and camel positions.

*Paper presentation: "Yoga exercise increases chest wall expansion and lung volumes in young healthy Thais," will be presented at the Experimental Biology 2006 conference, April 1-5. The presentation will take place 12:45 p.m.-3 p.m., Tuesday, April 4, Airway Mechanics and Mechanotransduction in the Lung, 767.1/board #C676, and is on view 7:30 a.m.