Coronavirus In India: 5 Breathing Exercises To Improve Your Lung Power Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

Amid a steep rise in the number of daily coronavirus cases which is affecting the lungs of the patients, here are 5 Breathing Exercises that you should do to keep your respiratory system healthy and fit

The novel coronavirus which has swept the whole world is still causing havoc in India. With daily active cases crossing 4L for the past few days, the country is fighting its biggest healthcare battle against COVID-19. The second wave of coronavirus which has turned ferocious can have serious effects on several organs and one of the most vulnerable parts of the body is the lungs. The coronavirus can infect the upper or lower part of your respiratory tract causing major lung issues. When the virus enters your body it reaches the airways causes irritation and inflammation thus it is very important for everyone to be even more vigilant, while staying at home and keeping each one of us healthy and fit. While eating right and exercising ensures our bodies and minds stay fit, it is also important to strengthen our respiratory system -- as that is also severely affected by the virus. How can you strengthen your respiratory system? By doing simple yet effective breathing exercises.

Breathing exercises are a great way to develop the lungs as they improve lung muscles, clear out any secretion and increase the capacity by supplying an adequate amount of oxygen. There are several other benefits to these exercises as well! It also helps us stay calmer, and de-stress especially in these unprecedented times we are living in. To get started, here are five breathing exercises you can do at any time of the day and in any comfortable space.

Deep Breathing With Increasing Counts: Breath-In And Breath-Out

This is one of the easiest and most important exercises. It helps in strengthening our lungs and improving blood flow, immunity and eliminating stress and anxiety.

Steps:

1. Sit down in a relaxed position, take a deep breath and count your inhalation and exhalation. Ideally, your inhalation and exhalation counts should be the same.
2. With each breath increase the count to inhale and exhale for as long as comfortable.Practise from 2 to 5 minutes duration.

Diaphragmatic Breathing

Also known as belly breathing, or abdominal breathing, this particular exercise has various benefits such as managing irritable bowel syndrome, depression, anxiety and insomnia. Normally people get in the habit of breathing without fully utilising the lower part of their lungs. With this breathing technique, you consciously practise filling in lungs to their maximum capacity and increasing oxygen uptake.

Steps:

1. Lie flat on the floor or sit in a comfortable position and relax your shoulders
2. Put one hand below your chest and just above your stomach (this is where your diaphragm sits)
3. Take a deep breath in by expanding your diaphragm or stomach and exhale slowly.

Cardiovascular exercise

The benefit of any cardiovascular exercises is that it increases your heart rate which forces the respiratory system to become more efficient and eventually increases the amount of oxygen you take with each breath. This allows your lungs to improve capacity and function better. Here are some of the most common cardiovascular exercises that you can do from the comfort of your home: are brisk walking, spot jogging, jumping rope, jumping jacks and climbing staircase.

Anulom-Vilom

More commonly known as alternate nostril breathing, it is a prevalent Pranayama and has been spoken about in the Hatha Yoga literature. This exercise helps clear out the nasal passage and improves respiratory muscle strength. It is advised that Anulom-vilom should be practised on an empty stomach ideally in the morning or in the evening after a long meal gap.

Steps:

1. Sit on a chair or on the ground cross-legged, in a meditation position
2. With your right thumb, close your right nostril and inhale through the left nostril. Release your right nostril and with your middle and ring finger, close your left nostril exhaling through the right nostril
3. Inhale through the right nostril, then release the fingers, closing the right nostril and exhaling through the left nostril
4. Continue the slow breathing through alternate nostrils and focus on the breath
5. Practise this for 10 minutes for benefits to start accruing

Bhramari

Derived from Sanskrit, brahmari literally means a bee. It is a humming exercise, which increases nitric oxide in the body and acts as vasodilators; helps with easier blood flow through the vessels and prevents muscles from tightening.

Steps:

1. Sit on a chair or on the ground cross-legged, in a meditation position
2. Close your ears using your thumb and place your middle and ring fingers lightly at the inner corner of your eyes.
3. Rest your index finger above your eyebrows and little finger where it rests on your cheeks
4. Take a deep breath in and while exhaling make a soft humming sound similar to 'hmmm, throughout the entire exhalation. Inhale again and while exhaling make the humming sound
5. Practise for 10 minutes for benefits to start accruing.

These exercises won't help prevent Covid, however, if performed daily, they will help in developing a stronger respiratory system which can help our body to fight any possible infection. Having said that, if you or your family members have any pre-existing health conditions or are feeling any discomfort, please do consult with your doctor.