The Respiratory System, Aging, and Yoga

by Baxter and Nina

Grasses in the Mist by Marie Lossky

It’s very easy to take your breath for granted—after all, it is the first action that states to the world you have arrived, with the cry you make as you take your very first breath. And once your breath gets going, you usually don’t have to give it any conscious thought for most of your life. Yet, as with all systems of the body, the respiratory system undergoes age-related changes to its various components, such as tissues, tubes, muscles and joints, affecting how efficiently they do their jobs. These changes can decrease your capacity both to take in oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. And a decreased capacity to breathe gradually reduces your ability to physically exert yourself—whether that is on the tennis court or climbing a long flight of stairs—causing shortness of breath and decreasing your overall endurance.

You can use both asanas and breath practices to maintain the health of your respiratory system overall. In general, asanas that move your spine in all directions of movement, and that stretch and strengthen the muscles all around your upper torso, will help support your respiratory system. And practice breath practices that lengthen your inhalation and exhalation, such as gradual lengthening of equal breath, or that include rapid inhalations and exhalations, like Skull Shining breath, can also help.

Airways. With age, the elastic quality of your airways gradually declines, reducing the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide in and out of your lungs. This will eventually lower the amounts of oxygen in your blood needed for fuel. In the larger airways, the small hairs that move mucus and small particles up towards your mouth so you can cough or spit them out start to work less effectively. Plus, the nerves in the airways that trigger the cough reflex become less sensitive to smoke, bacteria, and viruses. The combination of these two changes in your larger airways increases your risk of developing respiratory infections or damage to your lungs.

By practicing poses that move your neck and upper spine in all their directions of movement, you can use your asana practice to maintain flexibility and movement in your airways. And the breath practices that foster health of your respiratory system will all have a beneficial effect on your airways.

Lungs. After the age of 25 or so, the ability of your lungs to function gradually declines. In general, exchange of gases between the air and blood stream happens less efficiently and provides reduced immune functioning. As the elastic tissue deteriorates, this reduces the ability of your lungs to fill and empty, reducing the size of your largest breath, and moves the air in and out more slowly. To support the functioning of your lungs, focus on breath practices that lengthen your exhalations and inhalations.

Respiratory Muscles and Diaphragm. Age-related changes in the muscles that enable you to breathe, including the muscles that support your ribs (intercostal muscles) and your respiratory diaphragm, can make the muscles weaker and smaller. This reduces your capacity to take full inhalations and exhalations, as well as your ability to breathe quickly. These changes can also contribute to poor coughing, which, along with changes in your large airways, increases your risk of respiratory infections. By practicing yoga poses that address your respiratory muscles, including forward bends, backbends, sidebends, and spinal twists, you can help maintain their strength. Breath practices that lengthen your inhalations and exhalations can also help strengthen your diaphragm and intercostal muscles.

Chest Cavity. Age-related changes to bones, fascia and ligaments of your chest wall, such as arthritis in joints of chest and osteoporosis of ribs and vertebrae, and thoracic spine deformities, such as kyphosis, and scoliosis, can lead to stiffness of the chest wall, leading to increased work of breathing. Combined with age-related changes to lung tissue and the muscles of breathing, this reduces the amount of air you can inhale and exhale. You can improve mobility and strength in your chest cavity by practicing yoga poses that stretch and strengthen the muscles all around the upper torso. To keep the bones of your spine strong and prevent fractures that could limit chest movement, focus on doing static holds of poses that take your spine in all directions of movement (see Strength Building: How Long to Hold Poses). To increase the amount of air you can inhale and exhale, try practicing gradual lengthening of equal breath.

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