Curing Athsma through Yoga Part Two

Sandra is a quiet girl. I to have to pry the information from her. "How is your asthma?"

She shrugs her shoulders. "Fine."

"What do you mean your asthma is fine?"

"Yoga has helped me. I am down to squirting from one inhalator a day. I don't use the stronger one at all anymore."

"When do you squirt it? I asked.

"Before I go to sleep."

It was during savasana one night when all my students were dutifully concentration on breathing, that I leaned over Sandra. "Why do you use that inhalator?" I whispered.

"I'm afraid of not breathing at night." She whispered back.

All of a sudden I had an idea. "Have you ever tried holding your breath for a short time?"

I told her to inhale, and hold her breath, two seconds--kumbaka. This would clean out the air sacs of her lungs, clean out the memories of her little sister dying, give her the feeling she was in control and ease her fear about not breathing. Kumbaka is supposed to be the secret of long life, mental health and longevity. Soon she could hold her breath 15 seconds. Sandra was thrilled with her accomplishment.

"See? Not breathing a little bit is not frightening. When you go to bed, think of this." I told her.

Wanting to cure herself of asthma, every night before she went to bed, not only did she do deep breathing from her belly, she increased her breath retention to 25 seconds. And you know what?

Just last week, six months after she began Yoga, Sandra stopped using an inhator altogether! Better than that, Sandra is cured of asthma!