Physical Education · Ch 3 — Yoga as Preventive Measure for Lifestyle Disease
Dhanurasana
Dhanurasana
This asana is described in full in section 3.1.8 (Dhanurasana) above - its procedure, breathing awareness, benefits and contraindications are the same wherever it is practised. The CBSE Class 12 Physical Education syllabus lists Dhanurasana again here because it is one of the asanas recommended for this specific lifestyle disease; refer to section 3.1.8 for the complete method and the posture diagram.
Why Dhanurasana helps manage asthma
The simultaneous lift of the head, chest and legs in Dhanurasana creates one continuous arch along the whole front of the body, giving a deeper chest expansion than most other back-bends in the syllabus. This full-body opening stretches the respiratory muscles, including the diaphragm's anchor points along the lower ribs, and is held together with slow, deep breathing, training exactly the controlled, full-capacity breath that asthma management depends on.
Specific benefits for a person managing asthma
- Expands the chest and ribcage fully, increasing the volume of air the lungs can take in.
- Builds back and shoulder strength that supports a more open resting posture.
- Trains slow, deep breathing under physical load, which carries over into calmer breathing during daily activity.
- Works well alongside Ushtrasana and Matsyasana as a set of back-bending, chest-opening asanas for asthma.