Effect of specific yoga mudras on respiratory efficiency in asthma patients

Introduction: Hastha Mudras involves hand gestures. The pressure exerted by the fingertips stimulates the peripheral nerve endings. This in turn sends signals to the central nervous system to bring about the specific response by modulating the autonomic nervous system, depending on the type of mudra performed. The effect of mudras in improving cardiovascular and neurological parameters was recorded in previous studies. The present study was done to find out the efficiency of lung specific mudras in improving respiratory parameters in stable asthmatics. Materials and Methods: 50 Asthma patients in the age group of 20- 50years were divided randomly into study group (n=25) who practiced mudras for 30 minutes and control group (n=25) who did not do the intervention. Respiratory efficiency tests were measured before and after 30 minutes using peak flow meter, and mercury sphygmomanometer. The tests include Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR), Breath Holding Time (BHT), Sniders Test (ST), Expiratory Blast Test (EBT) and Respiratory Endurance Test (RET). Results: Statistically significant improvement was seen in all the parameters except for sniders test. Control group showed no significant change. Conclusion: Lung specific mudras could improve the respiratory function in asthma patients when practiced along with focused breathing. Keywords: Mudras, Asthma, Respiratory efficiency.