Yoga has many benefits, including its ability to promote natural breathing for people living with sleep apnea. Poses such as balasana (child’s pose) and bhujangasana (cobra pose), as well as breathing exercises like nadi shodhana (alternate nostril breathing), aid in relaxing the body, regulating the breath, and clearing the mind–all of which can translate to enhancing natural sleep.
Yoga is an ancient practice that exercises both the mind and the body. It consists of postures, movements, and breathing techniques that promote healthy living by calming the mind, strengthening the core, and encouraging mindfulness.
Can Yoga Reduce Sleep Apnea?
What are natural remedies for sleep apnea? Yoga is a great tool. A study by Kumar, Malhotra & Kumar shows yoga’s productivity in cases of sleep apnea. It concluded that yoga can be an effective and constructive alternative to physiotherapy for sleep apnea and snoring patients. Their experiment involved twenty-three patients who exhibited mild to moderate sleep apnea and had problems with snoring.
The group was given a set of yoga practices that involved the nose, throat, and face to complete each night for three months. The results recorded a clinical and statistically significant improvement in the sleep quality for the majority of the subjects, suggesting that yoga could be an approach to sleep apnea.
Yoga Exercises for Sleep Apnea
Just doing a couple of yoga poses each day–along with slow and mindful breathing–can help overcome sleep apnea. Here are some yoga exercises that you can try:
Balasana (Child’s Pose)
Balasana is one of the most basic yoga poses and it’s often taught to first-timers as the go-to pose whenever they feel like they need to rest at any point during their practice. This pose promotes relaxation and can help relieve tension from the spine all the way to the neck.
To do balasana, kneel on your mat and sit back on your heels. Extend your arms forward, lowering your chest towards the ground and take deep breaths.
Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)
Bhujangasana is another pose that provides some relief, especially for the front body. It stretches the chest, while strengthening the back, promoting better balance in the body.
To do bhujangasana, lie on your stomach, placing your hands with your palms face-down on the mat right under your shoulders. Lift your chest off the ground and take long breaths in and out. You can also twist your head left and right to move your spine.
Uttanasana (Standing Forward Fold)
Uttanasana is a simple forward bend that calms the mind and releases tension in the back body.
You can do this pose by standing with your feet hip-width apart and hinging your hips as you reach your arms towards the ground. You can keep the pose for up to a minute, repeating as needed.
Salamba Sarvangasana (Supported Shoulder Stand)
Salamba sarvangasana is an intermediate to advanced yoga pose that involves inverting your body (i.e. feet reaching the sky) while you support your weight on your shoulders. It may require some practice to do properly. However, once you nail it, it’s a good exercise to aid in blood circulation and lessen snoring.
Savasana (Corpse Pose)
Savasana is typically done at the end of a yoga session. You lie down flat on the floor, with your body fully relaxed. Next, focus on deep, rhythmic breathing to help calm your nervous system to get into a state of relaxation.
Yoga Breathing
Yoga is also about breathwork. Consistent deep breathing can be considered practice (pranayama) alone, but you can do:
- Kapalbhati: Short quick breaths
- Nadi shodhana: Alternate nostril breathing
- Om: Chanting that draws from energetic vibrations
More Natural Sleep Apnea Approaches
Yoga is just one natural approach to sleep apnea. For more ideas on how you can enhance your breathing naturally and approach problems like sleep apnea and inflammation, check out our guide or get access to our Sleep Apnea Solution book today!
