Breathing to relax:
 | Sit in a chair and lean forward, keeping your back straight. Put your arms on your knees so your shoulders drop |
| Breathe in through your nose then breathe out slowly through your chest while you breath |
Using your diaphragm to breathe:
| Hold your hand against your stomach |
| Breathe in and feel your stomach push out against your hand |
| Breathe out and feel your stomach go down |
*These exercises can be tried with lips held in a whistling position. For some individuals, this can be more effective
Breathing exercises can be helpful when an Asthma attack begins. Breathing exercises provide a form of relaxation that can be of benefit to some patients during an asthma attack. However, it would be a mistake to rely on breathing exercises alone to control an asthma flare. Breathing exercises are meant to supplement, not to replace, the medications prescribed by your doctor. As always, if your asthma medications do not seem to be controlling your asthma symptoms, you should contact your doctor early on. As long as this rule is not broken, breathing exercises are fine for those patients who find them of benefit.
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