ABSTRACT
‘Yoga’ is a popular term around the globe today. Its meaning and usage varies widely based on the location, set up, as well as the instructors and students. In the recent decades, yoga techniques have been practiced by millions across the world. Due to globalization and socioeconomic factors, Yoga has been highly commercialized and modified accordingly. Yoga techniques are meant to develop mastery over the modifications of the mind as defined by Patanjali. Regular long term practice of one or more of these techniques results in this mastery by reducing the surges of habituated responses to stressful situations of life that triggers the psycho-neuroimmunological excitation. Several studies on the effect of different types of physiotherapy based breathing exercises have been published. Butyeko breathing was able to reduce symptoms and use of bronchodilators, but there was no significant improvement in lung function tests, bronchial hyper-responsiveness or reduction in inhaled steroid use.
