Making sense of asthma, caugh and lung problems
- Jan 1
- 3 min read
Ayurveda looks at respiratory issues with a very different lens than the usual “lungs vs air” logic. We asks:
What is happening in the whole system that makes the lungs react this way?
Because in many cases, the lungs are not the origin. They’re the stage where the imbalance finally expresses itself.
Not every breathing difficulty means asthma
A temporary shortness of breath can happen for many reasons: infection, anxiety, cold air, mucus, irritants, post-viral sensitivity, even a weak recovery state after stress.
I would not rush to label every breath issue as asthma. At the same time, I was trained that Ayurveda is very good at recognizing when patterns are forming - and how breathing problems can escalate into something more chronic when the terrain in the body stays the same.
Asthma rarely comes alone
One of the most overlooked aspects of asthma is how often it’s linked with other disorders. In the Ayurvedic clinical view, asthma can be connected to:
eczema or other skin patterns
digestive issues (bloating, heaviness, poor appetite, sluggish elimination)
recurring sinus congestion
fatigue and low resilience
emotional storage in the chest
If you’ve ever wondered why someone can “treat the lungs” for years, yet symptoms keep returning - this is one reason why.
The lungs are part of a bigger network of channels (srotas). If the root pattern is elsewhere, the body will keep expressing the same story through different tissues.
The chest is Kapha’s home… And an emotional home too
Ayurveda associates Kapha with the chest, and not just physically.
Kapha governs structure, lubrication, protection, and stability. In the lungs, this shows up as mucus production, protective lining, and the body’s ability to buffer irritation.
But Kapha is also connected to emotional holding. Many traditions describe the chest as the seat of love, grief, attachment, softness, and vulnerability - or the “heart chakra.”
Whether you view that energetically or symbolically, the observation remains: respiratory patterns often have an emotional component, especially when they’re chronic.
Some people notice it as:
tightness during stress
symptoms worsening around grief, pressure, or conflict
shallow breathing when feeling unsafe
a long-term sense of “holding” in the chest
I would never reduce asthma to “it’s in your head.” But I won't ignore the emotional aspect either.
Ayurveda is more detailed than “one asthma”
In Ayurveda, what we call “asthma” is not one single uniform condition. There are multiple types and stages, each with different causative factors and internal dynamics. That means two people can both be diagnosed with asthma, but one is dealing with a mucus-dominant obstruction pattern, while another has a dry, spasm-like, Vata-driven pattern - and their triggers, progressions, and needs are not the same.
This is why Ayurveda emphasizes assessment over labels.
Samprapti: how the imbalance develops
A simplified version looks like this:
Exposure to one or more causative factors →
Kapha and Vata become aggravated (especially when Kapha increases in a Vata zone and obstructs movement) →
Vata’s flow becomes disturbed (often described as Samana Vata being obstructed due to increased Kapha) →
Ama forms - Ama thickens and is deposited in the respiratory channels →
Breath becomes restricted, reactive, inflamed, and easily triggered.
Even though asthma is classically discussed as Kapha–Vata dominant, Ayurveda recognizes that Pitta is often involved too, especially when inflammation is strong.
So the picture becomes:
Kapha: produces mucus, thickness, heaviness, blockage (even thickening in the bronchial walls)
Vata: governs movement and breath; when obstructed, it becomes erratic and spasmodic, dislodging and shifting material
Pitta: governs heat and inflammation; when aggravated, it intensifies irritation in the lungs
This is also why some Ayurvedic frameworks caution against Pitta-aggravating inputs during acute flare states - because heat can amplify inflammation in already sensitive tissue.
Let's focus on the root cause
Inhalers can be life-saving and absolutely necessary - and as practitioners, we never ask someone to stop inhalers cold turkey.
But Ayurveda also observes something important: many conventional tools focus on immediate airway relief and inflammation control (which can be essential), while not always addressing the deeper terrain that keeps producing the pattern.
When we understand your personal pattern, we can finally stop guessing and start working with your body’s logic.
If you’re tired of managing the surface and you want to explore what’s underneath, I invite you to work with me 1:1. I’ll help you decode your unique constitution, identify the real drivers behind your respiratory pattern, and create a personalized plan that supports your body long term alongside your medical care.
