Hi Stuart
Rehabilitation of the lungs is a real possibility when you stop smoking. But, to actually be able to breathe fully and deeply and to draw the breath deep into the lower parts of your lungs is a universal need (of all breathers, whether they smoke/d or not). Breathing needs practice and attention and yoga can give it to you. I imagine that your capacity to breathe as well as you would like, is limited at the moment. Any yoga practice will help you enormously. And the hot yoga is really going to make those changes for you even more quickly than in a regular unheated room. Also the fact that hot yoga has you practise in front of a mirror can greatly help. You focus will naturally be on the breath, but know too, that the way you hold your body, your posture and your yoga alignment in the poses will also give you a better foundation to a better and deeper breath.
So, yes, there is most definitely a solution to your problem in yoga! Go find yourself a class and let us know how you go.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂
