Meta Hirschl demonstrates supported seated forward fold. (Journal photo by Marla Brose)

When Meta Hirschl was diagnosed with asthma and told she’d need pills and inhalers for the rest of her life, she fought back.

“I refused to accept that diagnosis,” says Hirschl, who now — more than two decades later — is the owner of YogaNow in Downtown Albuquerque and has managed to get her asthma under control without relying on medications.

She was 32 years old and had recently given birth to her first child in New York in 1988 when asthma first struck. The medication was expensive and made her feel jittery. She also developed a serious reaction to aspirin, was hospitalized twice and suffered from sinusitis that left her with no sense of smell for 15 years.

She embarked on a search for a different way to live, and after years of research and experimentation — with everything from macrobiotics to participating in a National Institutes of Health medical study — she developed what she calls the nine-mode approach to asthma, relying heavily on yoga principles.

“It’s a whole lifestyle,” she says. “I believe most people can really have robust health, but they have to work at it.”

Hirschl took her first yoga class in 1978 but was drawn back to the practice as she struggled with the asthma. She has since written a book, “Vital Yoga: A Sourcebook for Students and Teacher,” and opened the YogaNow studio.

Her nine-mode method includes yoga breath practice as well as yoga poses, chanting and meditation. But it also includes regular measurement of lung capacity, a good diet, eliminating environmental pollutants, aerobic exercise and regular check-ups with a doctor.

“It’s not just ‘here are six poses for asthma,’” Hirschl says. “That’s irresponsible. Asthma is too serious. It’s a life-threatening disease.”

Lots of merit

Dr. Roderick McVeety, medical director of urgent care for ABQ Health Partners, says Hirschl’s program has lots of merit.

“All those things that she is talking about are wonderful,” he says. “There are so many things that a person can do for themselves. I really like that.”

Medical studies have shown that yoga, including poses, breathing techniques and meditation, can improve asthma symptoms.

McVeety’s only criticism was that the nine-mode method might not be practical for busy, modern families.

Hirschl, who has two grown daughters, says many of the practices don’t need to take a lot of time. Even five minutes of meditation a day can be beneficial, for example, she says.

Eighty-four-year-old Wyatt H. Heard, who recently moved to Houston, says Hirschl’s method helped ease his fibrosis, a lung restriction.

“It certainly did help my breathing,” he says “There’s no question.”

Hirschl will teach a workshop on her nine-mode method June 26. Call 232-4717 for information.

The modes are:

Measuring lung function: Hirschl recommends regularly using a peak flow meter to measure lung function, something the American Lung Association also suggests.

It is a good tool to help asthma sufferers know when they aren’t doing well even if they don’t experience symptoms, such as wheezing, so that they can increase their medication or take other measures, McVeety says.

“It’s really important for people to be aware of their own lung disease,” he says, adding that allergies, family stress or being around smokers at a party can affect lung function.

Yoga breath practices: One thing Hirschl recommends is developing the use of retention at the end of the exhale, a natural bronchodilator.

Again, McVeety says breathing exercises can be very beneficial, particularly nasal breathing because nasal passages filter and warm air, making it less harsh for the lungs.

Yoga poses: Certain poses can help open the body and build strength, flexibility and lung capacity.

Yoga meditation: During an asthma attack, fear can take hold of the mind and actually exacerbate physical symptoms.

Meditation practice can allow people to watch their breath rise and fall while being aware of the experience but maintaining some distance that lets them know “we are more than that asthma.”

“Then when it gets difficult (to breathe), you’re able to maintain some calm,” Hirschl says.

Yoga chanting: Hirschl says chanting isn’t for everyone, but asthma sufferers often are willing to try anything.

“It creates a vibrational experience in the body,” she says. “You’ll again find this sense of ease and relaxation and calm.”

Nutritional choices: A healthy diet and the possible elimination or reduction of foods that can contribute to asthma, such as gluten and dairy, can help.

Physician support: Hirschl advocates regular check-ups with a doctor.

“I’m in no way cutting out the medical world here. It has to be a partnership,” Hirschl says, but added that over time, people can stop or reduce their use of medications.

Environmental analysis: The number of people affected by asthma has been increasing, and air pollution is one cause. Hirschl suggests evaluating indoor and outdoor pollutants that might be asthma irritants and eliminating as many as possible, even to the point of protesting a proposed new incinerator in the neighborhood.

“I think the asthmatic is the proverbial canary in the coal mine,” she says.

Aerobic fitness: Hirschl says she was really impressed when she met Olympic athlete and asthma sufferer Jackie Joyner-Kersee, who said, “Think of the lungs as a muscle and use them.” Even people with asthma should do aerobic exercise as they are able, Hirschl says.

The nine-mode method has worked for Hirschl. She has gone from being debilitated by asthma, even experiencing the feeling of drowning or thinking she was going to die, to an active life without the need for a lot of medication.

Recently, she hiked the Grand Canyon for the fourth time. “I came up the steepest hill,” she says. “I did it without any pain whatsoever, no inhaler. That’s robust health.”