What technique involves closing the lips while inhaling through the nose and exhaling through pursed lips to assist someone with asthma?

The technique described involves inhaling through the nose while keeping the lips closed and then exhaling through pursed lips. This method is known as pursed lips breathing. It is particularly beneficial for individuals with asthma as it helps to regulate breathing patterns, promotes relaxation, and can aid in preventing airway collapse during exhalation.

The action of pursing the lips creates a slight resistance to the airflow, allowing for a prolonged exhalation, which helps to empty the lungs more effectively and improve overall ventilation. This technique encourages deeper, slower breaths, which can help alleviate feelings of breathlessness often experienced during an asthma attack.

Other techniques mentioned, such as diaphragmatic breathing, abdominal breathing, and chest expansion breathing, focus on different aspects of the breathing process or muscle engagement but do not specifically involve the combination of nasal inhalation and pursed-lip exhalation that characterizes pursed lips breathing.