Let’s face it, at some point or another we all have been told, ‘relax, just take a deep breath’. Oh and it helped…..said no one ever. BUT there IS reason why it would be helpful.
We’ve often heard, breath in the good breath out the bad, and well, technically that is exactly the exchange that is going on within our physiology every. single. moment. We breath in O2, and we are breathing out cO2. Breathing in alkaline, breathing out acidity. We are literally detoxifying our body with each breath. The very act of taking more oxygen in, changes and balances our body into its most balanced form. A delicate balance that is always teetering. There is a lot of talk about an alkalized diet, and while the jury is out on that one, what we do know is that healthful habits, ie whole foods, exercise, relaxation/meditation, all alkalize our body. SO what does that mean? Well in a nutshell, it means very simply that we are balancing the acid that is in our body. Don’t get me wrong, acid is crucial in our body systems for many things. Yes, you heard right. It has a bad rap but SO many things depend on our acids. However, in our modern standardized lifestyle and diet/ so many of us are participating in habits that constantly cause inflammation and far too much acid in our bodies. Be it alcohol, fast food, lack of sleep, oh yeah….stress. Yes, stress is wreaking havoc on your body. We engage in problematic breathing every time we enter the flight or fight mode of the sympathetic nervous system. Very useful when we are being chased by a lion, but not so much when we are chasing a deadline.
So the benefits of taking breaths, for the mind and body are irrefutable. It doesn’t matter what way you cut it, taking a moment, focusing on your breath, deep abdominal breaths, working out your lungs, your body and your mind is only going to provide you with a more healthful life. Sounds simple right. Yeah, it is. Crucial to our very life and yet we hardly give it a thought. Lets show it a little love to our lungs. And no this doesn’t mean you can counter your effects of a few glasses of wine with some deep breaths 😉 but, it certainly won’t hurt.
I’m grateful for my lungs. Did you know that for almost 10 years I smoked at least one pack a day?! Now I can run to my hearts content. I can sit, and feel my breath full. I can literally get that high, on occasion, that is that oxygen rush to my brain, a different from of head rush that I prefer.
There are so many ways we can go about it, and maybe i’ll get into that more at another time, but whatever works for you to put that connection together of what breath brings to your life and your health, is what you should do. For me, its through my meditation, my running, my yoga. It’s when I feel myself tensing and anxiety escalating. Its combatting the bad with the good. Breathing in the love, breathing out the shit. It could be 3 minutes or it may be 60, whichever, you will benefit from. Your immune system will thank you, oh your organs, your hemoglobin (red blood cells carrying all that O2 in pretty packages), digestion, nervous system, cardiovascular will too. Yes, all those and more are literally stronger, more efficient, and healthier for it.
so what do you say, lets get rid of bad breath faster than listerine can. This is a huge topic, and I know there will be further more in depth discussion, but I don’t want you to hold your breath til then. so for now…
inhale the good shit, exhale the bad
Lets show it a little love to our lungs. And no this doesn’t mean you can counter your effects of a few glasses of wine with some deep breaths 😉 but, it certainly won’t hurt.
