Say What?? But we do breathe, 24/7, with no effort or thought! Well, that’s part of the problem right there. Most of us don’t realize that our shallow, involuntary breathing fills only the top portion of our lungs.
It will benefit us to try to get as much oxygen into our bodies as often as possible and be more present with our breath. Every cell requires oxygen for survival, except cancer cells.
OXYGEN IS CANCERS ENEMY!
The first thing you do in this life is take a breath, and the last thing you do is take a breath, so why not pay attention sometimes to the breath in between!! It is important and there is wisdom there.
So what is the optimal way to breathe? Like a baby. If you’ve ever watched a baby breathe, their belly rises and falls with each deep, rhythmic breath. Breathing this way has many important benefits –
* IMPROVED DIGESTION – Taking 5-10 deep, slow breaths before each meal will put us in a relaxed state that will aide in digestion. This is also a great time to be grateful for the healing food we are about to eat.
* DE-STRESS – When you are breathing from the diaphragm it changes your brain chemistry, sending a message that you must be relaxed because you are breathing like a relaxed person. It drops cortisol levels and puts you in a more relaxed brainwave state.
* DETOXIFY – Respiration is one of the ways our bodies remove toxins. So let's optimize it! Remember, exhaling fully is important too. We should try to squeeze out as much carbon dioxide along with the toxins as we can.
* PROMOTE SLEEP – Try deep, rhythmic breathing before retiring to calm emotions and get into a restful state.
There you have it, detoxifying made as easy as breathing! (pun intended)
by Debbie Pirrone, CHHC