As a peaceful warrior, I would choose when, where and how I would behave.
With that commitment, I began to live the life of a warrior.
~Dan Millman

Monday, February 01, 2010


Just Breathe~

One way to begin the decade is with a deep breath. Maybe two.

Breathing is quite a necessity for life. Minutes with out air and a human body will perish. Stop...inhale, hold for a moment, exhale. Yes, good. Now we can talk.
(pause, pause, pause)

Learning how to breathe is an important part of your health, part of your life. Take all of the 'healthy' things that you can do and breathing is an essential underlying component of all of them. I will keep this as simple and direct as possible.

Just breathe.

Deeper, not shallow, let that air in...all the way to the diaphragm, I know you have heard of it! The belly breath look it up friends. Click, go to a class, ask a friend, just learn it! Prana, Qi, Chi, let's begin there.

Anyone see the EPIC movie AVATAR recently? Just close your eyes and venture back to the scene where the Na'vi are seated together in a community BREATHING as one under the Tree of Souls. Breathing in as ONE (pause) and yet the light under each individual illuminates, breathing out (pause) and the light is transmitted to the source of all (Eywa) synergistic (for our corporate friends). Just breathtaking - for lack of a better word. Spectacular to see them functioning as one. Connected. Ever been in a yoga class where you are breathing in unison with those around you? Perfect agreement and accord. The state of being so tuned, in the same sound, pitch, in the moment. What an amazing experience. One that is available to you at any time. Believe it or not. We are a community, tied together through breath. Every living thing. every being that crosses your path experiences breath. Even those of our CrossFit family! Gasping sometimes, burpee breath training, boxing, focus, contol... But let's back it down a bit and make it your own. Start easy and controlled. Then move forward!

How about a Daily Deeds? Just try it.

When you wake up each morning, as you are laying in bed, your body will thank you for taking a very few minutes while you do these simple no-brainer breathing exercises. Dr. Andrew Weil has been talking about them for years now. Why not try it. Simple dimple....I am posting one of the full exercises here, but you can follow the link for the remaining options :-)

The Stimulating Breath (also called the Bellows Breath)
The Stimulating Breath is adapted from a yogic breathing technique. Its aim is to raise vital energy and increase alertness.

Inhale and exhale rapidly through your nose, keeping your mouth closed but relaxed. Your breaths in and out should be equal in duration, but as short as possible. This is a noisy breathing exercise.

Try for three in-and-out breath cycles per second. This produces a quick movement of the diaphragm, suggesting a bellows. Breathe normally after each cycle.

Do not do for more than 15 seconds on your first try. Each time you practice the Stimulating Breath, you can increase your time by five seconds or so, until you reach a full minute.

If done properly, you may feel invigorated, comparable to the heightened awareness you feel after a good workout. You should feel the effort at the back of the neck, the diaphragm, the chest and the abdomen. Try this breathing exercise the next time you need an energy boost and feel yourself reaching for a cup of coffee.

Many blessings for the new year. Now, a deep breath and we're off!

Enjoy! We'll be back for the balance of breath work in eating and exercise :-). Yep, it makes a difference here too. Check in...how do you feel? You should feel good, motivated and ready for more!

~jgirl

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