To my non POC readers, you may or may not have seen the movie or read the book by Terry McMillan entitled “Waiting to Exhale.”
If you missed it, it was a story about a group of four friends who got together on the regular to vent about love and life. I thought the whole actual exhaling in the film was a bit corny, but most of us could relate to the stories, the drama and the need to release! Or in the case of Angela’s Bassett’s character, UNLEASH! That said, the girlfriends bonding thing is definitely something that we could all use during these trying and stressful times. I know, we are getting together on zoom and other forms of social media, but there’s nothing like a face to face session with your girls. And who couldn’t use a hug?
Hopefully, we’re getting closer to the possibility of getting together again without a hazmat suit! I’m optimistic that we will turn the corner soon and things will improve for us all! Most of us worry daily about our family, friends, our health, our employment or our businesses.
While I’m fortunate to have a job, there is still a worry of keeping it! I think I’m pretty damn healthy, but age-wise I fall into that high risk group and of course, I have a Daughter with an auto-immune disease that happens to work in the public. She is constantly, potentially exposed, so there’s no shortage of stress.
I’ve written stress related posts a few times and I’m constantly researching ways to not only decompress, but to also lower my blood pressure! Well, here’s a super easy method. BREATHE!
DISCLAIMER: NO BRAINER. DO NOT PRACTICE IN PUBLIC PLACES! Pretty hard to breathe deeply in a mask!
Breathing is something we naturally do – about 15-20 times a minute – and still, it is one of the most underrated health practices. We give so little thought to breathing, and probably rarely think of breathing as something we need to practice and perfect. We just think, “okay, I have to breathe to survive!” Nothing is further from the truth.
The role of breathing goes way beyond survival. It is an immensely powerful tool to live fuller, happier, and healthier lives. According to yoga, the ancient philosophy of life, breath is the very essence of existence. It is not merely a tool for survival; the act of breathing makes us who we truly are, how we look, how we think, how we feel, how we react to challenges. The quality of our breath is reflected in the skin, eyes, mood, liveliness, and emotional state.
How you breathe determines the state of your tissues, levels of toxins in the system, the strength of bones, hormonal functions, the ability to cope with stress! It affects your vitality and the quality of your life.
THE IMPORTANCE OF DEEP, CONSCIOUS BREATHING
Every breath we take is an opportunity to unplug, recharge, and bring balance to our mind and body. To understand the role of breath, let’s explore how our body uses oxygen.
Every time you inhale, oxygen that is transported by the red blood cells to all other organs and tissues. If your breath is shallow, light and quick, you’re really only using the upper part of your lungs – which makes up only 25% of your lungs. This means it’s highly likely you’re not getting enough oxygen to nourish all parts of your body. The body tries to improvise by prioritizing vital organs and leaving out “less important” parts. But there are no LESS IMPORTANT PARTS! Every part is interconnected. Shallow breathing can cause significant stress on your system and lower the quality of your life.
Poor breathing habits also mean that all parts of the body are not functioning at their optimal efficiency. The excretory system fails to get rid of all the toxins, resulting in an accumulation over time. Stress, unhealthy organs, accumulation of toxins, and the resulting inflammation are some of the key factors that accelerate the aging process and trigger chronic conditions. In other words, you’re black might start cracking prematurely unless you learn to breathe correctly!
This is one reason that meditation is touted as a powerful tool to improve overall health and wellbeing. The very act of directing our attention towards the breath, is aimed towards the goal of bringing us to the center of our existence. By practicing deep breathing daily for 15-20 minutes, you can train your mind to use all of your lungs.
ANTI AGING BENEFITS OF DEEP BREATHING
Reduce Stress
Slow, deep breathing relieves mental fatigue and slows down heart rate, promoting a sense of calm. It frees the mind of anxious thoughts like worries, restlessness, fear, criticism of self, and others. The sense of calm that you achieve at this time teaches the brain that “this” is the normal state of things.
Deep breathing also signals the brain that things are under control, which releases tension and boosts focus on the present moment. Regular practice of conscious breathing can also boost mindfulness – the simple art of enjoying the present moment that has the potential to enhance almost every aspect of your life.
According to a 2017 study, deep breathing techniques associated with yoga and meditation can reduce cortisol levels and relieve work-related stress and anxiety. (and excess belly fat!) Even a single deep breathing exercise was found highly effective in lowering blood pressure and heart rate, enhancing lung function, and promoting emotional balance.
Focused breathing also increases the blood supply to brain cells, improving cognition, mental alertness, and memory. The same study suggested that even a simple 15-minute breathing exercise can boost blood circulation to all parts of the body, invigorating cells and uplifting the spirits.
Promote Good Sleep
Studies have shown that practicing deep breathing for 15-20 minutes right before sleep can have profound effects on the nervous system, therefore promoting sleep. Good, deep sleep is another factor that contributes to reduced stress levels and increased energy levels during the daytime.
Detoxification
Our breathing is what moves our blood and the blood is ultimately responsible for detoxifying the system. The lymphatic system (blood) goes through a complex network of blood vessels to every part of the body. It picks up nutrients absorbed by the digestive system and oxygen inhaled by the lungs, then transports these nutrients and oxygen to other cells of our body. It also picks up toxins produced by these cells and delivers these wastes to the kidney and lungs (carbon dioxide) for elimination. Correct and optimal breathing enhances the functioning of the lymphatic system, which results in proper detoxification and ensures better nourishment to cells – hence promoting their regeneration.
Improved deep sleep (slow-wave sleep), which is also a proven benefit of conscious breathing, plays a key role in the detoxification of the mind. The slow-wave phase of sleep is important for removing amyloid-beta plaques – a type of metabolic wastes produced in the brain – the accumulation of which is responsible for the aging of brain cells, ultimately causing dementia. Lack of adequate deep sleep (and brain detoxification) can increase oxidative stress and inflammation of brain cells. Over time, it also progressively reduces mental function and memory. Deep breathing exercises can help check this brain aging and reduce the risk of neurodegenerative diseases.
Improve Digestion and Immunity
Full and deep breaths help our oxygen supply reaches all of our organ systems, including the cells and organs that make up our immune system. Balanced hormones, reduced stress levels, improved sleep, and good digestion – which are all a result of deep breathing reinforce the body’s defense mechanism.
Deep breathing also encourages enhanced intestinal action that can help with proper elimination. A clean digestive tract promotes optimal absorption of nutrients, which further enhances the nourishment of tissues.
So, don’t wait to exhale, but do so slowly! Oh, and only practice BREATHING DEEPLY AT HOME!!!!