CHIRO THOT: Breath

It sounds simple enough and if you are reading this you are doing it right now. But did you know that your breath is the doorway into your consciousness. If you said yes that wouldn’t surprise me at all.

With all of the “mind/body” stuff that is constantly being thrown around today it is hard to miss the importance of breath. What most people don’t know or aren’t aware of is the how and why part of the equation. True, breathing is something we do from the first moment of life and one of the last things you will ever do. However, how you use your breath makes all the difference. Let’s start with what you already know. When frustrated we sigh. When tired we yawn and when angry we take a big deep breath. So you already know more than you may have thought, but did you know that you can breath properly or improperly resulting in very different mental states which can affect your ability to heal.

Deep breathing is what I am talking about. When you deep breathe you automatically slow your heart rate, lower your blood pressure, and aid your digestive process. Now for the consciousness part. Deep breathing causes you to return to a state of ease as opposed to dis-ease. The hyphen is on purpose because dis-ease is exactly what precedes disease. The state of ease I am referring to is your para-sympathetic nervous system. This is the part that relaxes you and causes you to move into a state of healing both physically, mentally, and emotionally. Its opposite is the sympathetic nervous system which, you may remember from health class, is the fight or flight part of the nervous system. This is where many people find themselves and is the perfect place to create disease if experienced for prolonged periods of time. To correct this imbalance just start deep breathing. Deep breathing is done with the abdomen or lower region of the belly. Do your best to keep your chest from moving while breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth. It takes a little practice and most people find that practicing while lying down is the easiest. Try to take five minutes every day to focus on relaxing deep breaths when you know you won’t be interrupted. Good luck with that part parents. Remember most bathroom doors have locks.