Sighing
“Ancient
Yogic teachings say that if you can control your breath, you can
control your life.”
Elaine
St. James (Inner Simplicity)
Do
you sigh a lot? I was with friends last night having a conversation
about weighty subjects like long-term care insurance, and the best
means of managing the last chapter of life. I noticed a lot of
sighing among us. Curious, I did a little research about sighing.
First of all, it serves an important physiological purpose. According
to researchers at the University of Leumen in Belgium, sighing is
akin to pushing the restart button on your computer. Breathing is
both dynamic and chaotic. All sorts of internal and external factors
determine how much oxygen we need in any given moment. The
respiratory system requires changes in volume to keep the lung tissue
healthy—faster, slower, deeper, shallower—and the sigh is the
reset mechanism. My friends spoke last night about their Fit-Bit, and Jawbone electronic monitoring devices alerting them to do certain things. A sigh is like
that; a nudge to say, “You need to take a deep breath.”
When
we discuss emotional subjects, we tend to take shallow breaths, or
even hold our breath. The sigh takes air deep into our lungs and then
discharges all the toxins that have collected while we were not
breathing. Becoming conscious of our breath can make a dramatic
difference in our health. A few good deep breaths into the belly
clear the head and energize the body. They can change a bad mood into
a better one. With practiced concentration, the breath can even move
one to another level of awareness.
Breath
control has the ability calm you down, and help you to think clearly.
A good practice is to take a few seconds every hour or so, stand
tall and inhale deeply enough to feel your diaphragm extend as far as
it will go into your belly, then slowly let out the air. Three nice,
deep, fluid, easy breaths will clean out your lungs, clear up your
thinking, and lift your spirit. You'll improve your health and adjust
your attitude all at the same time.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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