Most importantly, remember to breathe.

"Studies have shown that people who breathe, actually live longer."

One of my favorite teachers, Tim Floreen, sometimes says this in class and it never gets old.  He usually busts it out when you are in a deep backbend and possibly going blue in the face.  Tim has a gift for sequencing, he will weave together an intricate, challenging sequence and when it's time for the other side, you say "Wow, all of that was just one side?"  His memory is amazing, he is such a gift.

Although I could go on for days about how amazing Tim is, this article is about breathing, soo let's get back on track:

 “Oxygen plays a pivotal role in the proper functioning of the immune system.  We can look at oxygen deficiency as the single greatest cause of all diseases.”

This week, two of my freinds have been diagnosed with cancer. On August 31, I celebrate my first anniversary as a non-smoker, and the more I read and learn about the breathe through yoga, the more grateful I am that I managed to quit. 

I remember going to the doctor a year ago with yet another chest infection.  Each time I had a cold, I would end up with Bronchitis and taking another round of antibiotics.  The day I went to see him, he had four medical students with him and after he listened to my chest, he told the student to listen too. 
None of them could hear my breathe when they listened to my back body.  My doctor told me that I either had a very bad chest infection or early stage emphysema.  I don't mean to be a downer, but I honestly didn't even hear the word chest infection, the only word that sunk in was emphysema and it freaked me out! 

We chatted about how to quit smoking and decided that a prescription of Welbutrin might be the most effective way for me to quit.  The success rate of quitting smoking only is 15% - 25%, that number is so depressing, and so daunting when you are in the position of trying to quit.  I thought "Holy cow, only like 20% of people actually succeed at this, I can't afford to be in the 80% failure rate"

Your body can go without food for weeks, it can go without water for days, but you cannot survive without oxygen for even a few minutes.  As you age, cells in your lungs start to die off faster than you replace them, causing your lungs to shrink.  This decreases your ability to absorb oxygen and increases your chance of getting sick and dying.

Yoga has such a strong emphasis on breathe and yoga is accessible to everybody, and by that I mean every body type (fat, thin, sick or healthy).  If you can breathe, you can do yoga.  Not all yoga is a physical, sweaty practice, there are gentle classes and there are classes that only focus on breathing.  I encourage each and every one of you to try a class this month, in celebration of your life and your health.  

I went back to the the doctor a few months ago and he said that my lungs sound strong and healthy.  What a great relief.  Have you heard the saying "scared straight"? I think my doctor "scared me straight", straight into living healthy and making better choices.

If you are up for the challenge of trying a yoga class once this month, I would love to hear your stories.  Please share your experience with me either here or on facebook.

Much love, and happy breathing.

Jacqui.


To learn more about Tim Floreen, click here.

Tim's photogaraph was taken by a beautiful yogi named, Jill Schneider