Breathe-Increase Your Prana

 

Take a deep breath right now. Are your shoulders raising?

If your shoulders are raising when breathing instead of your belly, you are probably shallow breathing or thoracic breathing.  Being a shallow breather can lead to a long list of health issues.  Stress leads to shallow breath, shallow breath leads to a constant state of stress.  Not good!  It deprives your muscles and joints of oxygen, which leads to tightness, chronic pain and stiffness.  It can also lead to sleep apnea, insomnia and restlessness.  In other words, a crappy sleeper.

We must reteach our bodies to breathe.  Belly breathing or diaphragmatically is the most beneficial way to go.  Watch how a baby breathes, its belly rises and falls.  Try drawing air in through your nose into your lungs and expand your belly, like a baby.  You will be getting more well needed oxygen that your body can use.

Meditation requires intentional breath work.  The more you focus on how your mind and body feel when breathing, the more it will become naturally.  You will feel better and know how to calm yourself in stressful situations.

In yoga, the Sanskrit word for breath or life force is "Prana"

In living beings, Prana is considered to be responsible for the body's life, heat, health and maintenance.  Prana is the force behind life itself.  Increase your Prana through the Five Elements.

Start practicing to belly breath and feel the difference.

Go deep!

Have a great week.

Be kind.

Please get your vaccination and wear a mask.

Judd 

Recommended Reading 04/05/20

It's April Recommended Reading time.

With most people staying at home now, there is plenty of time to spend time with family. to be creative, catch up on reading and exercise.  Hopefully you will be able to continue working while at home.  Please make time for yourself and take care to keep up with your mental, physical and spiritual habits.  Also, don't get caught up eating a crapload of processed junk food.  Eating a healthy, whole foods plant-based diet will keep your immune system strong, which is even more critical now.  One thing I have noticed, is with this crisis, people have been connecting to their creativity and kindness for one another.  Let's not forget that when we get back to the "new"normal.

Let's get started:

WELLNESS

I know the media is bombarding us with Coronavirus information, but this from Food Revolution is useful info on overall wellness, Staying Healthy

Here are 7 Tips on Staying Healthy from Spartan Life.  Also from Spartan Life: Your Guide to Eating Smart and Healthy when you're stuck at home.

How to Boost Your Immunity During Coronavirus Outbreak from FoodmattersTV. FMTV is like Netflix but all about total wellness, food, yoga, meditation etc. Check it out!

FOOD/RECIPES

Here in Florida we are blessed with a year-long growing season.  With everyone needing to practice social distancing the local farmers are having their own drive up farmers markets and some plant-based restaurants are having "virtual" farmers markets where you can order many different types of produce, local coffees, honey and even prepared foods weekly and then a curbside pick up!

To keep a healthy immune system you need a healthy gut biome.  Fermented foods are one of the best ways to do this.  Here is a very easy recipe for Beetroot Sauerkraut 

Roasted radishes will become your new favorite veggie with this flavorful recipe.

Roasted Veggies:

We take a variety of cubed root veggies like potatoes, onions, heirloom carrots, zucchini and squash. Mix with a few tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl.

Roast in oven at 450' until potatoes are tender(40-45 min)

Serve on a bed of prepared whole grain or rice spaghetti noodles which has been "fried" in an oiled skillet until it is a little crispy.

For the sweet tooth in us, try these Jammin' Almond Thumbprint Cookies

ENVIRONMENT

Wild For Life is an awesome learning site about our oceans health. Children(and adults) will like Reef Rider Journey, by learning how coral reefs work.

This company in Switzerland is sucking carbon out of the air and making soda.

Why's There's Never Been a Better Time to Combat Climate Change

3 Ways to Celebrate Earth Day

10 Surprising Dolphin Superpowers

VIDEOS

Broccoli- The DNA whisperer

"Home" Is A Poem by IN-Q

Have a great week.

Please be kind.

WASH YOUR HANDS

Judd

The Dutch Art of Doing Nothing

It might be too late, you might just be getting in from BLACK FRIDAY.  

  Humankind has got to stop that insanity.  You don't need to mindlessly acquire "stuff" to be fulfilled.  Stop and give thoughtful consideration to purchasing useful gifts for those you love.  A wise person once said "Stop buying crap, and companies will stop making crap"  Instead of torturing yourself with the madness, try doing what the Dutch do,( they do happen to be one of the happiest country in the world)  Niksen: The Art of Doing Nothing

This an article from Blue Zones.

Enjoy.

Have a great week.

Be kind.

Judd

Take A Breath

Before the Holidays begin and we all come together to celebrate..."Take a breath"   Not all family and friends are on the same page with their beliefs and ideas.  This is a re-post from a couple of years back which may help you through the next week and gently into a positive new habit.

Peace.

Breathe In, Breathe Out

Our bodies need oxygen to survive.  Healthy blood plasma is at least 90% oxygen.  Nothing happens anywhere in our bodies without oxygen.  It is required in just about every chemical reaction,  it  ignites the activity in our cells.  It is the spark of life for us. Over the next few weeks I am going be posting about the importance of oxygenation.

Breathing is an involuntary act.  We don't think much about it, until we don't have it.  Surfing for over 40 years, I have had my share of being pinned to bottom after being thrown off a wave or being held under what seemed like endless thick white water.  Clawing my way to the top to get some much needed oxygen, just to be hit by another large wave and repeating the process.  All you want is a deep breath of air.  

Our breath helps us to gauge how comfortable or uncomfortable we are at that moment.  When we are stressed, frightened or ill we tighten our bodies and breathe faster.  When relaxed calm or happy we soften our bodies and our breathing slows.  This why it is important to learn to slow our breathing and help ourselves to get as much oxygen as we can.  Ancient yoga teaches us that we are given a certain amount of breaths for our individual life span. The slower we breath, the longer we live.  This is not to say we shouldn't breathe heavy as in exercise or teaching our lungs to expand for more oxygen capacity.  This means that when we know how to work with our breath, we can change our mood, manage panic attacks and even lower our blood pressure.  Not only is breathing meditative and good for calming stress, it also improves brain and immune system function, cleanses our bodies of toxins and purifies our minds.  

A simple way to start training our mind and body to slow the breathing is a method called 5-5-5-5. Start doing this in the morning upon waking.  In a sitting position inhale slowly thru your nose on a count of 5, then hold your breath for a count of 5, slowly exhale thru your mouth, and finally count to 5 with no breathing at all(emptying your lungs). do this for 5-15 minutes per day.  You can do this in the evening also to slowly unwind from your daily routine to prepare for a restful night.

Try this for a week and see how you feel.

Happy Holidays.

BELIEVE IN 

KINDNESS

Judd

Breathe In, Breathe Out

Our bodies need oxygen to survive.  Healthy blood plasma is at least 90% oxygen.  Nothing happens anywhere in our bodies without oxygen.  It is required in just about every chemical reaction,  it  ignites the activity in our cells.  It is the spark of life for us. Over the next few weeks I am going be posting about the importance of oxygenation.

Breathing is an involuntary act.  We don't think much about it, until we don't have it.  Surfing for over 40 years, I have had my share of being pinned to bottom after being thrown off a wave or being held under what seemed like endless thick white water.  Clawing my way to the top to get some much needed oxygen, just to be hit by another large wave and repeating the process.  All you want is a deep breath of air.  

Our breath helps us to gauge how comfortable or uncomfortable we are at that moment.  When we are stressed, frightened or ill we tighten our bodies and breathe faster.  When relaxed calm or happy we soften our bodies and our breathing slows.  This why it is important to learn to slow our breathing and help ourselves to get as much oxygen as we can.  Ancient yoga teaches us that we are given a certain amount of breaths for our individual life span. The slower we breath, the longer we live.  This is not to say we shouldn't breathe heavy as in exercise or teaching our lungs to expand for more oxygen capacity.  This means that when we know how to work with our breath, we can change our mood, manage panic attacks and even lower our blood pressure.  Not only is breathing meditative and good for calming stress, it also improves brain and immune system function, cleanses our bodies of toxins and purifies our minds.  

A simple way to start training our mind and body to slow the breathing is a method called 5-5-5-5. Start doing this in the morning upon waking.  In a sitting position inhale slowly thru your nose on a count of 5, then hold your breath for a count of 5, slowly exhale thru your mouth for a count of 5 and finally count to 5 with no breathing at all(emptying your lungs). do this for 5-15 minutes per day.  You can do this in the evening also to slowly unwind from your daily routine to prepare for a restful night.

Try this for a week and see how you feel.

Have great week.

Be kind.

Judd