The Easiest, Fastest, Cheapest Detoxification Trick Ever!
~ by Jennifer Cannon
Whether you’re concerned about attaining or maintaining a radiant, glowing complexion, or would simply like to improve the way you digest today’s lunch, checking in with your breath on a daily basis can dramatically improve overall circulation and cell regeneration resulting in an overwhelming host of health benefits which are all just waiting in the wings – the wings of your lungs that is!
Put the Oxygen Mask On Yourself First
When I think back to airplane travel as a child, I remember the times I found myself staring at the overhead compartments which apparently held oxygen masks and read: Help yourself to oxygen before helping others.
Images of children turning blue while their mothers casually helped themselves to oxygen filled my thoughts and made me laugh – I had a unique sense of humor even then. And yet, despite having been authored for no other purpose than to aid flight passengers in the event of an emergency, the simple message of helping oneself to oxygen before assisting others is truly an enlightened one.
Not only does it hold deep implications for our health and wellbeing, it’s an advisory which both considers and warns against our first instincts as a culture – to help others before helping ourselves.
Be it noble, be it just, we’ll likely be just plain blue if we help others before ourselves with regards to the breath.
To get a better understanding of how many of us are not attending to our own intake of that amorphous union of hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen which surrounds us all, we need go no further than the nearest internet accessing device and plug in the words “breathe” and “properly” into any search engine.
Instantly we are whisked away to countless websites hosting an overwhelming supply of statistical conclusions all pointing to evidence both new and old that, as a species, most of us are not taking the time to consider what is right under our nose.
Every Exhalation is a Detoxification
While we may not remember the very first breath of air we ever took in, that moment was indeed our inaugural experience with what is perhaps the most elemental detoxification system our bodies know, that of respiration. With each sufficient breath of fresh, oxygen-rich air we take in, the detoxification process begins anew.
If we were to imagine taking a quick flight on the wings of a single breath, we would find ourselves flying straight down the nasal passages, through the pharynx and larynx, passing into the trachea (also known as the windpipe), all before subdividing into the many tubes of the bronchia. Our flight would then continue through the bronchial tubes before we subdivide once again into the millions of small air compartments located in the lungs.
But wait, this is where the whole process get’s juicy!
After air is forced into the lungs via the diaphragm, a stream of blue blood laden with waste materials and toxins from the system travels from an opening in the right ventricle of the heart into the lungs and is then distributed by millions of hair-like blood vessels to the air cells of the lungs. When the oxygen which was inhaled comes in contact with the spent blue blood, the blood then takes up the oxygen and releases the carbonic gas of waste matter which had been collected by the blood from all parts of the system.
The exhale is the release of waste material that has been converted to carbon dioxide. If a sufficient amount of quality air has been inhaled and passed into the lungs, the result of this combustive process will be purified, red, oxygen-rich blood ready to be carried back to the heart and redistributed throughout the system once again.
The Power of Your Breath
Since 20% of all oxygen in the blood goes to supply the brain, our mental state and its function relies heavily on each and every breath we take. The quality of each breath directly impacts the degree to which we are able to detoxify our blood and rid our systems of toxic materials. Before science could explain this process of respiration, great Yogi’s of old were well aware how attention to the breath could affect overall health, well-being, lung function, and especially digestion. Anyone who has taken a yoga class knows the benefits of combining breathing techniques with postures. Singers, musicians, and athletes alike all learn methodologies for improving performance by using the breath.
It is also true that physicians and professors of the Biological Sciences know more about the process of respiration than most of us ever will. And yet it is evident, as a culture, we tend to loose site of this valuable operation throughout our day when we are not trying to attain a higher note, sink deeper into a posture, or teach a class or patient the rudimentary process of how our bodies work.
Truth can often lie in the application. If we don’t practice yoga ourselves, we will not reap the physiological benefits. The best we could hope for after selecting a particular branch of yoga and studying its theory would be a psychological understanding of what may result from a regular practice. Likewise, if one has never taken a breath of air, a description of the process in action may seem less than fantastic. The beauty of the breath is that if you’re reading this right now, you already know how to do it! And, with a little attention to this vital process, you can start reaping the benefits this very instant.
Be Bold! Breathe From Your Belly
It’s simple enough, just drawn your attention to your breath and focus on expanding your belly as you take in air. At first it often helps to place your hand on your stomach just to make certain it is rising, it also helps keep your focus on that part of the body. Push in slightly as you exhale just to connect with the rhythm of this breath. Slower, deeper, and more silent breaths are seminal in order to break old habits of shallow breathing.
This is a very natural and comfortable way to respire.
Unfortunately, the focus of our society has drawn us largely away from this natural way of breathing, and therefore away from our body’s inherent ability to calm and cleanse us. But never fear, we can take our belly breathing birthright back anytime we so desire and breathe our way to clearer skin, healthier blood, and a happier day, because it’s always there right under our nose.
Nature: A Nice, Deep, Satisfying Breath
In 1904 Yogi Ramacharaka wrote a seminal book entitled Science of Breath. What does a Yogi who lived over a hundred years ago have to say that is relevant to your life at this very moment?
Get back to nature!!! Yup, Yogi Ramacharaka wanted us to get back to nature over a hundred years ago, and I have a funny feeling he would advise the same today.
After all, there is no better place to experience fresh clean air than an oxygen rich forest. As for the rest of his wisdom nuggets and how they apply to your life and breath, I think it would be best to let you decide and check them out for yourself. Check out a copy from your local library today if you don’t already have one. If this book is already in your collection, go grab it and dust if off for a quick re-reading and show it a little respect when you do-I have a feeling your body, mind, and lunch will rest easier for it!
Cheers, in love and breath!
– Jennifer
