Dear Readers - May 8, 2009

It is that time again...weeding those gardens, bending, reaching, crawling on hands and knees clearing out old growth for the benefit of those colorful beds of veggies and flowers known as part of the summertime fest. I was thinking while weeding yesterday, that pulling the entire root of the weed is like transforming an old issue. If you do not remove the root, the weed returns, and like an issue, getting down to the origin of the issue--its thoughts and feeling--and transforming its meaning is the only way to create a lasting and productive life change.

Recently I found new meaning in the breath, especially so in my yoga practice, showing up in my day-to-day while practicing deeper, rhythmic breathing in my work and daily activities. Breath, when practiced consciously, can be a form of release work--call it a distraction from those constant, daunting thoughts that dwell in the past. Things we wish we could change and can't, longings we wait for yet are late in arriving, thoughts that keep us out of the moment and stalled in the past. When you find yourself in the past, living a disappointment, go to the breath. Breathe in through the nose and out through the nose, relax...and do it again: In through the nose and out through the nose. As you exhale through the nose feel the breath loosen the shoulders, neck, upper chest; and inhale again, like a wave of motion, inhale and then exhale over and over.

Here are some of the physical benefits of nasal breathing.

• Makes exercise much easier because it restores sympathetic-parasympathetic balance so that you finish a workout energized, not exhausted.
• Stimulates the vagus nerve in the upper abdomen, allowing you to exercise more strenuously at a lower heart rate.
• Keeps the rib cage flexible so lung capacity is optimized, and you can oxygenate your body and brain more efficiently.
• Minimizes occurrence of colds and sinus infections, because air that is breathed into the lungs through the nose has been warmed and filtered by the cilia in your nasal passages.
• Improves metabolism because the better aeration of the lungs oxygenates the blood and burns more calories.

Healing from the past is something we all spend time doing, whether we are conscious of this process or not. Like weeding a garden, the deeper we dig and more thorough we are with the cleansing or breathing out our distress, the more beautiful the outcome. We have less debris to manage, more space to grow and flourish and far less luggage following our trail.

Spring is a wonderful time to clean up your garden and uproot ways of being that are long worn out and useless. Give it a try with the breath, and I will be right there with you. Once again, thanks for clicking into the Vibrant Living E-zine and for being my inspiration.

In vibrant health,


Shay Arave
President
Subtle Energy Solutions
ShaysWays.com



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