Just take a deep breath!

At the Budwig Clinic, as in many holistic cancer treatment centers all over the world I’ve studied at, there is a great deal of focus on bringing oxygen into the body. (Cancer can’t stand O2 molecules!)

One thing Dr. Jenkins teaches, as the director of the clinic in Spain, is to take 30 deep breaths a day. I have found that because I’m an adrenaline and productivity junkie—always trying to do 17 tasks at once—when I tune in, I find that I’m always breathing very shallowly. Yoga has helped me become more aware, and breathe deeply more often. At least during yoga.

When I’m running, if I get a side ache, I immediately take a few very deep breaths, and the pain goes away. It’s a lack of oxygen that causes it, so infusion of oxygen solves it.

Dr. Jenkins’ advice has provoked me to find a time during the day, when I’m driving, or working at the computer, to just take a few minutes to breathe. Here’s how you do it:

Breathe IN through the nose. Take in as much air as you possibly can—hold it a second—then take one last gulp! (Turns out you CAN take a bit more in!)

This helps you expand your lungs, and clear stale, dead gases in there, making way for fresh oxygen. (Best to do your deep breathing outside in clean air, then, although that’s not always possible.)

Put your hand on your belly, as you breathe, and make sure your expansion is in the diaphragm, below your ribs, rather than up in your chest. Feel the diaphragm expand, push out, under your hand.

Then, through the mouth now, exhale. It’ll take you several seconds, maybe even 10 seconds. To the very bottom, where you can’t push out ANY more air. Be very conscious and tune into how that feels.

Then, when you can’t exhale any more, push out just one more gust of air. WOW, you just cleaned out some toxic energy that your giant queue of emails, or your obnoxious co-worker, or your lazy chore-avoidant teenager has caused!

Now do it again. 29 more times.

You will feel amazing. You’ll wonder why you don’t do this EVERY day. Stress melts away, feels suddenly manageable.

Get addicted to this. It’ll change your life, reduce your cancer risk, and help you manage stress. Find a time you can do it every day, when you’re doing something else. Going for a walk, driving to work, lying in bed talking yourself into getting out of bed. All great times to practice this new habit.

You already know to do it. I’m just reminding you!

Posted in: Lifestyle, Mind/Body Connection, Natural Remedies