Breathing!
Breathing is a very important part of life. Being able to breathe is part of what keeps us alive. And if we stop breathing life is over.
I well remember the day I couldn’t breathe. It was during a time when I was very ill with what the doctors couldn’t even figure out. I came desperately into the room where my husband was and said, as best I could, I could not breathe. I felt like I was suffocating. It was back when all we had for the Internet was dial-up and my husband was online. When it comes to technology he does not do well and he could not even figure out how to get it off the dial-up so that he could make a phone call. So he did the only thing he knew to do.
By this time I was sitting and desperately trying to breathe. He came over to me and talked to me. He told me to breathe slowly and calmly. I don’t remember how long it lasted but it was one of the scariest things that I have ever experienced. When I asked my husband later how bad it was he told me that I was starting to turn blue.
So how important is breathing? Breathing is life-saving. I have had a similar experience more than once since that time but never as bad as it was that day. One thing that I learned to do is when I felt it coming on I would breathe slowly and keep my mind focused. And I was able to make it through.
Another thing this experience has done for me give me empathy for those who are having a hard time breathing. My father-in-law had congestive heart failure plus COPD and there were many times where he didn’t feel like he could breathe. He was in a care facility and the nurses would try to help him but it didn’t take long and he would call me. I could understand and relate to the feeling. You feel so desperate. I was able to help him just by talking him through it.
Fresh air
Now we can be breathing but not getting fresh air. Fresh air is so important to the function of our bodies and to help us maintain a healthy immune function. Now I know our bodies don’t think or talk but if they could they would tell you how desperate they are for some fresh air. Just like I was desperate that day for air, our bodies feel starved and desperate for some fresh air. They are dying.
You may be saying, “That’s crazy, I feel just fine. My body doesn’t seem to be bothered.” It can be subtle because we have slowly gotten to where we are and we don’t know what the true “normal” should be. We have slowly become more tired, sluggish, and fight sickness more. Our digestive systems have gotten worse and we just blame age. And although age can be a factor along with many other things, not getting fresh air can be a factor as well.
Getting fresh air is so important. When you are exercising in the open air that really is helpful. But if you are unable to get outside to walk or run you can just take a few minutes several times a day to step out and take some good deep breaths of fresh air.
It is good to breathe in through your nose filling your lungs as much as possible. I would hold it there a few seconds then let it out slowly through your mouth. Make sure to get as much air out as possible. You can do this maybe 3 or 4 times as many times in the day as you can get in. This is a good way to clean out the impurities in your lungs.
Daily Need
I remember when my children were younger. We were homeschooling and we would go outside for some exercise. I had one child that had exercised induced asthma. When we would do the deep breathing exercises it was amazing. We would breathe in deeply and then let the air slowly out. When my son with the lung issue would let the air out through his mouth you could see stuff coming out into the air. We all saw it and we started checking each other to see if any of the rest of us were having that and we were not. There were impurities in his lungs that were coming out as we did this exercise.
I like to do things that can help to really open up my airways so that when I breathe in the fresh air I get greater benefit. And for those that may struggle with some lung issues having something that helps to open up those airways is a great benefit. And while you are breathing in that fresh air you get very energized. I like to use a respiratory blend that helps to open up those airways. I know my son received a benefit not only when he put some on his chest but also when he diffuses it in his room, especially at night.
Also for those that deal with seasonal threats, as my husband does, doing some seasonal blend soft gels can help support your body in opening up those airways. It has been such a blessing for him.
You want to make sure you can get out and get some fresh air. If you’re like me I have a treadmill. I definitely don’t want to go out in the freezing cold weather to walk plus I do it so early in the morning it is still dark. But what I do is open my window so fresh air comes in.
Every time you step out the door to go somewhere take a few seconds and take some deep breaths. This is what helps clean the toxins out of our lungs so that our immune systems can function properly. And if we make it a habit every time we step out the door we will get what we need.
Dear Father,
Thank You for giving us the fresh air that can bring such wonderful benefits to our bodies. You have given us air as a sustaining life force. Help us to realize how important it is to have a healthy immune function.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
Make it a habit today to start doing deep breathing exercise to keep your body healthy.
Love you all!
What do you do to help you remember to do deep breathing? What benefits have you had?
This is part 5 in a several part series “Maintaining Healthy Immune Function”. There are many things I will be sharing with you on how to support your immune system, both physically and spiritually. Although what I am sharing is not exhaustive, I am sharing just a taste from my own experience. In part 4 I talked about how to exercise spiritually to maintain a healthy spiritual immune system. Coming up in part 6 I will be talking about spiritual “fresh air” and how it plays a role in maintaining healthy spiritual immune function. Stay tuned!
The foundation of a healthy immune system is in how we eat. We are bombarded with so many toxic things in our foods today. It would be good for us to stay away from as many processed foods as possible. So when it comes to shopping get more of those things that are on the outside isles.
instead of buying dairy products you can get alternative milk and cheeses. Or if you are like me I like to make them myself. There are some great recipes out there. Eating a plant-based diet helps keep our body healthy.
We need to be staying away from all the refined foods and making sure to lower your sugar intake or just throw it out altogether. Instead of eating or drinking something full of sugar just eat a piece of fresh fruit. Sugar can lead to insulin resistance, it promotes inflammation, can lead to weight gain, contributes to non-alcoholic liver disease, appears to act as a fertilizer for cancer, among other things, it also lowers the immune system.
your body tries to deal with it. If you have a sugary drink or food several times a day your body does not have the defenses it needs to fight against anything it may come in contact with each day. It seems best to stick with what God has given us to eat.
