Respire

Breathing is everything. As we all are aware, it only takes a few seconds under water to remind us how critical each breath is to maintaining life. Water is critical day by day. Food is critical week by week. Exercise is critical month by month. However, the expansion and contraction of your rib cage every 4-6 seconds is maintained by your brain stem automatically for a reason. Your 40 trillion cells use it up instantly for energy. Therefore, you must replenish it instantly. Your diaphragm and intercostal muscles contract to open your rib cage to allow air full of oxygen to flow in without any conscious effort. Because we do not have to think about it is perhaps one of the main reasons we take it for granted how crucial it is. Spir = breathe in Latin. Inspire + Expire = Respire, or respiration. We can temporarily change our breathing rhythms through exercise and meditation. If we consistently exercise, meditate, and eat clean, we can have a more profound effect on the efficacy and efficiency of breathing. Our hearts, lungs and metabolism become seemingly effortless machinery that is well oiled, thus conserving huge amounts of energy while reducing the drag and wear/tear on the body. In addition, the brain, which requires the most oxygen per cell, thrives under high oxygen concentration. However, it is the brain that is also the most susceptible to poor performance under low oxygen concentrations. So it is often stated that good posture, exercise, and anything that will increase the ease of respiration, will ultimately contribute to higher quality brain function. This begs the questions: What inspires you? What causes you to fatigue and expire? Respire! You must improve your respiration to be inspired, both physiologically and psychologically. Improved blood flow to the brain is notorious for stimulating release of neurotransmitters that create euphoria. Incredibly, the collective population looks to all sorts of remedies, from over the counter medications, energy drinks, self help books, and counsel, to improve brain function and attitude, but it ultimately always begins with a deep, powerful inhalation. This can be accomplished in 3 quick easy steps to change your attitude and state of being. Sit up straight, consciously inhale deeply and exhale deeply, and repeat. Instead of taking your 12-16 breaths per minute for granted, take charge and be proactive in your respiration process. Respire consciously every hour. Take over your respiration purposely for one minute at the top of each hour and you will be surprised at how quickly you can change your posture, your attitude and your energy level. If you don't, your body falls into a stagnant state and gradually drowns the body by slowly depriving itself of the optimal levels of oxygen needed to thrive. Instead, you just survive and ultimately snuff out the growth of your body and brain cells. It is no wonder you lose inspiration mentally. You first lose inspiration physically which then alters your oxygen levels and your blood pH because you are not expiring carbon dioxide properly which leads to fatigue. Don't despair. As you read this final line, sit up straight, look up, shoulders back, and breathe in as deep as possible. Respire in and out. Change your breathing, change your life!