Breathe for health

ZK Pahrü Pou *

The respiratory system consists of the airways, the lungs, and the respiratory muscles that mediate the movement of air into and out of the body. :: Pix - Wikipedia/LadyofHats

If there is anything to be learnt from our foreparents then it should be their active lifestyle that kept them hale and hearty. They produced their own food through physical force. They walked miles on foot and gathered different food items from rivers, forests and fields.

They spent time and energy fishing and hunting animals and birds. They made their own clothes from plants and tree barks. They depended on locally available medicines and allopathic medicine was unknown to them.

They sweated digging the ground. They worked hard. They did not live hygienic life like us. But we were told that they were very healthy, stout and strong with few cases of illnesses known to them. They were in fact a happy lot people. In fact, they had very less health complication unless struck by epidemic. They spent most of their time on outdoor activity. Their strenuous lifestyle helped them to breathe smoothly.

At present, many of us fall prey to lifestyle diseases and one of the culprits is our sedentary lifestyle where little exercise or physical activity is involved. Works that require physical effort is neglected to a great extent. We are mostly confined to sedentary jobs and spend most of the day in offices.

We spend our days sitting in the classrooms from nursery till graduation. We sit for many hours watching TV and movies, play with mobile phones and work on computers. Outer games and sports are fast replacing by video games.

We spend very less hours in doing physical work. We prefer white coloured jobs to blue collared jobs. We travel to different places sitting in the vehicles. Such sedentary lifestyles have hampered the smooth functioning of our lung resulting to improper breathing causing us to suffer from different types of ailments.

Breathing is the most essential and frequent activity that we engage in from birth till death. When we ignore this giver of life presuming to be entirely an involuntary function it leads to numerous unwanted consequences. Our lungs have the capacity to take in about four litres of air in each breath. Those who are active in working throughout the day (especially in olden times) take this full quota.

The modern lifestyle has turned us into real couch potatoes that barely take half a litre of air per breath, i.e., only one-eighth of the requirement. Our diaphragm barely moves if we are sedentary, with the result that the lower part of our lungs hardly gets oxygen. The shocking shortfall not only causes numerous aches and pains and diseases but also leads to negative emotions like anger, anxiety and stress.

Insufficient supply of oxygen to the brain causes hearing and vision problem and stroke. Oxygen starved brain causes tiredness, irritation and nervousness and are not very productive. It also lowers our immune system making us susceptible to catching cold, flu and other diseases.

Most of our requirements come not from food but from the air we breathe. We can live without food for weeks and without water for days but without oxygen we will die within a few minutes. It is worth to give effort to increase the supply of oxygen for vitality and rejuvenation of our body.

Try to avoid sedentary lifestyle. Participate in active sports. Go for walk. Do exercises. Wash clothes by hand not washing machine. Fetch water. Maintain kitchen garden. Sweep your surroundings. Such physical activities will help you breath smoothly.

When at rest, lie down or sit comfortably and breathe. Do not contract the belly when you breathe in nor expand it when you breathe out. However, as you start inhaling, fill your belly from the lowest part up so that by the time you have taken the full breath, your tummy is protruding as well as the chest.

Hold for a few seconds and then start exhaling while at the same time contracting your belly. This should be done preferably on an empty stomach. Such pumping action not only helps in smooth breathing but also strengthens abdominal muscles and helps in reducing the waist size. The more air you pump in, the more vitality you have.

The correct way of breathing is through nose. Air is given freely by God. Breathe freely, deeply and live a healthy and long life.