Eye of the Sun

Eye of the Sun sets in motion a constant circular flow of air that comes in through your right nostril and flows out through your left.

Relax your dominant hand so that your fingers curl naturally. Center that hand in front of your nose (palm facing in) with your arm resting comfortably on your chest.

Gently touch the tip of your thumb against the nostril indentation just above the flare, and the tip of your ring finger to the indentation on the other side. This leaves the tips of your index and middle fingers resting on your forehead just above brow level.

Close your left nostril as you breathe in through the right nostril. Seal the right as you exhale through the left. In right. Out left. In right. Out left. Delicate pressure is enough to close a nostril since the passage narrows markedly at that point.

Eye of the Sun is well suited to daytime activity when you need to stay alert and energized. As always, continue for as long as you can maintain good technique and concentration.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

More About Dust Mites

Dust mites are always a breathing hazard to you and especially to young children in your home. Mites are microscopic monster-movie critters that don’t bite but poop a lot. It’s their poop that gives you a lifetime allergy for which there is no cure.

1. Google “dust mites.” Know your enemy. Outsmart them because they outnumber you. A typical mattress may contain 100,000 mites. There are new anti-mite products available that cost a bit extra but then what is the price of an asthma attack?

2. Mites feed on dead skin cells. Your pets shed more skin cells than you do. Treat their bedding with the same care as you do your own.

3. Cover all mattresses and pillows with plastic or mite-proof covers. If you spend many nights in hotel rooms, take along your own pillow cover. Put a Post-it note on the inside of your door to remind you to remove it when you leave.

4. Keep your bedroom temperature below 70 degrees and the humidity below 50%.

5. Invest in a HEPA vacuum. It’s worth the money.

6. Wash your blankets, pet bedding and the children’s stuffed toys every two weeks in hot water. Warm water does not kill mites. Wash sheets every week.

7. Go synthetic. Replace all down and feathers with man-made stuffing. Replace all wool with nylon. Get rid of carpet and drapes in the bedrooms. Dust with a damp cloth.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

LINK: Sleeping with Monsters

Screen Doors and Saunas

Every incoming breath faces a treacherous ride before it arrives at the relatively peaceful area of your lungs. The fast and furious journey through your nasal cavities flings the breath around like a small boat shooting the rapids.

There is only a second or less to warm, moisten and capture every bit of grit and grime from a breath before it descends into your vulnerable lungs. Lung tissue has heavy responsibilities and is not built to defend itself. That security duty must be completed pretty much by the time the air leaves your head.

Both nostrils are lined with stiff hairs. Like screen doors, they keep out the big stuff like gnats and grit. Then the breath passes through adjacent “saunas” with warm moist walls. The sauna walls are lined with strategically placed floppy shelves (the turbinates) that bounce the air around, slamming it again and again against the surfaces of the inner nose.

The entire route is covered with really sticky mucus. Every time the air is tossed against the “fly paper” some of its garbage sticks. Remember that all mucus is constantly moving toward an exit where you periodically swallow, spit or blow out the contaminated mess.

Having been forced through the tumbling of the nasal cavities, the incoming air almost immediately encounters a sharp right turn just before the downward journey into the throat. More grit is dropped when the air hits that sudden bend, the same way silt is dropped when the stream makes a sharp turn.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

LINK: Snot Is Your Friend

Folded Leaf Breath

Breathing tends to become ragged, uneven and erratic when you are stressed, tired, frightened, angry or in pain. Since your breathing bridges mind, body and spirit, it is a wonderful tool for getting yourself calm and centered quickly.

This is one of those rare occasions when you are guided to breathe in through your mouth. The narrow, rough, moist surface of your folded tongue will do an adequate (albeit temporary) job of preparing the incoming air for your lungs. The narrow channel for the incoming breath will automatically slow and smooth out your breathing.

1. Stick out your relaxed tongue about one inch beyond your lips. Shape your lips into a small “O.” This should help you to curl up the outer edges of your tongue to form a tongue-trough that will channel each incoming breath.

2. Draw in a slow, steady, deep breath through your folded tongue-channel.

3. Exhale by pulling in your tongue, closing your mouth and breathing out through your nose.

The cycle is: in through the folded tongue-channel and out through the nose. Stop if your mouth begins to feel dry.

Yes, it is true that some people cannot shape their tongues this way. If you are one, then do Folded Leaf by breathing in through a fat drinking straw and out through you nose.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

Look Back! They’re Gaining On You!

We are losing a war with bacteria and viruses that could possibly take out our entire species. They breed by the kazillions in no time at all. They adapt in the blink of an eye to overcome our very best defenses. If you were able to observe a viral attack on a single human cell, it would give you bad dreams.

When these invaders come in contact with any antibiotic anywhere, they immediately begin to adapt and render medication useless for human protection. We dump antibiotics and anti-bacterial waste hourly by the ton into our gutters, sewers and streams.

1. TAKE THE APPROPRIATE ANTIBIOTIC FOR A BACTERIAL INFECTION ONLY. ANTIBIOTICS ARE USELESS AGAINST VIRAL INFECTIONS.
2. Be certain that your antibiotic is a correct match to wipe out your particular bug. Be tested.
3. Take every pill exactly as you were told even though you may feel better after the first few pills.
4. Washing your hands thoroughly with hot water and regular soap is quite effective. Use antibacterial gel only when you don’t have access to a sink.
5. Dispose of any unused antibiotics at a facility that specializes in safe and complete disposal.
6. Become socially active in insisting that hospitals and clinics and pharmaceutical companies dispose of deadly waste in a way that doesn’t threaten your survival.

Let’s not go down without a fight!

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

LINK: Know Your Enemies: Bacteria Or Virus