Comments on: Thanksgiving vs Thankstaking http://craigwarner.net/2009/12/02/thanksgiving-vs-thankstaking/#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed // the blog Thu, 25 Feb 2010 11:53:01 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Craig Warner http://craigwarner.net/2009/12/02/thanksgiving-vs-thankstaking/comment-page-1/#comment-2187 Craig Warner Thu, 03 Dec 2009 13:21:12 +0000 http://craigwarner.net/?p=186#comment-2187 Sheesh, Grace. I think you just hi-jacked my blog? Just kidding. But that's definitely interesting and a good reminder, thanks for that. And seriously, you should get a blog. I'd read it. Sheesh, Grace. I think you just hi-jacked my blog? Just kidding.
But that’s definitely interesting and a good reminder, thanks for that.
And seriously, you should get a blog. I’d read it.

]]> By: Grace http://craigwarner.net/2009/12/02/thanksgiving-vs-thankstaking/comment-page-1/#comment-2186 Grace Thu, 03 Dec 2009 03:46:15 +0000 http://craigwarner.net/?p=186#comment-2186 We all take a whole lot of things for granted. One thing that comes to mind is the air we breathe. Respiration just happens automatically, and involuntarily. We rarely value it until it's hard to come by, like when we get stuffy or suffer respiratory congestion. Or crack a rib. Man, I'd really hate that! Asthma is a frightening experience, I know first hand how that works, if you get me near a cat. I've got a confession to make. I've been studying the art of taking (moments of) conscious control of my breath, for several years now, and it's crazy cool. I might add that I've not had a cold for many years! I have no illness and take no medication of any sort. I'm 53. Why attend to our breath, you might ask. For one thing, it brings consciousness toward life and health, instantaneously. Being mindful brings me to a state of gratitude. How can I not immediately think of God?! It's fun to recall, too, the Holy Spirit is often linked to the "wind". It's sobering to hear Christ SUFFOCATED on the cross, as he struggled for hours to breathe. Breath is life, that's for sure! Can it be improved upon?! What if we were able to "amp" it up? Just as one can fan a fire, what stokes our internal furnaces? Volume not speed. Life is a marathon not a sprint. Why does laughing feel so good? Or a good sob? Why do we SIGH?! Who coined the phrase:"take a Cleansing Breath"?! And why does it feel so right? We're to choose between life or death. I've been putting some thought behind alot of God's scripture, and it's easy to conclude that much of it is The Great Physician's health prescription. Singing psalms exercises the lungs! Try this...place your focus on your next INHALE. Make it a slow one. Follow it in as it enters your body. (You instantly want to sit up straighter!) Now slowly usher your carbon dioxide out; EXHALE. Escort the next breath of life back IN, as you welcome it's nutrients. Stay your mind on your breath. Now "vent" the EXHALE out from you, like exhaust. Slowly INHALE and command the oxygen to: "surround every cell". Did you feel that? Instant decompression?! EXHALE, this time forcefully, compressing and contracting your belly muscles, until they're clenched. Slowly relax....INHALE.... Okay, admit it; you're "high" right now, aren't you?! (Deep breathing could replace the caffiene buzz, eh?!) Physiology says stress causes an internal tension, right down to the cellular matter of our DNA. The double-helix spiral tightens, our thinking caps shrink, and parts of us draw up and cringe. But with that, muscle energy is not only being expended, isometrically, our blood flow is hampered. (DANGER!) The shuttle of oxygen gets hung up in it's flow (like being caught in heavy traffic at red lights on every corner!) Breathing, instead of being tranquil becomes a struggle, and nearly forgotten! Our health is greatly compromised. We can't control circumstances around us, but we CAN gain control of our breath, make friends with our intelligent design, and cherish the blessed precious life we've been gifted with! One last tidbit: it's difficult to breathe properly with poor posture. Form equals function is a principle that works like math. We sow what we reap, and our ribcage needs to be high and in place, off our gut, so the lymph pump (diaphragm) can work maximally. Our God-given defense system is liquid lymph and moves when we breathe! Let the doctors study disease and death. I want to study health and life! We all take a whole lot of things for granted. One thing that comes to mind is the air we breathe. Respiration just happens automatically, and involuntarily. We rarely value it until it’s hard to come by, like when we get stuffy or suffer respiratory congestion. Or crack a rib. Man, I’d really hate that! Asthma is a frightening experience, I know first hand how that works, if you get me near a cat.

I’ve got a confession to make. I’ve been studying the art of taking (moments of) conscious control of my breath, for several years now, and it’s crazy cool. I might add that I’ve not had a cold for many years! I have no illness and take no medication of any sort. I’m 53.

Why attend to our breath, you might ask. For one thing, it brings consciousness toward life and health, instantaneously. Being mindful brings me to a state of gratitude. How can I not immediately think of God?! It’s fun to recall, too, the Holy Spirit is often linked to the “wind”. It’s sobering to hear Christ SUFFOCATED on the cross, as he struggled for hours to breathe. Breath is life, that’s for sure!

Can it be improved upon?! What if we were able to “amp” it up?
Just as one can fan a fire, what stokes our internal furnaces? Volume not speed. Life is a marathon not a sprint. Why does laughing feel so good? Or a good sob? Why do we SIGH?! Who coined the phrase:”take a Cleansing Breath”?! And why does it feel so right?

We’re to choose between life or death. I’ve been putting some thought behind alot of God’s scripture, and it’s easy to conclude that much of it is The Great Physician’s health prescription. Singing psalms exercises the lungs!

Try this…place your focus on your next INHALE. Make it a slow one. Follow it in as it enters your body. (You instantly want to sit up straighter!) Now slowly usher your carbon dioxide out; EXHALE. Escort the next breath of life back IN, as you welcome it’s nutrients.
Stay your mind on your breath. Now “vent” the EXHALE out from you, like exhaust. Slowly INHALE and command the oxygen to: “surround every cell”. Did you feel that? Instant decompression?! EXHALE, this time forcefully, compressing and contracting your belly muscles, until they’re clenched. Slowly relax….INHALE…. Okay, admit it; you’re “high” right now, aren’t you?! (Deep breathing could replace the caffiene buzz, eh?!)

Physiology says stress causes an internal tension, right down to the cellular matter of our DNA. The double-helix spiral tightens, our thinking caps shrink, and parts of us draw up and cringe. But with that, muscle energy is not only being expended, isometrically, our blood flow is hampered. (DANGER!) The shuttle of oxygen gets hung up in it’s flow (like being caught in heavy traffic at red lights on every corner!) Breathing, instead of being tranquil becomes a struggle, and nearly forgotten! Our health is greatly compromised.

We can’t control circumstances around us, but we CAN gain control of our breath, make friends with our intelligent design, and cherish the blessed precious life we’ve been gifted with!

One last tidbit: it’s difficult to breathe properly with poor posture.
Form equals function is a principle that works like math. We sow what we reap, and our ribcage needs to be high and in place, off our gut, so the lymph pump (diaphragm) can work maximally. Our God-given defense system is liquid lymph and moves when we breathe!

Let the doctors study disease and death. I want to study health and life!

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