Can some daily habits make us breathe better? Fall sick less often?
Our body (and lungs) breathe easy when they are in a balanced state. A state the body knows how to achieve, it is constantly working to stay in this state. So, if only we can assist this system in doing so, we might actually always breathe easy – at least as well as we can in our given surroundings.
Every year, the pollution hits a new high and we hit a new low.
Bad air leads to widespread illness, viral spread, and many long-term diseases. You know the drill. It's all over the internet.
My go-to thinking is focussed on what we can do. For our own bodies, taking action to be stronger internally. This body is capable of dealing with a lot.
So what can you?
Here's a daily routine I follow. And read on to see why they work.
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Vitamin C, first thing in the morning
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Catching the morning sun & letting the Rays into the Eyes (👀)
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Coconut Oil Pulling
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Meditation + Pranayama
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Spinal (Vagal) Realignment Exercises
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Singing Exercises (Vocalising)
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Jal Neti (Sinus Cleanse)
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Yoga & Walking
They are not all necessary, you do what works for you. But they each add a layer of armour against the pollution.
But why do these work?
- Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant, a good cleanser for the acid that builds up overnight. Pure ascorbic acid powder is the best source. Dr. Thomas Levy has done some great work on the many benefits of Vitamin C along with improving our respiratory system.
- Morning Sun helps rewire & balance our hormones, a must given our daily intake of toxins. Sunlight directly into our eyes fixes the circadian rhythm and powers up the eye muscles. These muscles are also connected to the Vagus nerve, innervating the nasal passage.
- Coconut Oil Pulling has been a game changer; the swishing swashing cleans out all the excess mucus. It focuses on dental hygiene. The microbes in our mouth are also linked to how clean our passageways stay during the day.
- The Vagus Nerve (and Spine) are directly linked to how our Lungs perform. The pollution and stress throw this alignment off. A daily realignment is a must. You can check some exercises on YouTube or check our past reels!
- Vocalising is another powerful practice. The vowels and humming help improve our lung function. The breathing involved is also super beneficial.
- Walking in the morning sun also adds the benefits of rewiring the body's chemistry, faster. Check out the topic of Optic Flow by Andrew Huberman.
The body is so interconnected that fixing a few things can help improve our overall well-being. That's all we need really.
The true value of a clean nasal passage becomes clear only when you've had a blocked nose for days. I had that right after Diwali. But it was these daily things that helped me spring back.
Hope they're helpful.
If you have some exercises or techniques that I missed, give a shout out and share with someone struggling through this pollution.