Even though it’s true that I am now 67 years old and that I have been experiencing the condition of asthma for most of my life, I will no longer define myself as such.
In the past, it's been true that there are defined ways that I should act and behave because of both of those conditions, and I probably would act and behave in those prescribed ways if I didn’t have inklings long ago that just kept telling me that something about that was just not right.
I may not have ever been driven to find out more about our innate human nature and ability to recreate our bodies, minds, and circumstances, to move past our conditioning, and come full circle to the potential that exists within each of us had I not had my worst year for breathing in 2020.
I’m not going to lie. I didn’t come easily to this, and my conditioned responses still sometimes try to throw me off track and back to my comfortable discomfort. But I am inspired now – literally because I have come to truly understand the power of the breath. How we are created by it in the beginning and continually throughout our entirety. Not only that. How we can recreate and renew ourselves, and yes, redefine ourselves, simply by breathing.
The fact that our breathing is both autonomic and conscious is both a blessing and a curse to many of us who have been forcefully willed to believe that we must accept the hand we’ve been dealt. That we can’t change the expression of our genes, and the conditions of aging. “I know how to breathe, I do it all the time”. I hear this more often than I’d like, because people are no longer aware of the conscious aspect of our breathing and that if we can control our breathing, we can take command of our lives.
Even though 2020 was "my worst year for breathing" to date, it was my opportunity to pivot. I'd been a severe asthmatic since the age of 2 with many trips to the hospital. This particular trip in March of 2020, just before the pandemic quarantine began, helped me to realize I had the power to change my breathing.
When I was released, I immediately started to research breathwork. The first book that got my attention was BREATHE; The Simple, revolutionary 14 day progam...by Dr. Belisa Vranich, a clinical psychologist who clearly understood the pschyo-physiological aspects of breathing. I did the 14-days, and yes, there were noticeable positive changes to everything from my mood to my sleep patterns to my increased energy during the day. So, I certified as a breathe Teacher.
Next I discovered Oxygen Advantage, by Patrick McKeown, and dove deeper into the science behind both the biochemical and biomechanical aspects of breathing, and I realized that I can move past my conditions. I can rid myself of the definitions of age and asthma. That I can increase my lung capacity, which I was told was static. That I can become younger (biologically), stronger, fitter, and happier. This is exactly what I did.
I have learned more about breathing than I could have imagined before then. Most notably, how we can change everything about ourselves physically, mentally, emotionally, right down to the cellular level by consciously exercising command of our breathing.
Who’d have thought that a 67 year old former-asthmatic would have discovered her purpose, of teaching others to access their potential through breathing and movement so late in life? I guess that’s what gives it impact. Knowing that if I can do it, so can you.
All you need is willingness and determination, because even though it’s simple, it’s not easy. There will be times when your conditioned fear will get the better of you when practicing the exercises. You must be willing to accept that you are safe in the moment, and that you have complete control. Only then will your body’s autonomic responses allow you to relax into the process. That’s when the real magic begins to happen. When your body remembers how it is meant to breathe. You will begin to transform immediately at that point, and the more you understand and practice, the greater the transformation.
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