Breathwork Follow- Up

In my last post, I wrote about all of the benefits of breathwork. It's only been a few days since I've tried to incorporate breathwork into my daily routine. I've noticed it's very easy for me to set aside time in the morning. Being that it's just me and Raven home at that time, I'm faced with very little distractions. Even though I know the benefits are huge to practice breathwork before going to bed, I haven't been very consistent. My husband has been working late hours, so I have been going to bed later. Sometimes after I read, I just lay down in my bed and do some breathing. (which usually doesn't last for very long because I fall asleep) Also, the weekend was a bit of a struggle because I didn't have my normal routine. On Saturday, I didn't do my breathwork in the morning. Throughout the day, I felt more anxious and frazzled. Another challenge I've had is I find it very difficult for me to just sit and focus on my breath because random thoughts pop in my head constantly. Another annoying distraction has been my allergies. I'll be sitting quietly and then have a sneezing attack. Now I keep my box of tissues close by! Overall, I'm feeling happy with the results so far. My goal for now is consistency. I'm trying not to worry over how many times my mind wanders. For now, it's just about making breathwork a habit.

The second cd of "Breathing: The Master Key to Self Healing" by Andrew Weil, M.D. includes eight strategies and three tips. So far I've been working on the first four strategies. I encourage you to try one or all of the them. Let me know if you do!

1. Following Your Breath
Simply put your attention on your breath without trying to influence it. (So hard for me, because I've noticed that I'm often taking shallow breaths.) Notice the contours of the inhalations and exhalations. When your mind wanders, which it will most likely do, just gently bring your attention back to your breath. He encourages you to make it a practice to observe your breath a few minutes a day. You can start doing it for two to three minutes in the morning to open your session of breathing exercises. Also, you can lengthen your time as a form of meditation. I find myself following my breath throughout the day. It's helped me to be more aware of how I'm breathing. I like to start with this before every session like he suggested. I think it's a good way to prepare for deeper breathwork.

2. Begin with Exhalation
Start by observing your breath how you usually experience it: in, out, in, out. Now reverse your conception of the breath cycle and begin each breath with an exhalation. (out, in, out, in) Do this for a few minutes without trying to influence your breath. You may be wondering what's the point of starting with an exhalation? Well Dr. Weil thinks that by doing this you're learning greater control of the breathing process and you'll be able to deepen your breathing by increasing the amount of air you move out. He recommends that you do this for a few minutes after an initial period of following your breath. I found this a little hard at first and I noticed I had to focus more. My mind didn't wander as much.

3. Squeeze More Air Out of the Lungs
The secret of increasing breath is to increase exhalation, rather than to extend inhalation. You have greater control over exhalation, and the muscles controlling it are more powerful. By squeezing more air out of your lungs, you'll take more air into them. Take a deep breath through your nose, as deep as you can. Let it out through your mouth, and when you think you've gotten to the end, try squeezing more air out. Squeeze a little more... and a little more. You should feel the effort in your ribs. I found I was able to squeeze more air than I thought. Usually my inhalations are longer than my exhalations. I noticed that when I did this, it helped slow down my breathing and make it deeper. I practice this for a few minutes after strategies one and two.

4. The Stimulating Breath
The Stimulating Breath is based on a formal pranayama breathing technique called the Bellows Breath. He calls it the Stimulating Breath because its purpose is to raise the energy of the nervous system and increase alertness. (Sounds perfect for CFS, right???) The idea is to breathe in and out rapidly through your nose, keeping your mouth lightly closed. Your inhalations and exhalations should be of equal length and as short as possible. You could even get three cycles per second. It produces a rapid movement in the diaphragm, which makes it a very noisy breath. When I did it, Raven got up from sleeping on her bed. She was very concerned and excited. This way of breathing reminds me of how she sounds when she's sniffing.

This is a more tiring strategy. You may even notice your body temperature rise slightly. He advises not to do the Stimulating Breath for more than fifteen seconds at first. I personally had a hard time doing it for even that long. I think that's mainly because I'm super congested with allergies. After you do the Stimulating Breath for fifteen seconds (or less), maintain a few minutes of regular breathing. He recommends that you slowly increase the time by about five seconds or so, until you have worked up to a full minute. I can't imagine doing it for one whole minute. But it's a worthy goal!

On the cd, we did a few more cycles of fifteen seconds followed by regular breathing. I did notice that it made me a little bit more alert. I can see myself doing this at various parts of the day when I'm lagging. Although, it may not be a good one to practice out in public.

Make room for a little ommm in your home!

After practicing some yoga yesterday, I left my mat, blanket, block and strap out. I usually always put all of my props away since I live in a small apartment, but maybe I was feeling tired, relaxed, or lazy. (or all of the above) Instead, I left my props right next to my favorite yoga wall.

This morning I had to wake up early to get bloodwork done. On my way to the kitchen, I saw my yoga gear sitting there waiting for me. I didn't have much time but since everything was already out, I decided to do a few poses. I just did a few of my favorite poses- Virasana, Setu Bandha and Viparita Karani. After all I only had a fifteen minutes. I felt immediately better afterwards and so I decided to leave my props out. My goal is to do a few poses each day. However, if I have to keep putting props away and taking them out, I will forget to take time to practice yoga. In my dream house, I would have a room dedicated to yoga filled with bolsters, chairs, rope wall, etc. Someday. Maybe. But for now, I'll settle for a yoga nook!

I am by no means a yoga teacher. But I have been blessed with wonderful yoga teachers who have given me wonderful tips on how to make poses work for me with my health condition. Here is a little bit more about the 3 poses that I did today:

1. Virasana (Hero Pose)


Virasana (Hero Pose)



Since my butt does not reach the ground when I do this pose, I simply sit on my block (at the second height). You can also use blankets or a bolster. You should not feel any pain, if you do sit higher! I find this to be a relaxing pose. While I sit in this pose, I like to meditate. Also, I like to do Urdhva Hastasana once I'm in this pose for a bit. Basically that just means raised hands. All you do is lift your arms straight up. Then I clasp my hands together in front, turn my hands out and lift them above my head. I was feeling sore in my quads from my yoga class on Monday, so this was a great way to stretch them out.



Setu Bandha (Bridge Pose)



2. Setu Bandha (Bridge Pose)

I couldn't find a picture for this pose to show exactly how I do it. There are so many variations.  Instead of placing the block between my legs, as it is shown to the left. I place a block on the floor, right under my sacrum.  This is a great support for those who are fatigued or new to yoga. It allows you to reap the benefits of the stretch without being too hard on your body. First, I start off on the lowest height, and I gradually work up to the highest.  I love this pose because it calms your brain, alleviates stress, rejuvenates tired legs, and reduces fatigue, headaches and insomnia.





Viparita Karani (Legs up the Wall)



3. Viparita Karani (Legs up the Wall) This is my absolute favorite pose! No matter how bad I feel, I always feel better after this pose. It calms your mind, relieves tired or cramped legs and feet, and relieves mild back pain. Instead using a bolster as it's shown in the picture, I like to use a folded blanket. I find it's easier on my back. I can use a bolster if it's not super round. I also like to use a strap. I wrap it around the balls of my feet and hold the straps in my hands. I find this helps me to get into the pose. Then I make a big V with my legs, still using the strap. Lastly, I bend my knees, put the soles of my feet together, and slide my feet down the wall. I then support my thighs with either my hands or blocks. If you are suffering from back pain, once you are in this pose, have someone place a sandbag across the soles of your feet.

For more information on these poses, go to www.yogajournal.com (That's where I got my photos!)

Resting up after Christmas

So I'm definitely having a post Christmas crash. Also, I think I may have picked up a cold because my throat is hurting a lot worse than usual and I have some post nasal drip. Fun! I definitely pushed myself way too much in getting ready for Christmas. And now I'm paying for it.


I didn't realize I had the extra bonus of a cold until Steve and I came back on Sunday. I sent Steve to the foodstore with a list. I was planning on making him his favorite chicken and chickpea soup because at the time I thought he was the only one with the cold. I just felt my "normal" CFS symptoms. However, once I sat down in my comfy chair to rest, I realized it was more.  When I got up to make the soup, I was feeling super achy and it hurt to swallow. After dinner, I rested and went to bed super early. I think I slept 10 hours that night.


Monday I was able to rest because Steve stayed home. So he helped me by taking Raven out. I think I stayed in my pajamas most of the day. I tried to ignore the Christmas gift clutter situation and just get some rest. Monday night I also went to bed super early. I believe I was falling asleep in the lazy boy chair around 7:30. I finally got up to get ready for bed at 8. I was sound asleep by 8:30!


Yesterday, I was feeling optimistic. I was definitely getting caught up on my sleep. I still didn't feel great so I agreed that today, since I was still snowed in, was going to be a rest day. However, I somehow managed to finish the laundry, unpack my suitcase, and then before I knew it I felt horrible again. What was I thinking? I went to bed early and hoped I would feel better the next day.


I was so disappointed when I woke up this morning still feeling terrible. I felt so weak, fatigued, achy, and my throat killed. I really wanted to visit with my family today, especially since my brother's family only had a few more days in NJ. As hard as it was to say no, I told them I couldn't visit. I had to stay and rest. Luckily, my family is super supportive and they totally understand. Today I was determined to really rest. I wasn't going to try and tackle the Christmas clutter, or take out boxes to recycling. I was just going to rest.


So this morning I thought I was "resting" while searching online about CFS, probiotics, vitamins, diet, reading blogs etc. You know, trying to find the cure for my health problems. All this did was stress me out. Should I take that vitamin? Oh, maybe I should add that vitamin back in. Oh this person did well on a raw diet, maybe I should try that.


Finally, I closed my laptop. I decided to really truly rest! I heated up some soup and made a salad. I had a relaxing lunch and then I took a nap. After my nap I did some gentle yoga stretches. I stayed in my favorite pose for a while- Viparita Karani (or legs up the wall pose) While I was there I even took my legs out into a V and then I brought the soles of my feet together in baddha konasana up the wall. Then I did some pranayama to try and tame my monkey mind with some meditation. (Pranayama is a Sanskrit word meaning "restraint of the prana or breath". The word is composed of two Sanskrit words, Prāna, life force, or vital energy, particularly, the breath, and "āyāma", to suspend or restrain. It is often translated as control of the life force- prana.)


I was so well rested, I finally had the energy to write a blog post. Although now it's 5:00, and I just realized that I still need to take Raven out and make dinner. I'm going to make myself rest in between. Oh wait, I forgot to unload the dishwasher and my sink still dishes in it. :( I can't do it all.  I must be too calm and relaxed after my yoga practice because I'm feeling slightly less type A. A good thing!

Sometimes you just have to laugh..

I didn’t sleep well last night. I woke up at 3:30 and never fell back asleep. I woke up thinking about Christmas gift ideas and then I had a hard time shutting my brain off. So I knew when I got out of bed this morning around 6:30, today was going to have to be a chill day at home. Plus it was a rainy, damp, chilly day which is when my fibro body aches and fatigue are worse. I started my day by going to gentle yoga. It was hard to get there because part of me just wanted to stay in bed, but I was so glad that I went. We did some gentle stretching poses to help prepare for backbends. Most of our poses were done using the chair. On my way home from yoga, I stopped by the knitting store so I could pick up yarn for a Christmas gift. After that, I was beat! I just wanted to curl up on the couch. I have a confession to make, I didn’t even change out of my yoga clothes (before you say, “Ewww. ..gross!”, remember I went to gentle yoga.. I didn’t sweat at all). After heating up a bowl of lentil soup (leftovers from last week), I took a nap. Besides taking my dog out for quick walks, I pretty much stayed in and rested today. I watched some tv, emailed, knit, read, and snuggled with my dog. Even with all the resting I did, I still feel like I did too much.

Hopefully, I’ll sleep better tonight. Sleep is so crucial. When I don’t sleep well, the little energy that I have is minimized even more and my symptoms (headaches, body aches, sore throat) get worse. So frustrating! But that’s just my reality. I have days where I just need to veg out and rest up in my comfy yoga clothes and slipper socks and drink lots of tea. It’s just funny because not once did I think that at 31, I would be going to gentle yoga with all the grandmas, knitting, and then taking a nap. I guess sometimes you just had to laugh and make the most of what life brings.

“Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.” Ralph Waldo Emerson (Thank you Good Earth tea!)