Coronavirus is all about colonizing the lungs (and apparently, in some cases, the heart too). The smokiness and particulate matter currently in our Western air are also assaulting our respiratory systems right now.
So our airways really face a lot of challenges in this moment. Time to shine a little lovin’ on our hard-working lungs.
I always have to circle back to the primacy of the indoor air purifier, which performs an amazing service in places like California right now where the air quality toggles between Unhealthy and Very Unhealthy. My air purifier is Ground Zero in my lung support program.
But I wanted to find other ways to support my poor, beleaguered lungs, so I started looking. I found some breathing exercises, some supplements, and some herbal interventions. Is any of this stuff helpful? Well, I believe the breathing exercises are simply good practice, and I do feel calmer when I do them regularly; I also think they offer a way to increase lung capacity, which is surely a good thing. The herbal steams soothe my throat and help me breathe more comfortably after I've had to be outside in the toxic air. I'm not sure about the supplements, but the cumulative effect of all this is that I feel I'm doing something to care for and protect myself in a situation in which I have precious little control.
Here's what I'm doing to show my lungs some TLC:
*I checked out an ebook copy of James Nestor's book Breath: The New Science Of A Lost Art. The book makes a compelling case for nose breathing as opposed to mouth breathing, but also for spending time consciously doing breathing exercises.
There are three breathing exercises that I've been alternating. They all feel good to do. All are pranayama exercises, pranayama being the practice of breath control in the context of yoga. One is dirgha pranayama, three-part breathing, which focuses on conscious diaphragmatic, thoracic, and clavicular breathing. The second is krama pranayama, segmented breath, which involves a simple pattern of inhaling, exhaling, and holding the breath. The third focuses on moving one's attention up and down the spine during conscious breathing.
I use a free app called Insight Timer for these guided breathing exercises. There are also lots of guided breathing exercises on YouTube. Even the New York Times has joined in the fun with an article on breathing exercises referencing Breath.
Nestor's book got me looking into other interesting breathing practices, and the field is huge! Here’s one example: Tummo, a breathing and meditation practice of Tibetan Buddhist monks, taps deeply into one's ability to raise body temperature. In a fun competitive twist, monks would occasionally go outside, lightly dressed, into the Himalayan winter night. They would begin tummo breathing and enter a deep meditative state, after which attendants would toss wet sheets over them. The monks’ intentionally generated body heat would cause the wet fabric to start steaming. After a sheet was completely dried, an attendant would replace it with another wet sheet. The monk who dried the most sheets during the night was the winner! Another reminder of the vast, largely unexplored dimensions of human potential.
*I had heard that cordyceps mushrooms help to increase VO2 max, the measure of the maximum amount of oxygen a person can make use of during intense aerobic activity. The measurement is relevant for Olympians and other elite athletes, but I figured if cordyceps helps the A Team with oxygen uptake, why wouldn't it be helpful for regular folk too? I don't do anything that could reasonably be called intense aerobic activity, but I'm supporting my lungs here, remember? I started taking one of Paul Stamets's Fungi Perfecti supplements, Cordychi, which blends cordyceps and reishi.
*I ❤️ herbal steams! I use either fresh thyme, which I grow, or eucalyptus or pine essential oil. I like the fresh thyme best. I harvest a few sprigs, put them in a glass bowl, and pour bowling water over them. I then drape a towel over my head while leaning over the bowl, and breathe in that luscious herby steam for about 10 minutes. This is good stuff, and I always breathe easier afterwards.
*I stumbled across a Korean study that found that subjects who drank two or more cups of green tea a day were less likely to develop Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Like the elite athletes above trying to optimize their VO2 max, this didn't exactly apply to me as I don't have COPD, but I figured if it helps prevent serious lung disease, why wouldn't it be helpful in offering lower-level lung support to somebody like moi? Plus I was already on the green tea bandwagon because of its anticancer effects.
*I've made an herbal lung support syrup—with lots of lung-loving herbs like mullein, plantain, marshmallow, and licorice--during the last two wildfire seasons, but I just haven't found time to do so this year. Until I do, I'm subbing in a purchased herbal product. I wanted something that includes elecampane, an herb that I didn't use in my own formulation, but that I've since learned is an important respiratory support plant in the herbalism world. I'm using Urban Moonshine's Clear Chest Herbal Syrup. 40% alcohol! You can really feel that vivifying burn as this stuff goes down.
*I drink a lot of water.