Living Well Naturally Nov. 2014 | Page 24

BODY HEALTH Life By Sandra Wells RHN, RYT Yes, it’s happened again. Summer has come to an end and it’s time to rev up our lives and embrace the mayhem of a new school year. Get ready for those crazy mornings, over-scheduled weeknights and that weekend filled with never-ending obligations. There will be no shortage of advice to help in this endeavor, finding new and innovative ways to cram more of our to-do list into our waking hours. If we were just more prepared, more organized, more something life will be less chaotic. Life should flow more easily. But is there room in our lives for ease? Every minute of our day and our children’s day is accounted for. There is an undercurrent that seems to go un-noticed, a constant driving pace. When do we get to rest? may also be times when it’s possible to slow down. Challenge yourself and your family to see how long one bite can last. Make it a contest! Experts suggest chewing 20-30 times per bite would be optimal for digestion. In a perfect world, eating would not be a race to the finish but rather an event that was conscious and possibly even savored. Don’t under-estimate the power of your own breath. It has amazing healing abilities but often goes un-noticed. The average respiratory rate for adults is 10 to 14 breaths per minute or 600 to 840 per hour. How many do you notice? When you bring your awareness to your own breath you unite your body with your mind, existing completely in the present moment. There is time, even in the busiest day,