Just BREATH during 2021 on our sinuses . Let me tell you here and now , don ’ t do nose hits . Look at your pipe and understand having sinuses that look like that is a very bad thing .
It has been a long time since the anatomy class test on the sinuses , and I do not recall many opportunities since exams to give them much thought . God certainly did . He gave our sinuses a great deal of thought in the book of Genesis , 2:7 , “... the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground , and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life ....”
Let ’ s take a journey through those nostrils , and it may become apparent why you don ’ t want them to look like your cannabis pipe .
Nestor explains to us that in a single breath , more molecules will pass through our noses than “ all the grains of sand on all the world ’ s beaches .”
These little bits of air come from a few feet or several yards away . As they make their way towards you they will twist and spool like the stars in a van Gogh sky , and they ’ ll keep twisting and spooling and scrolling as they pass into you , traveling at a clip of about five miles per hour .
What directs this rambling path are turbinates , six maze-like bones ( three on each side ) that begin at the opening of your nostrils and end just below the eyes . The turbinates are coiled in such a way that if you split them apart , they ’ d look like a seashell , which is how they got their other name , nasal concha , after the conch shell . Crustaceans use their elaborately designed shells to filter impurities and keep invaders out , so do we .
That is why masks are an effective way to keep germs out , as we all know from COVID . And why under those masks , we need to be breathing through our noses .
The Interior of the Nose
“ The interior of the nose , it turns out , is blanketed with the same flesh that covers the penis , clitoris and nipples ,” Nestor explains . The health of this tissue has been discovered to directly mirror our overall health . Also , each nostril has its own breathing cycle . I found it particularly fascinating when I did one of his experiments regarding Right and Left sided breathing . We hold our finger over the right nostril and breath in through the left and out through the mouth 25 times for anxiety and panic attacks . By the tenth breath , I began to feel calmer . The technique is called Surya Bheda Pranayama .
Breathing through the right nostril is a gas pedal . When you are inhaling primarily through this channel you are activating the sympathetic nervous system , circulation speeds up , your body gets hotter and your cortisol levels , blood pressure and heart rate all increase ... breathing through the right nostril will also feed more blood to the opposite hemisphere of the brain , specifically to the pre-frontal cortex , which has been associated with logical decision , language and computing .
Inhaling through the left nostril ... works as a kind of break system for the right nostril ’ s accelerator . The left nostril is more connected to the parasympathetic nervous system and the rest and relax side [ of the brain ] that lowers temperature and blood pressure , cools the body and reduces anxiety . Left nostril breathing shifts blood from to the opposite side of the pre-frontal cortex , that play a role in creative thought and emotions .
According to Nestor ’ s research , a plethora of diseases can be reversed simply by learning to breathe through our noses , including GERD ( Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease ) and sleep apnea , which is associated with 38,000 deaths a year . Nestor claims high blood pressure will come down , asthma will improve , fewer heart attacks will occur , impotence will be resolved , and COPD will drastically improve , which is responsible for 3.17 million deaths worldwide ( 5 % of all deaths ), just by closing our mouths when we sleep . There is also the benefit that when our mouths are shut , we spend more time listening to others , and that ’ s a good thing too , except when we are smoking ! Then it ’ s mouths open – noses shut !
The last issue ( January 2021 ) offered great information about the benefits of mushrooms . I wondered if $ 12 worth of mushroom powder , combined with a few other nutritional supplements , was going to save my son ’ s life . They did ! Now I wonder if a box of bandaids to put over our mouths at night , which I now do , could save us from many more health challenges .
Some books change the way we look at the world , while some change how we interact with the world . Breath does both . Added to the science and really impressive research , Nestor is a delightful storyteller and wordsmith . He takes us back in time to the teaching of ancient peoples through the teachings of America ’ s native tribes and up to current times , bringing all to life and breath for us .