Respiratory Education
The source of life energy

The way to empower ourselves in reclaiming our health is to be educated and informed about our bodies. It is in this understanding of how things work that we have a basis form which to start; when something is "not right" we can only correct it if we know what "right" is. Education about our bodies is the beginning of being whole, grounded and secure in one's own ability to self heal. We all have the power within us to heal if we can let go of preconceived ides that healing comes from a source outside of ourselves. That becomes a direct giving away of our power.

Our lungs are 85% responsible for PH (acid/alkaline) balance in the body and do this by regulating C02 (carbon dioxide) the acid component. The kidneys respond by regulating HC03 (hydrogen bicarbonate) the alkaline component, depending on the messages they receive from the lungs, via the blood. Oxygen (02) is absorbed into our bodies based on how much C02 is available.

If we were to invert our bodies and look at our respiratory system upside down, we would see the amazing similarity to a tree or plant, and how we have been created in perfect BALANCE with nature. The nose and sinuses are like the fertile earth where nourishment or breath, first enters. Up into the trunk, or stem and out to the branches, we can see the similarity to the main stem bronchus of the respiratory system and out ot the bronchioles. At the distal end, in a plant it is the leaves which are responsible for C02 and 02 exchange; int he lungs it is the alveoli, those tiny little air pockets which expand and deflate with each breath like miniature balloons, which are responsible for the same. For a leaf, the job is to take in C02 and release 02; in the lungs it is the opposite.

Therefore we see Nature's Perfect Balance within the plant and animal worlds:

• C02 and 02 exchange in the leaf/alveoli
• Similar plant structure/respiratory system
• Two lungs
• Two kidneys
• Acid/Alkaline balance
• Equal IN breath and OUT breath

The rain forests and trees have often been referred to as the LUNGS of the planet; of our Mother Earth. As more trees are destroyed, breathing and "air cleaning" capacity of the planet has become compromised. A similar phenomenon is taking place in our bodies. As we respond to the stress created by our modern day lives, we have become a world of over breathers and mouth breathers, both of which detract from our body's natural ability to clean the air before it enters the lungs. It is estimated that over 90% of individuals on the planet are chronic "hidden" hyperventilators, which is a breathing pattern that develops in response to stress of any kind. (See Eucapnic Buteyko Breathing on this site for more info.)