A vital self-care tool during the COVID-19 pandemic

I want to highlight a vital self-care tool during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although this tool is super important for staying healthy and happy, it’s often overlooked and not discussed. Along with washing your hands, wearing a mask, and social distancing, please take care to stop holding your breath, which doctors call apnea.

 Everyone knows that COVID-19 can kill you; it trashes your breathing and you die if you can’t breathe. What most of us don’t realize is even if you are not infected with COVID-19, it can still trash your breathing.

How? This pandemic seduces us to hold our breath.

Apnea is a serious respiratory disorder. In the long run, it can kill you. It contributes to heart disease, hormonal imbalances, type 2 diabetes, chronic inflammation, fatigue, and just plain old pain and suffering.

Now, you’re probably asking, “How do I stop holding my breath?”

First and foremost, focus on exhaling, what I call "Hail the Exhale". Why, because you are much more apt to hold your breath after inhaling than exhaling. Take, for example, Olympic synchronized swimmers, who are professional breath holders. They take a huge inhale just before diving underwater to hold their breath for record-breaking amounts of time.

I teach more ways to move and breathe well in my donation-based Rescued by My Breath Yoga and Mixed Levels Pilates Mat Classes on Zoom. See the class schedule here. You can take one of these classes or check out more of the videos on my YouTube channel.

Take great care of yourself during these trying times.

Breathe well,

Natazha Raine O’Connor