200 – Breathe

Because I like milestones, this is the 200th beach walk reflection. Thanks to those who have stopped by and thought about topics …. and special thanks to those who have been here from the beginning.

Click the video above for several minutes of background waves while reading.

I like to walk on the beach. It is good for the mind, body, and soul – and refreshing on my feet.

I deeply inhale – then slowly exhale. Ahhhh …. The fresh sea air is wonderful. It’s like nowhere else – probably a mixture of the salty sea spray, wet sand, and various aspects of biology. To me, this air is an elixir of life.

Breathe. A sign of life because it is essential for life – something we unconsciously do over 20,000 times a day. I think about each time we breathe – the taking in of oxygen and the disposal of carbon dioxide – yet we forget that the atmosphere is about 20% oxygen and 79% nitrogen. I chuckle thinking about my high school students being unable to say anything beyond needing to breathe to live; otherwise, we’ll die.

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Breathe. Breathe slowly. Relax. Breathe to meditate. Breathe to allow yourself to step away from the craziness of life to focus on yourself. Breathe to not let distractions take you away from yourself. Just breathe to relax – and relax to breathe.

Breathe to slow down – to connect with your mind, body, and soul. Breathe to inflate your lungs. Breathe to appreciate you are still breathing. After all, consider the alternative. 

I think about how we want space to breathe after exerting ourselves or having an emotional moment. I can only remember hyperventilating once in my life. On the other hand, we often don’t breathe during times of stress. Holding our breath doesn’t make sense to me, but stress has a way of taking us away from normality. So breathe to reduce stress one exhale at a time. (Thanks, Debra)

I think about other aspects of breathing in life. I still can’t imagine running a marathon, but training increases lung capacity. I think about how singers learn to control their breathing. The same with brass and wind musicians. I chuckle at my tendency (and others) to hold my breath when dancing smooth dances such as Waltz, Foxtrot, and Tango. That’s not a good idea – just breathe.

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I think about airplanes pressurizing the cabin so we can breathe normally during travel. Scuba divers carry oxygen tanks to allow them to breathe underwater. Astronauts use a specialized suit for breathing and life support during a space walk. 

I think that each time we breathe involves inhaling impurities such as viruses, dust, smoke, pollutants, and chemicals. I remember working in a coal-burning power plant for three summers – a great place for anyone enjoying a hot, noisy, and dirty environment. 

I think that each time we breathe involves inhaling a variety of scents that our smell receptors detect. Messages that nerves take to our brain’s centers for smell and emotions that may affect our next breath. Scents that we will translate from pleasant to pungent. Scents that memories take us back to a time and place as an olfactory deja vu.

I think about enjoying wine. Giving the wine a chance to breathe opens up its aromas that will enhance our sensory experience. There are reasons for slowly inhaling before and after swirling the glass. After all, the more we smell, the more we taste. 

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I think of different ways living things get their necessary oxygen. I look to the land and notice the trees that get much of their oxygen from their roots in the soil. I shiver at the thought that people know that plants release oxygen as waste in one process, but fail to realize there is much more to the story. But yes, plants breathe in oxygen because they need it just like us – and for the same reason.

I look into the sky to notice the birds flying. Their collection of elastic air sacs is less flexible than our lungs, plus they lack a diaphragm. But they have a way to breathe – and some soaring birds do so at a very high altitude.

I think about the relationship between birds and dinosaurs with similar lungs. But the atmosphere during the time of dinosaurs contained less oxygen than today, so we and other mammals wouldn’t have done well in the dinosaur age. 

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I look out to sea thinking about the fish with their feathery gills doing for fish what our lungs do for us. Yes, fish breathe. I think of the many single-celled organisms receiving their oxygen by simple diffusion through their cell membrane. Jellyfish, too. Yes, that’s the way they breathe. I smile as my timing couldn’t be better as I watch several dolphins coming to the surface to breathe using their diaphragm.

The end of my walk is an opportunity to slowly inhale, slowly exhale, and savor the freshness of each breath of the air of the beach and sea. The breath delivers all the scents of a symphony – the melody, harmony, and accompaniment. I know this air isn’t pollution-free, but it is an elixir – and another reason I like to walk on the beach – which is good for the mind, body, and soul – and refreshing on my feet.

See what other bloggers have posted about Breathe

• Ocean’s Breathe (a poem with images by a reader here)
• Breathe In. Begin. (a poem)
• Breathe On Move It Monday (a breathing essay by a reader here)
• Just Breathe (a poem)

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