breath

Staying with the Breath

Today, amidst Coronavirus and the memories of 9/11, I'm thinking about the breath and about how important it is to breathe. Last summer I ended up in the hospital with spreading limb numbness that was eventually diagnosed as a mild form of Guillain-Barré. Guillain-Barré syndrome is a rare autoimmune response that at its most intense can result in total, but usually temporary, paralysis and require use of a ventilator. It was a terrifying but important time. I learned how precious our health can be. I also learned how vital breathing is. I watched my oxygen sats on the monitor and breathed deeply. Sometimes they dropped and it felt scary. When I was able to stay calm and centered, I could breathe in fully and my numbers would...