We have all been told about the importance of drinking water. After all, water is life. But what about oxygen? Some people have survived 8 to 10 days without water (Binns, 2012) but how long can a person survive without oxygen. 3 minutes? 5 minutes? 10 minutes? To be fair, a man once survived 25 minutes without oxygen, stuck under water in the Mississippi river in 1983, but this is not my point. If we cannot survive without breathing for more than half an hour, then surely oxygen is the most vital nutrient in our bodies, our main source of life, much more important than water. It seems like we could be underestimating the importance of breathing, of providing our body with an adequate oxygen supply, probably because we do it so unconsciously that we do not feel the need to think about it at all.
Let us do the following calculation: Max survival time without water/ Max survival time without oxygen, 14 400 mins (10 days x 24 x 60) / 25 mins = 576
Thus, we can say that oxygen is 576 times more important to our lives than water. If drinking plenty of water ensures a balanced body, then breathing probably does 576 times more good!
My cousin who just finished a Yoga course in India was telling me about the principles of Yoga (the 8 limbs) one of which is "Pranayama" or breathing exercise. "The Yogis realised the importance of an adequate oxygen supply thousands of years ago." She explained a few breathing methods all aimed at bringing more oxygen to the blood and to the brain. We started doing some Yoga and she kept repeating "Breathe Raghda! Breathe!"
I remembered the scene from The Matrix (1999) when Neo started panicking after being "unplugged" and Morpheus looked at him and shouted "Breathe Neo! Breathe!." When he did, he vomited a disgusting white substance, and calmed down. I also remembered that during the final battle between Neo and the agents, Neo kept a steady calm breathing and ended the battle in success with a long deep breath.
It turns out oxygen does wonders! "Taking in extra supplies of oxygen from the air we breathe is the quickest and most effective way to purify the blood stream. In fact, most of our energy requirements come, not from food, but from the air we breathe. By purifying the blood stream, every part of the body benefits, as well as the mind."
"Scientists have discovered that oxygen is critical for the production of Adenosine Triphosphase (ATP); in fact, it is its most vital component." And what is ATP? "the chemical basis of energy production in the body" without which our bodies suffers of "lowered vitality, disease and premature ageing."
Unfortunately we live today in social conditions that are not good for the health of our Respiratory System and humans tend to have some bad habits that affect our breathing, mainly by forgetting to breathe. Thus, I think we should all invest some time to learn about the best breathing techniques and consciously start to maximise our oxygen intake so that we don't miss out on all its magical benefits!
And remember to "Breathe!"