Meredith > Recent Status Updates

This is a book with pretty delightful trivia and curiosities about the body.

My favorite story so far was about a guy who accidentally swallowed a gold coin and who, after days of capturing the concern and advice of Britain for dislodging it, did so. And this introduced a section on the human mouth, risks of choking, the Heimlich maneuver, and the thorough work on choking done by Dr. Chevalier Quixote Jackson.

Just finished Part I, and I’m already of the opinion that this is one of the better books I’ve read for beginners. When folks come to me asking for a beginner book on AI, this might become the first one I recommend.

More tl;dr: master alternate nostril breathing and tummo breathing, i.e. breath of fire.

More tl;dr: (4) Breathe your nose even when you exercise, knowing it will be hard at first. (5) Soft, processed foods have shrunk our mouths, causing malocclusion of our airways. So eat better and chew! This improves bone density, too.

So many prayer practices—Tibetan mantras, the rosary, Kundalini yoga’s kirtan kriya—produce an average of 5.5 breaths per minute. Scientific research shows this rate has an extremely healthful effect. “Prayer really heals. Especially when it’s practiced at 5.5 breaths per minute.”

Tl;dr so far: (1) Stop mouth breathing. (2) Stretch to expand your ribcage and align your posture to accommodate bigger lungs. (3) Ensure you fully exhale.

I'm 22 days into this book. It's a wonderful daily-dose reminder to write. Not to research, not to think about writing. But to sit down and--whether it's 3 lines or 3 pages, good or bad--write.

This book continues to make me appreciate more and more the miracle of transplant medicine, donors, and the doctors, nurses, and professionals who make it possible.