Respiratory relief

Well… I’m still sick.  Today, the things that made me smile were the things that helped me breathe easier – literally.  They included:

My neti pot. I neti every morning (and have done so for at least the past 5 years, if not longer), and I always feel better afterwards.  Today, though, the relief was truly immense.  I’ll spare you the gross details; suffice to say, I noticed a considerable difference in my ability to breathe after the lovely saline wash.

Yoga. I have done a brief yoga practice every morning for the past several years as well; and unless I am physically unable to stand, I still do yoga each morning – even when I’m ill.  The practice is very, very mild – 8 gentle, slow-moving sun salutations – and the benefits are terrific.  In addition to the “usual” benefits (calmer mind, more relaxed muscles, better outlook on life), this morning the inverted postures helped break up more congestion that the neti pot couldn’t reach; and while I had to blow my nose after every single set of sun salutes (yes, I blew my nose 8 times in 10 minutes), again, the relief was lovely.

A wicked hot shower. In addition to warming my body on this -7 degrees Fahrenheit morning (that’s negative 7 degrees), the steam and the water both continued to loosen things up inside of me; and I was able to leave the house in a somewhat “functional” state.

And now, I’m home; and I get to just relax.  And breathe.  And smile.  And even though I’m sick, life is still good.

Stef