Longevity Breath for Healthy Aging

According to the June 4, 2014 CNN news, “It is Her Majesty’s custom to send a personal greeting to her subjects on their 100th birthdays. These days the Queen of England has a lot more letters to write.

That's because a record number of people are living to 100 and beyond in the United Kingdom -- and worldwide. In fact, one-third of babies born in the UK in 2013 are expected to live to 100, according to their Office of National Statistics. In the United States, the population has seen similar trends.”

To live to 100 years, genes play a pivotal part. Other than that, lifestyle also accounts for the capability to extend lifespan. But the most important factor that many of us are unaware of is our breath—the longevity breath.

Why is breathing so important? It is because without breath, we die in minutes. Sadly, many of us are unaware of this because breathing is so natural, so spontaneous that we simply take it for granted.

Breath is the gift of life. Once we become aware of our breath, we will become aware of many other things in life, such as our heath, our diet, our thinking, we will begin to make changes in our lives, such as giving up smoking and drinking. But to make lifestyle changes is easier said than done because we are living in a toxic environment that contaminates the body and the mind. Every day we are bombarded with hypes by the multi-media and modern technology; they become toxic thoughts in our minds. We become controlled by them, such that our thinking minds have become dysfunctional. Unfortunately, what we think become our realities, just as the French philosopher Descartes’ famous statement: “I think; therefore, I am.” The thinking mind is important because it controls not only how we think, but also how we make our everyday decisions that have a long-term impact on our health, and hence our longevity.

But how is breath related to the thinking mind?

First of all, correct breathing is critical to our health. Babies breathe naturally. But as we grow up, our breaths change for the worse, not the better. Correct breathing affects your posture, which also affects your physique, including your physical health. Correct breathing means you breathe in sufficient oxygen and breathe out as much as possible all the toxic fumes and carbon dioxide from your body. Breathing is a natural rejuvenation and detoxification process. Unfortunately, most of us have incomplete or compromised breathing, leading to shortness of breath and accumulation of toxins inside the body. To have correct breathing (which means the breathing out should be longer than the breathing in) and complete breath (which means we use our diaphragm—the muscle between the lungs and the tummy—to push air and fill up the upper lungs), we must be aware of our breath—the longevity breath.

If you wish to live to a ripe old age  like Santa Claus, then you must have the mindset of Santa Claus. Read my book: Your Golden Years and Santa Claus. This 252-page book is about the wisdom in living in the golden years. The wisdom is in using Santa Claus as your role model to believe in yourself, to think and act like Santa Claus.

Stephen Lau
Copyright© by Stephen Lau

Daily Morning Routines

To be diagnosed with an autoimmune disease is a devastating experience. No matter what, life has to go on, especially you need holistic living to ensure that the disease symptoms may not get worse.

Life is made up of cycles of changes that initiate natural health and healing. Think of your natural health in terms of cycles, not just isolated points. It is, therefore, important that daily morning routines will contribute to physiological rhythms that are harmonious with the cycles and rhythms of Nature for holistic health and wellness. This harmony is instrumental in helping you cope with autoimmune disease symptoms that cannot be alleviated by medications.

One of the most important daily morning routines for holistic health is to go to bed early and rise early. This is the key to getting a good and restful sleep without medications. Even on weekends, try not to disrupt this rhythm of your biological clock. Get yourself attuned with Nature for holistic wellness of the body, the mind, and the spirit.

Before you get up, stretch yourself in bed, and make a smooth transition from sleep to wakefulness. Research studies have shown that most heart attacks occur in the morning due to the sudden changes from sleep to wakefulness. Follow the ancient Chinese way of waking up:

• Use your fingertips to massage your ears, eyes, lips, and nose.

• Gently tap your scalp with your hands.

• With a continual stroking action, massage your shoulders, elbows, hands, chest, abdomen, knees and feet.

• With your palms, massage your lower back.

• Then inhale vigorously through your nose, and exhale forcefully through your mouth several times in order to rid your body of toxins that may have accumulated during your sleep.

The above is what the ancient Taoist monks in China would do before they got up every morning to have a clear mind and healthy body. They practiced these daily routines for holistic health of the body, the mind, and the spirit

Exercise—if your daily exercise regimen is in the morning. Yoga health is an excellent daily routine for holistic health and self-healing through the mind and the body.

Take your morning shower. Brush your skin with a soft-bristle brush to rid your skin of dead cells.

For holistic health, clean your mouth this way for better oral health:

• To remove a film of impurities from your tongue, gargle a tablespoonful of warm sesame oil for a minute or two; spit out the oil.
• Use a tongue scraper to scrape your tongue until all the white coating is gone.
• Gently massage your gums with your fingers.
• Brush your teeth.

The use of warm sesame oil for oral hygiene, instead of the harsh commercial mouthwash, helps purify your colon as well as improve your digestion. Sesame oil is especially good for removing harmful bacteria from your mouth and preventing gum disease. The commercial products contain chemicals and are often too harsh for oral hygiene. Research studies have shown that swishing and gargling oil is best for gum disease and cavity for optimum oral health. In addition, sesame oil has the benefits of strengthening your jaws, preventing cracked lips and sore throat.

Learn how to get Freedom from Dental Disease, and save you a lot of money in dental health.

Daily morning routines play a pivotal role in holistic health because they form a natural cycle for balance and harmony.

Stephen Lau

Copyright © by Stephen Lau