This book changed how I will breathe from here on out! Here is my story…

I got sinus surgery at the end of January and although this was my first surgery besides getting my wisdom teeth removed, about 24 hours into my recovery, I began feeling like this was probably one of the worst surgery’s out there. Why!? Because I couldn’t easily do what should come natural to us as humans; Breathe!

I started reading this book I had been meaning to read for the past year on the subject. As I started to dive into this book I was comforted by the author James Nestor’s words. As the hours went by and the harder it was to breathe, I took comfort in knowing I was going to live through this simply because Nestor did.

If Nestor could forcibly block off his nasal passageways with tape and two ear plugs for 10 days and not die, I wouldn’t be dying either! Even though at times it definitely felt like I might. I leaned how to slow my breathing down when I was overwhelmed by using the breathing techniques provided at the end of the book. Additionally, just by listening to Nestor share about how prayer no matter the religion no matter the country all leads to about 5.5 liters of breath which is optimal for calming the body and having more carbon dioxide for healing. So I prayed and took slower breaths often.

This book became my lifeline in addition to my neighbor Allison who remembers almost every detail of the same surgery I had and was giving tips to my husband and I almost daily. It’s hard to describe the hell that you go through and that your body goes through when it is unable to breathe properly or when you are strictly using your mouth to breathe for days on end, when your body isn’t meant to be a mouth breather!

I am thankful for the opportunity to enter into my new life breathing well through my nose. My old nose definitely died. There is a whole new world of taste and smells available to me now. I am excited to start new appreciating it for the next 30+ years and maybe even dive into the techniques of breath-work.