Winter adventures

It was a Saturday morning; I was out on a run that has become one of my favorite loops this winter. Partly because it’s convenient and close to my house, but also because it is a gorgeous trail around a lake overlooking the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. It is easy to feel gratitude when I look at the white peaks in the distance. What I don’t enjoy is how it can still be challenging to create the time to go play in them. As a mother of a 3^rd grader, working for the school system myself as well as being an entrepreneur, I really must schedule in the playtime that I took for granted in my 20s. Because it is so vital to go outside and connect with myself and nature around me. Breathing in that cooler winter air.

As I was running, I reflected on how I already this winter have done some cool adventures in the mountains. Not as cool as the BASE jumping and climbing adventures I did in my 20s, but cool in a more mature way of adventuring. In November I joined four other ladies for a hiking trip to Patagonia, which was nourishing in many ways on a soul level. In my 20s I spent a year in total traveling and living in the mountains of Peru, learned some Spanish, found a new cliff to BASE jump off of, and climbed a ton. Going to Chile and traveling further south to Patagonia reminded me a little of that time. Hearing Spanish, reading it and refreshing my vocabulary in speaking it felt absolutely amazing. Flying over the Mountain range Cordillera Paine and Torres Del Paine National Park was almost as exciting as I remember the first time I flew into Switzerland, overlooking the majestic Alps.

This was a different type of traveling; I had never before traveled with women. Let alone with that many. All of them are nature- loving and active women, so it really wasn’t a tough choice whether to join or not.

We hiked for five days, saw some beautiful turquoise lakes and snow-covered mountain peaks, waterfalls and heard the occasional small avalanche rumbling. We stayed in hostels and camped a few nights, and besides the furious wind that lingered for a few days, the weather was warm and mostly dry. I also have done two snowshoeing hut trips above 11 000 feet in my backyard playground of the Rocky Mountains, walking for a total of 10+ hours in the snow at a high altitude.

Something that I really noticed was the way I was breathing while hiking. And in general, my lung capacity.  I think that my work as a breathwork practitioner really has created an awareness of how I breath when I am actively moving. Not just sitting down on a pillow meditation or doing my breathing practice.

All breathwork literature I have read encourages nasal breathing. Because of all the health benefits it brings. According to the experts in the field, adjusting our breathing can really impact the way we sleep, deal with stress, it may lower risk of health issues, lowers cholesterol levels, lowers risk of heart disease and stroke, increase endurance and even the ability to have sex for longer. I mean, who doesn’t want all that?

 One of my favorite take-aways from my breathing coursework was learning about the BOLT score, how to increase it and how to simulate high altitude training for athletes with incorporating breath holds into the work out routine. There is a great breathing technique for that called a “lung stretch”. The lung stretch can be performed sitting down, standing up and even while walking. The idea is to stretch out the lungs, since they are elastic and has the capability to increase in capacity by a lot. Incorporating breath holds into this stretch also has the benefits of getting the body accustomed to performing the same or more on carbon dioxide instead of oxygen. Which is what high altitude training essentially is.

Now, how do you do this stretch? It is simple. It is easier to learn this technique by sitting down at first. Start by sitting cross legged with a meditation pillow or cushion under you for your hips to drop down and enable sitting with a straight spine.

Then take a full breath in through your nostrils- hold the breath for 5 seconds-take a sip more of air in through your nostrils- hold the breath again for 5-10 seconds or until you have the urge to exhale, then do that. If you feel like you still have capacity to hold the breath after you exhale, then do so for 5-10 seconds or until you feel the urge to inhale.

Incorporating breath holds after the exhale leads to a decrease in oxygen saturation, increases lactic acid and carbon dioxide in the blood. This acidifies the blood and over time when practicing breath holds, the exercises will offset the effects of lactic acid and enable you-the athlete to push harder without experiencing the same level of fatigue. This is just one technique that I personally practice and also teach to my clients. And I could definitely feel the benefits of doing this while hiking for many days in Patagonia or snowshoeing above 11 000 feet at home in the Rockies. Breathing practices are not just some far fetched hippie New Agey nonsense. It has real scientific benefits.

Wish you all some happy breathing and playtime outside in the beautiful winter weather!