Part I: Where's Your Breath?

A great morning ritual

About two years ago, I was walking down the street with a friend. She cringed her nose and said,"Do you smell that??? Gross!" I looked at her and had no idea what the heck she was talking about. It was at that moment I realized I wasn't breathing. I mean, obviously I was breathing enough to keep myself alive, but I realized that I was only breathing through my mouth. When I closed my mouth and tried to breathe through my nose, I realized a scary thing - I couldn't! Ok, for those who have weak stomachs, you may want to stop reading here. Alright then heavy hitters, ready for the rest?

My friend wasn't as surprised as I was and shared her oxygen friendly secret - a neti pot. Halfway through her explanation, I was already freaked out. Put a contraption in your nose to pour water out the other side? I can't even swim! I'll drown! But her soothing demeanor convinced me to at least give it a try. After all, what could I lose?

Back home, armed with a neti pot, non-iodized salt and a few kleenex, I tried it. I'm going to spare you all the details here. Check out neti usage directions here. Needless to say, it took me a few tries to maneuver my way around, but when I lifted my head from my sink, closed my mouth and tried to take a deep breath - WOW, what a difference.

My trusty neti pot

So how is this related to Feng Shui? Breath is vitally important and integrally related to Chi. Stay tuned and read Part II on Breath where I'll fill in all the blanks. I'm also posting this now because as it's the winter months, it seems to be an appropriate time to share this jewel. I use it practically everyday. My personal neti pot is the ceramic shown above and I travel with a plastic one. I use it especially when I have a cold or feeling like I am getting a cold like this morning, hence the post. I hear nasal irrigation is good as well for prevention of H1N1 virus but I'm not a scientist. In any case, give it a try. You'll be happy you did. Then take a deep breath and enjoy. Maybe just not in Chinatown on a hot summer day!