When I was in my teens I had problems with my toenails on my big toes. They were not growing properly and consequently for extended periods of time my toes were extremely sore and would cause excruciating pain should I bump them into something. Before this I did not think that toes were such a sensitive area but let me tell you they can be! Naturally this also affected my walking and every time I put weight on one foot my toe on that foot responded with a message of pain. Humans are very good at adapting and I started to adapt my style of walking to place more weight on the outside of the foot to alleviate the weight on the big toes. At the time I did not think much of it but years later I noticed that my shoes were not wearing evenly. It turned out to be because the extended periods of time walking without putting weight on the big toes had changed my walking style permanently! Since then I have corrected this bad habit a bit by conscious effort but I still find that if one of my big toes are sore the old walking habit will resurface.

This experience shows me beyond any doubt that leaving such processes on autopilot is not necessarily the best thing to do. It also shows me that it is quite possible to gradually change such automatic processes for better or for worse. When it is possible and probably advantageous to give a little thought to whether you are walking in a way that is good for you or not, what about breathing? I my view breathing is an even more critical task that your body does automatically for you, just try to hold your breath and you will agree after a few minutes

Breathing fills your lungs with vital oxygen and from each breath of air your lungs extracts the oxygen and delivers it to the cells in your body through the bloodstream. Just like you, the cells that your body is made of require oxygen to function. They need it to move, build, reproduce and turn food into energy. Cells are the building blocks that humans are made of and even though we have approximately 10¹⁴ of them, it is a given that we should strive to keep them happy.

A recent scientific study shows that certain yoga exercises will improve your breathing capacity. With increased breathing capacity comes a lot of health benefits not just for those with asthma or other respiratory diseases but for all people. Even though you might not think that you have a problem with breathing, it pays to make sure your cells are given the vital nutrient of oxygen since oxygen deprivation have been associated with all sorts of diseases including cancer. And even if you are already breathing in a way that provides your cells with what they need, your oxygen intake can still be put to test by the fact that oxygen concentrations in major cities have been measured as low as 30% below normal levels.

As a yoga practitioner myself I naturally find it to be great news that there is now scientific proof that yoga will improve your breathing. Improved breathing is only one benefit in a long list of benefits you can get from yoga but even considered by itself it should be reason enough to give yoga a try. At the local fitness club the class I am attending is a mix of Tai Chi, Yoga and a bit of Pilates. This mix seems to fit my body very well and in contrast to the lifting of weights I am actually looking forward to each class. I will heartily recommend that you give Yoga a sincere try and even if this style of exercise does not fit you, you can be sure there is no harm done. In fact the scientific study says that if you stick with it for just 18 sessions, your breathing habits will improve. You have nothing to loose and everything to win!