Core & Corona

If we can look at the whole Corona situation from a distance, and in the most positive way possible, we might see that the virus is trying to teach us something.

There’s something about the way we are living our lives today. And about how we are treating and mistreating the Earth — no news there. But in the Corona case it’s also about the way we are treating and mistreating our own Body, and more particular our body Core. It’s telling us something about oxygen, the most essential fuel we all need.

One of those messages is this:

Given the bodies we have, and given their potential, we have been using only a tiny part of it. And the most important part we may even have been pushing away: its core. By using more of the full potential we would be capable of so much more (well-being). The current situation is forcing us to discover that widely untapped part. 
Note: It’s not that this has been unknown thus far. It’s been know for ages by ancient traditions. It’s just that we have not been listening.

The way we are breathing currently is literally superficial and “at the surface.” Look at the circle of the Vitruvian woman. We adults in the Western world are breathing through our mouth — that’s fine — but also mostly through our chest — not as natural anymore — areas more towards the periphery of the circle indeed.

To tap into the untapped potential we need to get to the core: and that too can be taken very literal if we look at the circle of the Vitruvian woman. Belly breathing is what we need more of. Or core breathing if you want.

It’s as if we do have a second mouth, in our belly, but we are not using it. If we would we’d be making much better use of the oxygen we are getting naturally. And in the case of Corona that might make a substantial difference. Better breathing would substantially alleviate pressure on and irritation in our respiratory channels such as throat, nose, and lungs. In best case that means we might get rid of milder symptoms such as coughing and sneezing. Even a running nose.

Belly breathing does not come naturally to us adults anymore though. But if you want to reap its benefits and you want to get started there’s no hard skill to be “learned.” Just do what is shown in this little clip.

What you’re seeing is a surprisingly subtle moving up and down of the feet and knees — no effort required or even wanted. The magic is in the subtlety of the movements but also in what you’re not seeing: after about 15-20 minutes, the massage you are giving your core will spontaneously soften your psoas — exhausted core muscle for virtually all of us — and that will subsequently open up extra space in your belly and thus in your lungs. [see here for a variant with even less need of equipment]

The result: slower breathing. Deeper breathing. That’s a double whammy right there when you’re fending off sneezing and coughing attacks. You might get deep rest instead — as it did for me.

Think of it like this. Slow breathing (vs regular/fast breathing) can be compared to a gentle wind that caresses the leafs of a tree ~ harmony, no sneezing or coughing. But strong winds (faster breathing) would more easily tear off those leafs. In the body, that “tearing off” is what causes the irritation and thus the for sneezing and coughing. Those leafs want to get out.
When there is no virus, there is no issue even with strong winds. But when there is a virus, it’s as if there are extra leafs, and thus the threshold for irritation is lower. Which is why it can be beneficial to slow down the breath / wind (especially with a dry cough such as with Corona symptoms).

Needless to say this type of “exercise” is ideally suited for those of us who are vulnerable right now, but also for the elder who are not sick and for people who do not have the best balancing skills anymore but who still want to get some of its benefits. What you’re working on is your innate self-healing capacity.

But make no mistake. There is ample benefits also for those who are not vulnerable: you’re tapping into your source of creativity, clarity, and wisdom.

We’ll need all of that in this newly emerging reality we are living in now.

And let now also be the time what we have … time.