Keeping Fit!

It's been some time since we talked about taking up yoga class together before P falls sick. The heart is willing but the flesh is weak. We never really got down to doing that until now. And now I have to attend it alone, until P is well enough to join me.

I registered for Hatha Yoga (Elementary) class for a 3-month period at a CC near my home. It is conducted once a week, 1.5 hours each lesson. I started my 1st lesson today. Not sure if it is the style of the instructor or because this is an elementary course, I find the pace of the lesson really slow. Now then I understand why the instructor needs 1.5 hours for each lesson.

However, there was something interesting that I learned from the instructor today. He was teaching us the technique of slow breathing and what good it does to our body, health and overall wellbeing.

"Oh men and women...! You have defaulted from good health by being shallow breathers!"

- Rishi Gorakhnath

He shared examples of various breathing patterns of creatures in nature to show us interesting parallels between breath, behavioural characteristics and life span. For instance, those creatures that are easily excitable (quick to jump, or edgy) breathe with higher rapidity. A mouse takes 50 breaths per min and lives 3-4 years; a chicken takes 30 breaths per min and lives 12-17 years; a horse takes 16 breaths and lives 40-42 years; an elephant takes 15 breaths a min and lives 70-80 years. And the most immovable of all creatures, the tortoise a mere 3 breaths per min and can live up to 190 years! As for humans, we take in an average of 12 breaths per min and can live up to 100 years.

What is the morale of the story? If you want to live a long and healthy life, you must try to keep your calm and cool at all times and not get agitated or angry easily. Because when we get angry, our breathing speeds up and we breath faster than usual and it affects our health. That's why when people get angry, their blood pressure goes up.

The Breath of Life
“By slowing the rhythm of your breath, the vital energy will reach high levels; by increasing the frequency of the breath, this energy of life will diminish.”
- Gheranda Samhita

Angel down with Virus Bug

Shannon was down with fever on the day P left for his business trip. It started with a mild fever on the 1st day and I attributed it to the cause of her cough and running nose. On the 1st night, her fever shot up to over 39 d.c. all the way through to morning. On the 2nd night, it went as high as 40.4 d.c. Her temperature did not go down even after I have given her medicine and sponged her. I got anxious and took her to A&E at 4am in the morning. Nothing much the doctor and nurses at the hospital did except to give her medication, told me to wait, gave medication again, wait again, sponge her, wait some more and then asked if I would like to admit her when after having done all these, her temperature remained at 39+ d.c.

I took her home when they told me there was nothing much they can do except to monitor her and give her medicine again in 4 hours time if she stayed at the hospital. I was told to bring her back to do a blood test if the fever persist till the 5th day. And that was just the 3rd day when I brought Shannon to the hospital. Imagine I had to wait another 2 days for her young body to suffer at such high temperature (if really) before these medical professionals would take further action.

I have no intention to remind myself of the unpleasant experience I had at the hospital that morning to blog about the details. These doctors may have seen a lot of such cases in children and think nothing much of it. I just feel that we should not take any chance with a child's health, or anyone's health for that matter. I would rather be safe than sorry.

As if hearing my prayers, Shannon's fever subsided on the 5th day. She was back to her active self except to have lost some weight. Poor baby!

I went back to work after being away from office for 3 days (without checking a single email). I just have no mood to work. Rachel almost got used to me staying at home such that when I told her I was going back to work the next day, she asked me, "Why?".

Shannon has fully recovered. Thanks to all the friends and family members who had shown concern for my little darling when she was sick. It is no doubt that it pains a mother's heart the most when her child falls sick.