Health
Michelle Treseler
Wildfire Smoke and Your Health: What You Can ...

Breathing large amounts of particulate matter from smoke can cause irritation of our mucous membranes (in our nose, sinuses, throat and lungs) and it can exacerbate underlying conditions, such as: asthma, heart disease, COPD, emphysema, etc. This year, we have the added challenge of a virus that can also impact our respiratory system. I have received a lot of questions as to how we can best navigate these challenges so, in this post, I am sharing what I have found to be physically beneficial when encountering wildfire smoke.

If possible, and I recognize the inherent privilege of being able to partake in the following, here are some ideas as to how to prevent excessive or prolonged exposure to smoke, protect our respiratory system, and promote well-being.

Wildfire Smoke and Your Health: What You Can Do Right Now to Reduce your Health Risk

Qigong

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Qi Reactions

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Qi Reactions

Qigong practices are designed to improve the flow of chi throughout the body, and some practitioners report experiencing a range of physical or emotional sensations as a result.  One of the most common sensations of chi is a feeling of warmth, heat or tingling in the body, often accompanied by a sense of relaxation and well-being. Some practitioners report feeling a pulsing, vibrating, or magnetic sensation in specific parts of the body, or a sense of energy flowing through the body. With time and practice, many experience a heightened sense of awareness and a feeling of being "in the zone."

However, not all chi reactions are pleasant.

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Qi Poetry: Nature's Symmetry

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Qi Poetry: Nature's Symmetry

Qigong is connecting to essence.

It's a form of deep listening, not to content but to the essence of the universe: love. We access this by centering, which is a form of letting go in the dimensions of the mind and knowing... of being fully present in your body through sound, breath, movement and visualization.

When you're fully connected, embodied and present: you open. As the practice deepens, any feeling of separateness drops away and one may have a somatic understanding, a felt interconnectedness amongst all things. Here's to openings and continued discovery of our interrelatedness.

These Qi poems are offerings meant as a gateway to revel and delight as well as arrive more deeply home. (In)joy!