As they say. The secret of life is to just keep breathing.
It is the thing we don’t think about. Most of us. We breathe in and out, somewhere around 22,000 times each day. We exhale our carbon dioxide and inhale the air, with its good oxygen, to send our bodies on their way. It is pivotal, crucial, necessary. Without the intake of oxygen, we can’t go on. It seems every single one of us on the Earth share in this. From humans to slugs.
Except.
Except for the Henneguya salminicola. You see, it was on this date, February 24, 2020, when scientists identified the first animal that does not need oxygen to breathe. That turns out to be a tiny little parasite living in salmon tissue, called that easy-to-remember name, Henneguya salminicola.
Now. How those scientists came to know this fact is beyond me. I mean. Were a bunch of them out to dinner at Big Bob’s Seafood Barn eating salmon one night, when one of them said, “Hey! What in the heck is that?” holding up a forkful of flaky pink meat.
Or did they purposely seek out this information in a lab somewhere? And what the heck led up to the inquisition?
I guess I could research this further, but truthfully, I don’t care that much about Henneguya salminicola, except that I don’t want the little booger in my salmon at Big Bob’s Seafood Barn. Or anywhere else, for that matter.
Yet, here is the truth. The rest of us need oxygen. From inchworms to blue whales.
Breathing is essential for all of us animals to stay alive. Oxygen facilitates our entire body’s operations. We suck it in through our mouths and noses and through a process which is quite miraculous, if you ask me, where that oxygen is transported through our circulatory system to our little tiny cells. And that is where our “cellular respiration” takes place.
Think about it. This vast system of blood vessels – arteries, veins, and capillaries – is over 60,000 miles long. I am told that is long enough to go around the world more than twice. And through that system, our blood flows continuously through our blood vessels. Of course, our heart is the pump that makes it all possible. Like I said. A miracle.
Oh, “The Breath of Life.”
I’ve been breathing for all my life. And yet. Sometimes, when I am “guided” through a yoga lesson or a meditation course, I’ve been told that it is imperative that we “breathe properly.” I guess up until then, I didn’t know I was doing it wrong.
But many of these “gurus” say that very few people learn how to breathe in a way that allows the body to function the way it should. If we Google “proper breathing techniques,” we will find that the instructions say our belly should expand outward as we draw in air.
As hard as I try, I can’t get my belly to expand outward. It feels completely unnatural to me, and I end up just stretching my chest upward instead.
So, I often tell people, at dinner parties, when making small talk, “I’m a terribly clumsy breather.” I don’t understand why they always seem to find new interest in the person sitting on their other side.
Seriously, though. Breathing is a part of our natural rhythm. Slowing down and listening to our own natural rhythms can quickly connect us to our spiritual side in the Universe. As human beings, we are sometimes able to “tune in” our own inner rhythms with the universal sense of timing — especially when we breathe.
So today. Don’t be like a salmon parasite.
That’s right. Breathe, baby, breathe. And share the good oxygen with everyone else.
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“Do you breathe oxygen? We have so much in common…”
― Nitya Prakash
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“Breath is the finest gift of nature. Be grateful for this wonderful gift.”
― Amit Ray
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“Yes, they are elves,” Legolas said. “and they say that you breathe so loud they could shoot you in the dark.” Sam hastily covered his mouth.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien
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The breath. I’m doing it wrong.
