Breath of Life|活力呼吸

Breath of Life

by Rebecca A. Say

Sometimes what you take for granted can have a big impact on your life.

　　If you want to live a better life, stop and smell the roses. Well, not exactly. This common saying means we should slow down and enjoy small moments, but when it comes to health, it means what it says—take a moment to breathe. Breathing comes so naturally to us that we are hardly aware that we are constantly doing it. However, each breath is vitally important to our survival. _(1)_ Regular breaths do this job well enough, but getting into the habit of breathing deeply increases your health substantially. Deep breathing stimulates your lymphatic system, prevents premature aging, clears your mind, and much more. _(2)_ A basic deep breathing exercise begins by sitting up straight and inhaling first to fill your lower abdomen, then middle, and then chest. _(3)_ After practicing these exercises regularly, you will come to a point where you will feel more energized and alert throughout the day.

　　Another benefit of deep breathing is revealed during stressful situations. _(4)_ A simple example of this is when a mother is frustrated with a naughty child. _(5)_ In extreme cases, deep breathing can be life saving, such as when it is used during panic attacks. Those who make deep breathing a practice are better at getting through the attack than those who don't. Remember if you want an easy way to improve your health, give your lungs an extra workout today.

 

(A) To get these benefits, set aside a few minutes several times a day for breathing exercises.

(B) The purpose of breathing in medication is to calm the mind and develop inner peace.

(C) Not only does it bring oxygen into our bodies, but it also expels toxins.

(D) In these stressful situations, deep breaths calm people down quickly by expelling built-up carbon dioxide and giving them something to focus on instead of stress.

(E) When exhaling, start by pushing the air out of the lower abdomen, then middle, and then chest as if you were making waves.

(F) Taking a moment to breathe deeply allows her to calm herself down and better handle the       situation in a positive and teaching way.

活力呼吸

有时你视为理所当然的东西可能会对你的人生有很大的影响。

　　如果你想要过更好的生活，那就停下脚步，闻一闻玫瑰花香吧。嗯，其实也不完全是这个意思。这惯用的说法表示我们应该要放慢脚步，且好好享受这些片段的时刻，而说到健康，这句话要表示的正如同字面上的意思，要我们『花一点时间来呼吸』。呼吸对我们而言是如此自然，自然到我们几乎很难察觉到我们一直在持续地进行着这个动作。然而，每一口呼吸对我们的生存来说都极为重要。它不但可以将氧气带入我们的身体，同时也可以排毒。规律的呼吸足以让这个功能正常运作，不过养成深呼吸的习惯会大大地增进你的健康。深呼吸会刺激淋巴系统、预防提早老化、让头脑清醒且还有更多功能。要得到这些好处，一天拨出一些时间来做几次呼吸的练习。基本的深呼吸运动由端身正坐开始，首先，吸气灌入下腹部，然后中间部位，接着胸腔部位。呼气时，由推挤下腹部的空气开始，然后中间部位，接着胸腔部位，就好比制造波浪一样。定期地练习这些运动后，你会到达某种境界，让你整天都会感到更有能量且更灵活。

　　另一项显露出深呼吸的好处即是处于充满压力的状态下。在有压力的情况下，深呼吸可藉由排出囤积的二氧化碳让人快速冷静下来，同时让人把重点放在某件事情上而非压力上。这种情形的简单例子就像妈妈对顽皮的孩子感到挫折一样。花片刻时间做深呼吸能让她自己冷静下来，并用一种正面教导的方式把情况处理得更好。在极端情况下，深呼吸可以救命，好比恐慌症发作的时候进行深呼吸就有此功效。养成深呼吸习惯的人比起一般人更有助于度过这些疾病。请记住，如果你想要用一种简单的方法来改善健康，今天就给予肺部额外的锻炼吧!

 

答案： 1.   C   2.   A   3.   E   4.   D   5.   F