I think you should take a moment and read it and then finish with my response to Sarah included below. I’d love to hear any comments you’d care to make regarding this topic.

I’d like to address my comments to the author of this piece. Sarah, thank you. You don’t know me, but I have the privilege of knowing you through your words. You are a person of depth and understanding with great capacity for wisdom and teaching. It was a pleasure to meet you through your article.

As a health care provider for over 35 years I studied and taught my patients about the importance of posture. Not just for the removal of pain and loss but as a way to enhance their own sense of vibrant expression of who they are. “Posture” and the concept of posture penetrates every level of perception of us as beings, physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.

There is a resonance with the spirit in how we carry ourselves. We are the chalice that holds the Spirit and as we embody that essence we stand naturally uplifted.

For me, I have difficulty when I see deeper into how things are interrelated in this world. With the knowledge of insight into the inner workings of things that people don’t usually see – Posture for one – there is the danger of feeling superior in the knowing. “Look what I know” Such a prideful position leads me to the precipice. It has been something that I have been mindful of since I was a student. I am so thankful that I read a quote from Oliver Cromwell that I repeat to myself over the years, “I beseech you, brethren, in the bowels of Christ, to think that you may be wrong”.

With knowledge comes certainty, a definite double sided sword. Knowledge can bring power but it is destructive to the spirit if the mind thinks it comes from itself. Pride. Arrogance. Intolerance. Focus on knowledge as an end in itself, not how it can help people. You say humility; I call it uncertainty. Either way when I posture my self not at the center of the pride of knowing but in looking at the majesty all around and being in awe of the Master Architect’s hand that keeps me away from brinksmanship.

At the same time there is the juxtaposition of being in service to our community and the burden of leading – by example, by knowledge, by the power of persuasion that can be a source of prideful behavior. A humble spirit keeps one on the path of righteous behavior.

I appreciate your words and take them to heart. A pleasure to meet your kindred spirit.

We are all under an almost intolerable stress load. The state of the global economy, the global climate change, what they are doing in Washington, London or – well you pick it – gives a macro background to the more immediate in-your-face stressors in our daily everyday life; economic pressures, relationship challenges, what’s going on at work, job cuts, downsizing, housing, concern for the kids or the parents. The perception of stress causes bio-chemical changes in our body. It creates mental tension. It reduces physical strength and flexibility and causes pain.
There is so much stress that its perception alters our health and wellbeing. There is not a pill, powder, potion or lotion that will get rid of stress. Although people try for relief of stress in unhealthy ways (Alcohol, drugs, self-destructive behavior) it’s all an attempt to feel better by reducing the effects of stress.
Stress just is. It is a fact of life. There are always going to be situations that we perceive as stressful. The fascinating thing is that we can all experience different levels of stress during the same or similar events. When there is physical danger responses are much the same. Our bodies evolved to handle immediate stress challenges to our safety. Stress can be a good thing. We have to be alert and move quickly when there was immediate danger.
Stress gets murky and unhealthy when the stressor is not direct immediate physical damager. An event that might paralyze one person may be the joy-filled life dream of another – speaking in public for example. Stress that continues to affect us over weeks months or years is detrimental and harms more than it helps.
Stress comes from an internal perceived notion that sees specific situations, actions or events past or present and judges them to be good or bad now. Actually, the event just is (or was) and how we feel about it is an internal judgment. It could be a wedding or a funeral; the body experiences the stress and the mind judges it to be good or bad. The mind gets into trouble when it has a difficult time letting go of past stresses, collects them and relives them over and over - a very damaging hobby - take up stamp collecting, it is not so self-destructive.
There are many ways to relieve stress. We can reduce the bio-chemical changes in our bodies with drugs; a better way is with nutrition. Exercise – action – also is a fantastic stress reliever. Take a walk. Sing. Dance. There are numerous imagery and perception techniques available to reduce mental stress.
So there are many ways that are effective in modulating or relieving stress. The most impressive is not a technique at all. It is a way of living. It is finding in your heart the attitude of gratitude.
All spiritual paths practice and observe the connectedness of a good spirit with wholeness (holiness). There are many sources of insightful and inspirational literature and links that speak to this central concept of the power of attitude and perception. It comes from within and it is an essential ingredient to a person’s experience. Without it we can get most other things ‘right’ but we will not be whole.
Prayer, meditation, introspective thought – whatever you want to call it resets the nervous system from Fight or Flight to Restorative mode. (catabolic to anabolic for you physiologists) from tear-down alert vigilance to build-up relaxed repair mode. There is definite physiologic reason to say ‘Grace’ before meals. It resets your digestive system to receive food and absorb it. (Sympathetic nervous system inhibition and para-sympathetic nervous system activation for you physiology geeks.) When you are in an agitated state digestion is shut down and whatever food nutritive value can be garnered from what you gulped down is halved – at best.
Blessing food or whatever is in your life is not an empty gesture, but an aligning process to focus awareness on attracting more of the same energy into your experience. Most people do it unconsciously with unconscious results. It is better to understand and practice this essential element to optimal health.
Several years ago Bret Treadwell taught me a simple yet elegant way to express this attitude (it came from the Huna tradition) I start every day with this thought.
“I am grateful for what I have and I am given what I bless.”

Nearly one third of Americans are sleep deprived. At least 40 million Americans suffer each year from chronic, long-term sleep disorders, and an additional 20 million experience occasional sleeping problems. Research shows that getting less than 7 hours of sleep each night takes a more extreme toll on the body than most people realize.
These disorders and the resulting sleep deprivation interfere with work, driving, and social activities. They also account for an estimated $16 billion in medical costs each year, while the indirect costs due to lost productivity and other factors are probably much greater.
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, sleep and sleep-related problems play a role in a large number of human disorders and affect almost every field of medicine. For example, problems like strokes and asthma attacks tend to occur more frequently during the night and early morning, perhaps due to changes in sleep.
Studies show that not getting enough sleep or getting poor quality sleep on a regular basis increases the risk of having high blood pressure, heart disease, and other medical conditions.
Inadequate amounts of sleep affects memory, according to a recent study conducted at Harvard University. Without enough sleep, newly-acquired skills and information are not properly coded in the brain, making it difficult to remember.
Sleep also affects mood. Insufficient sleep can make you irritable and is linked to poor behavior and trouble with relationships, especially among children and teens. People who chronically lack sleep are also more likely to become depressed.
More recent research has shown that lack of sleep can also lead to potentially serious health problems, such as developing Type 2 Diabetes. Cortisol, a stress hormone that regulates the blood sugar glucose, is the problem. Prolonged sleeplessness causes the body to continuously release cortisol into the bloodstream. This, in turn, causes a rise in blood glucose that prompts the body to release more and more insulin in an attempt to lower the glucose level. Over time, the increased production of insulin leads to insulin resistance, a condition in which the cells no longer respond to the effects of insulin. Insulin resistance can lead to Type 2 Diabetes. An excess of insulin in the blood also encourages the body to store fat, boosting the risk of obesity.
The chronic release of stress hormones caused by sleep deprivation affects your immune system, making you more susceptible to colds and infections. Sleep deprivation decreases the ability of the immune system to fight off illness and disease. Reports show that just losing three hours of sleep causes a 30% decrease in immune system response. Also, because your immune system helps your body fight cancer; reduced immune system function from insufficient sleep can put you at increased risk of developing cancer. This lack of response suppresses melatonin, which contributes to breast cancer; growth hormone produced during sleep is impaired, which contributes to osteoporosis and other age-related problems; also insulin resistance and impaired glucose processing, mentioned above, can lead to diabetes, and excess insulin and stored fat, leads to obesity.
Chronic lack of sleep can also accelerate the aging process. When you don’t get enough sleep, your brain doesn’t make the normal amounts of hormones, producing hormone levels similar to those of a much older person. However, subsequently getting a full night’s sleep reverses this aging effect, returning hormone levels to normal.
While some people choose to give up some of the necessary hours of sleep, others are simply unable to sleep.
Factors that contribute to insomnia are lack of exercise, poor diet, excessive alcohol or caffeine; medical conditions, such as chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, depression, hypothyroidism, and over active bladders, medications, such as anti-depressants, pain killers, allergy drugs and various hormones; natural conditions, such as PMS and menopause; and various health disorders.
The National Center on Sleep Disorders Research states:
“By any measuring stick, the deaths, illness, and damage due to sleep deprivation and sleep disorders represent a substantial problem for American society.”
Source: National Center on Sleep Disorders Research, February 1994, http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/prof/sleep/sleep.txt
National Institutes of Health National Heart; Lung, and Blood Institute NIH Publication No. 06–5800 April 2006.
How Much Sleep Do You Need?
The amount of sleep a person needs depends on the individual. The need for sleep depends on various factors, one of which is age. Infants usually require about 16-18 hours of sleep per day, while teenagers need about 9 hours per day on average. Most adults need about 7-8 hours of sleep per day. The amount of sleep a person needs also increases if he or she has been deprived of sleep. People do not seem to adapt to getting less sleep than they need.

Again another commonly overlooked nutrient. For any chemical reaction to take place we need the two or more chemical agents (the solutes) and the medium in which they will interact (the solvent). We can throw all the superfoods on anyone’s list together but without adequate water there will be no reaction – no metabolism. Water is vital to life, health and wellbeing. (The Aqua Vitae). Water suspends food components in solution, brings them together, aids in their reactions and carries away both nutrients and waste products to the proper areas. Without sufficient water, the cells themselves cannot function properly.
Adding to the problem is that, not only do we not drink enough water, but our lifestyle also supports ingesting beverages that are diuretic in nature that further deplete our vital water reserves. (The odds are good that you have a soda or a coffee sitting next to you as you read this). The healthy human body contains 60 to 65% water. A 150 lb male has about 42 quarts of total body water. The average daily water loss is 3 quarts though natural body processes depending upon exertion, climate, humidity and diet. The rule of thumb that calls for 8 eight ounce glasses of water daily is really the bare minimum. So people should drink half their body weight in ounces a day. If you weigh 150 pounds your water intake should be 75 ounces! – much more than is commonly practiced. For every cup of coffee or can of soda drunk add another glass of water to that minimum.
A great way to make your nutritional program more effective is to increase your water content. Any vitamin or mineral pill will be more powerful given adequate water. Spending some good money on supplements? They will be so much more effective if you just add water!

(It is a little known but true fact that your daily oxygen intake is equal in weight to the weight of your daily food intake, which is usually 1 to 1.5 pounds! That is a lot of breathing!)

You can put the best, most efficient and expensive fuel in the furnace but without air it will not burn. With limited oxygen it will burn poorly and will leave residues of incomplete burning that foul the furnace. Oxygen is important for the same reason to our metabolism. You are probably slouched down over a computer screen reading this and other blog posts as well as many emails. A tedious job at best and tediousness encourages wilting posture. That slouched posture compresses the rib cage and flattens the diaphragm. Observe your next breath. It is most likely that you lifted your ribs, instead of contracted the diaphragm (the belly should move slightly outward). To test proper breathing, put one hand on your sternum and the other hand just above your navel. The top hand should not move much if at all, while the lower hand should move on inspiration.How to Sit Without Damaging Your Future

Diaphragmatic breathing not rib breathing.
The lungs are expanded by only 30% in rib breathing. Very inefficient. Most of the oxygen exchange happens in the lower part of the lungs (many more blood vessels are located there) then in the top of the lungs. Rib breathing does not bring fresh air to the bottom of the lungs only the top. Rib breathers are starving for oxygen.
Think of a car engine. Pistons move up and down drawning in oxygen and fuel on the downstroke and compressing it on the upstroke. That is diaphragmatic breathing where the diaphragm muscle functions exactly like the piston (the motions are identical). Rib breathing is like holding the piston still and lifting the engine up and down! Can you picture how inefficient and harmful that would be? The energy expenditure to lift the engine would be far greater than the energy gained. It is no wonder that people get fatigued, are worn out and require stimulants to keep going.
Other problems include the nervous system (affects clear thinking and attitude) body systems (poor digestion, constant low back effort to lift ribs means chronic low back pain) and alters emotional states (constant state of stress and anxiety, fight or flight behavior) with predominate rib breathing but lack of oxygen is the primary detrimental effect.