Tara is gentle, sweet, and cares for hikers and trails. "You can do a 3 mile hike or an 8 mile hike. Rattle snakes love here," she said. "But they'll slither away rather than attack."
"Phew, that's good," I said,
A large man joined in. "You won't notice some plants stings until a few weeks later. Then you'll feel like scratching your leg to the bone."
"Oh dear."
"It's OK, we'll warn you," he continued. "Then there's cougars and wild cats. But they rarely attack. Heart attacks from climbing up the mountain are more common."
It sounded fun. The first hike I'd ever been on.
"Make sure you breath deeply," he ended. "You'll need lots of oxygen climbing up waterfalls, along streams, and over giant boulders."
He was right. From the start, most of our group panted, marching up a steep path towards the mountain top. Waterfalls, boulders, streams and narrow cliff-side paths provided wonderful nature and scenes on the way to the summit. If we weren't breathless enough, breath-taking views finished us off! Except me. Breathing exercises I've taught for 20 years helped!
It was fabulous. At the end I wanted to do it again.
But I was the additional entertainment!
We drove to a veggie restaurant, where hikers asked questions about my breathing technique! So I taught them in the restaurant. The owner and a diner joined in.
Tara has a Masters degree in "exercise". The owner was a body builder. And the diner a gym instructor. Shocked expressions showed on their faces as they realised how stressed and bad their breathing was.
It was my turn to explain dangers! How little they filled their lungs with oxygen... how little they expelled carbon dioxide.
The problem is, even athletes and professional singers do not expand and contract their lungs enough. Diaphramatic breathing is not good enough for your health!
Tara kindly emailed later with a testimonial.
"What I learned from Allan J Sweeney is invaluable information. I had no idea what I am able to do with my lungs! Amazing stuff! In all my years as a fitness professional, with a Masters Degree in Exercise Science, I have never even heard of these techniques. Allan is such a beautiful presence with so much to share. Be open to his sharing and your life could change for the better!"
There's a free CD about breathing on this site. Donations welcomed though...
:-)
http://routenote.com/music/AllanJ.Sweeney/StressManagementforyourWholeBeing/5051813692383