Mind Roads: Breathing

Speaking of mind roads, my daughter asked a very good question just the other night.

“Mom, when you breathe does your tummy go in or out with each breath you take in?”

I had to really think about the answer. “Well, the Proper way is to have the belly push out a little on inhale and then go down on the exhale.”

“Good. Then I’m doing it right.” She said with a smile.

“I’m really proud of You,” I told her. “Did You know that I was in my late 30’s before I learned that my breathing was all wrong? This is cool that Your brain already has been taught the Right way. This will come in handy in Your adult life when stress gets too high. Just do Your breathing the right way and the body will tell the mind that You are relaxed.”

“Well, I used to watch Papa breathing all the time when we sat on the sofa together. That’s how he breathes.”

“I’m glad that You were paying attention and learned this very important tool so now that You are a teenager, that road will be paved into a super highway and You will never have to Think about breathing again.”

Yes, something seemingly “simple” as breathing is actually a complex network of roads to be mapped out & paved into the weaving of the mind.

As babies, this mechanism of life is automatic; just watch one sleep. Their bellies rise up when the inhale deeply, then lower as the exhale and then they hold their breath for a few moments to start the process all over again.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome occurs when the brain or body “forgets” to start the process over again.

The forgetting is due to that particular road not being cleared out all the way. For some reason it gets hung up the debris littering the way (unformed brain cells & functions) and simply stops where it’s at.

As we grow older we learn to adjust and adapt to our surrounding environments. Our brains get more materials to work with ~ cells & mass capable of carrying, forwarding and retrieving the myriad of information taken in everyday.

Nutrition, of course, plays a Huge part in this.

In my case, i had altered my breathing pattern by an early age.

When I was 10-12 years old we went to Park Point Beach right across the street from Grampa’s house at the foot of the Arial Lift Bridge in Duluth, MN. All I can remember about that day is being at home with a decent size piece of glass lodged deep into my heel.

As I laid on Mom and Dad’s bed while he dug it out with tweezers and a needle, and she was holding me in a half cuddle, half straddled so I couldn’t move, i started my “new” breathing technique that i taught Myself sometime earlier but it all came back.

I would suck the air deep in my lungs until they hurt, then I would hold the breath for as long as I possibly could before letting it out to start this backwards process over and over again as my hands drew up in fists.

For how long did this go on? I have no idea.

The piece of glass out, a splash of some antiseptic and they turned me over to find a severely hyperventilated child whose hands were balled up so tight, not even my “motor head” Dad could loosen when locked up nuts & bolts posed no problem.

We came out, sat on the sofa and i got to have Oreo’s ™ and milk as my parents each had a hand to massage while they spoke softly to me – i don’t think I responded for I cannot remember what they said.

So, this was the beginning of my adolescence and the way i trained my mind to respond to adversity – and teenagers always have a problem. LOL

Soon though because this was the road I was laying down to take for breathing, it became the dominate one, then the Only one. In effect I retrained my brain to do exactly the Opposite of what it new how to do and was Supposed to do.

It wasn’t until 3 years into my journey 2BRecoverED that I found out i was doing it all wrong. It took me months and months of practice everyday, in all sorts of situations especially around feeding times to even be able to do it well.

It was a few more months when in the middle of dinner I looked down at my self to see my belly rising as I felt the breath go in. Sure enough, the breath left without a fuss as my tummy went back down. I was amazed!

“I’m doing it!” I shouted then waited for it to happen again. “I’m really doing it!”

“Doing what?” Husband & Daughter asked.

“My breathing, look it’s working right,” and demonstrated for them too.

“Oh.” They both said kind of perplexed. “That’s good!” they responded cheerily.

The neuropathways in the brain are already started in the womb and start to be sown & hewn with plenty of nutrients and good information coming in.

The fact that my daughter has Mastered the “art of breathing” by age 14 fills me with a Certainty beyond Hope that she will indeed excel faster & farther to achieve her dreams and goals.

She fills me with Hope for my tomorrows. In her I see just how important LIMU is for the development of the brain which allows the mind to expand and reach new heights as it pushes the limits of body and very thoughts.


The roads of the mind are not forgotten or lost, just overgrown and covered with sticks & moss, easily cleared away with a clean and healthy supply of blood rushing in daily to flood all the debris out and away from the body.

Old roads retrieved, new building permits received, the work begins anew right where it left off when LIMU shots are taken.


Blessings of peace and health enlightenment and prosperity to You alway!

I'm Barbara A Thornton, I Am LIMU and I'd be honored to sponsor You!

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