Sniff Sigh Yawn founder Joel Jelen’s first book on breathing Why Does Daddy Breathe Funny? includes an A-Z glossary of terms to help young people and their parents become more aware of the power of breathing education for our health.
The book which has just been published also includes a list of new words for some younger children given it’s aged 6-11 target audience.
A – Z
1, A is for Aware – People who breathe through their mouth or snore have a tingling feeling in their solar plexus. Nudging Daddy in the solar plexus is a way of helping him to breathe better.
2, B is for Buteyko – he cured his own asthma and high blood pressure by changing his breathing. Clever name, clever man!
3, C is for CO2 – which gives you energy, it’s all in the bubbles!
4, D is for Digest. When you don’t breathe properly, it affects your digestion and can make your tummy too acidic.
5, E is for Exercise. Exercise is great for people who snore or breathe loudly during the day but it should always be more gentle exercise until they can breathe better.
6, F is for fight or flight. It’s very common for adults and children to get in lost in virtual reality. Their normal breathing pattern can get lost too!
7, G is for Gout. Gout is related to mummies and daddies with acidic stomachs.
8, H is for Hyperventilating. Breathing too quickly and loudly can create anxiety and panic attacks.
9, I is for Immunity. Over use of technology without breaks creates stress on our bodies and asks our immune system to fight the stress.
10, J is for Jaw. Strengthening the muscles in your face and widening your mouth with expert advice can help snorers.
11, K is for Konstantin, Dr Buteyko’s first name. Breathing well again can feel like magic after breathing badly and suffering for many years.
12, L is for Lymph Glands. Muscles suffer, your brain and your nerves suffer when you don’t breathe correctly.
13, M is for Muscles. The less you breathe, the more the C02 you create for your muscles to benefit.
14, N is for Nose – Unless you have a cold, stuffy noses are often caused by mouth breathing which causes other health problems.
15, O is for Over-breathing. Not breathing properly, from the mouth and chest, leads to poor concentration and mood swings.
16, P is for Pause. Inhale, exhale, pause is the best way to breathe, relax and feel energised.
17, Q is for Quantity. How you breathe during the day determines how you breathe at night.
18, R is for Reset. Breathing therapists help people identify hidden and obvious breathing issues and re-train their breathing
19, S is for Sigh. Sighing, sniffing and yawning especially during the day are all signs of a bad breathing habit.
20, T is for Tongue. Remind yourself day and night to keep your lips together as often as possible.
21, U is for Uvula. An expert can advise on specific exercises to help widen airways.
22, V is for Voice. Speech re-training involves a focus on nose and belly breathing.
23, W is for Water. Mouth breathers typically have 40% less effective hydration.
24, X is for X-Ray. More than 150 conditions are created through a bad breathing habit.
25, Y is for Yoga. Yoga is a good way to become a better breather so long as you move in the pause.
26, Z is for Zebra. Focusing on your breathing can save you a lot of stress!
New words for children
Aware – showing that you know about something
Solar plexus – the solar plexus is a part of your body. It is just above your tummy, under your ribs.
Digest – the way your food goes through your body. Find out more about how food is digested here: https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/discover/science/general-science/your-digestive-system/
Gentle – kind
Macho – big, strong and tough
Limping – finding it difficult to walk, maybe because your foot or leg hurts
Hyperventilating – breathing very quickly
Immunity – how your body stops you from getting ill
Lymph glands – lymph glands are in your neck, just below your jaw. They protect your body and stop you from getting ill.
Muscles – muscles control your body’s movements. Did you know you have more than 650 muscles in your body?
Overbreathing – breathing very quickly
Pause – a short break
Ulcers – sores in the mouth and tummy that hurt
Why Does Daddy Breathe Funny? is now available from Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CCZZX2XL?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860&fbclid=IwAR0trXPTsEB92jIQZNtd5gECOd8y9lr1L_s01F5IRlU5oLmENnnklRx0TYc
This A-to-Z book includes a glossary of new words for children and short notes about better breathing for parents. Slow down, relax and read this book with your children to find out how you can all breathe better and improve your health.
