Surface to Air

What’s the best thing about summer? Foodies say “It’s the barbecue, stupid!” Put just about anything from the animal, vegetable or mineral kingdom on a hot, spitting grill, baste, turn and baste again, and it will taste good. Grill, baby, grill. So primal. Forget the foreplay and skip straight to the sizzle. But here’s the spoiler alert: Grilling creates carcinogens in food, so think of barbecuing as the unprotected sex of the culinary world; be selective and keep the odds in your favour. Maybe grilling is not the road to life everlasting, but there’s something else you can do outdoors that comes close: breathing.
 
It’s safe to say that most of us are terrible breathers. At school, we’re taught trigonometry (as if!)  but not the really practical things like good breathing and stock picking—nose picking comes naturally, of course, and needs no instruction. In fact, just as cash makes the world go round, air is the currency that our bodies use to stay alive. Remember oxygen bars? So 1990s! Now, beauty companies have also gotten into the O2 act with “oxygen facials” and various products for you to buy and use at home that promise to give you a glow a Swiss Miss would toss you over a mountain edge for in a fit of envy. Of course, these treatments are a gag, as any reputable dermatologist will tell you. The theory behind them is that high-pressure oxygen increases the absorption speed of moisturizers thus giving you a temporary “plumped-up” look that diminishes the appearance of wrinkles. Basically, the “whoosh” of oxygen irritates your skin and the inflammation causes it to swell. You could slap your face and probably get a similar effect. Madonna—God bless her, is there anything dear Madge hasn’t tried?—even bought a $10,000 hyperbaric oxygen facial machine for home use. But that was before she found Jesus the hunky Brazilian—now she gets her glow  the old-fashioned way: hot sex. These days, her pricey oxygen machine is collecting dust right next to her box of designer dildos.
 
Which brings us back to breathing. According to Vedic philosophy, breath is the subtlest form of prana, or vital life force. (The Chinese call it “qi.”) When we breathe, prana enters our bodies and nourishes each cell through the circulatory system. You can always spot the people who have an abundance of prana because they radiate vitality. No matter what age they are, they appear “bright.” Sunshine is also considered a source of prana, so this is the best time of year to give yourself a double beauty boost.
 
Here’s a simple breathing exercise I learned at Parrot Cay in Turks and Caicos to increase prana to make you glow from the inside out. It only takes minutes, so you can do it everyday, preferably in the morning.
 
Sit comfortably. Exhale all the air out of your lungs. Now inhale through your nostrils to a steady count of four. Hold to a count of two. Exhale through your nostrils to a count of four. Hold to a count of two. Now inhale again to a count of four and so on… Do this for five minutes; 10 minutes if you’re a Type A. Breathe easily, softly and gently. (No “theatrical” breathing required.) And if there’s a Brazilian boyfriend in the picture, bonus points for you!

Happy pranayama summer, y’all.