Box Breathing, Summer Vocab, Mango, Evolution & AI
Welcome to Summer!
BOX BREATHING
NAVY SEALS ARE TRAINED TO USE A BREATHING TECHNIQUE CALLED BOX BREATHING AS A QUICK WAY TO GET THEIR NERVOUS SYSTEM UNDER CONTROL BEFORE INTENSE MISSIONS.
BOX BREATHING (AND SIMILAR BREATH TECHNIQUES) ARE PROVEN TOOLS FOR MANAGING STRESS, REGAINING FOCUS AND CALM, ENCOURAGING POSITIVE EMOTIONS, AND IMPROVING SLEEP.
RESEARCH HAS DEMONSTRATED THAT BOX BREATHING CAN LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE AND PROVIDE AN ALMOST IMMEDIATE SENSE OF CALM. THE SLOW HOLDING OF BREATH ALLOWS CO2 TO BUILD UP IN THE BLOOD, WHICH ENHANCES THE CARDIO-INHIBITORY RESPONSE AND STIMULATES THE PARASYMPATHETIC SYSTEM.
BOX BREATHING TECHNIQUE:
INHALE THROUGH NOSE FOR 4 SECONDS
HOLD BREATH FOR 4 SECONDS
EXHALE THROUGH NOSE FOR 4 SECONDS
HOLD BREATH FOR 4 SECONDS
REPEAT
SUMMER VOCAB
SA·LU·BRI·OUS (/səˈloobrēəs/)
Adjective
FAVORABLE TO OR PROMOTING HEALTH OR WELL-BEING
“THE MOUNTAIN RETREAT OFFERED A SALUBRIOUS ENVIRONMENT, WITH CRISP AIR, AMPLE HIKING TRAILS, AND HUNDREDS OF PERFECT SELFIE BACKDROPS”
BIG BRAIN, SMALL FACE
WE KNOW THAT THE SHAPE AND MAKEUP OF THE HUMAN HEAD CHANGED SIGNIFICANTLY OVER MILLIONS OF YEARS OF EVOLUTION. HOWEVER, DANIEL LIEBERMAN, A PALEOANTHROPOLOGIST AT HARVARD, POINTS OUT HOW SUDDENLY AND DRAMATICALLY THESE CHANGES OCCURRED WITH THE INDUSTRIALIZATION OF FOOD. WHEN HOMO ERECTUS MASTERED FIRE AND TOOL-MAKING, THEY REVOLUTIONIZED THEIR DIET WITH INCREASED ACCESS TO COOKED PROTEINS AND MUCH LESS CHEWING. THIS EXPEDITED THE CHANGING SHAPE OF THE HUMAN HEAD.
AS OUR BRAINS EXPANDED, OUR FACES SHRANK, AND THEY ARE NOW EVEN SMALLER THAN THOSE OF OUR ANCESTORS JUST 300 YEARS AGO. THIS HAS LED TO CROWDED TEETH AND VARIOUS BREATHING AND SINUS ISSUES IN MODERN HUMANS. IT'S NOT A HUGE STRETCH TO SAY THAT THE HUMAN INVENTION OF FIRE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR SNORING, MOUTH BREATHING, WISDOM TEETH EXTRACTIONS, AND TEENAGE BRACE FACE.
EVOLUTION IS A TRADEOFF — OUR LARGE, EVOLVED BRAINS ALLOWED US TO LAND ON THE MOON, BUT WE SLEEP WITH OUR MOUTHS OPEN. WE HAVE PERFECTLY COOKED BREAD, BUT IT GETS STUCK IN OUR BRACES.
MANGO
BOTANICALLY, A MANGO IS A DRUPE.
A DRUPE IS A FRUIT THAT HAS AN OUTER SKIN, A FLESHY EDIBLE PORTION, AND A CENTRAL STONE ENCLOSING A SINGLE SEED.
LIST OF COMMON DRUPES: MANGOES, PEACHES, PLUMS, CHERRIES, OLIVES, ALMONDS, RASPBERRIES, BLACKBERRIES, PECANS, AND COCONUTS
WHEN IS A MANGO RIPE: IT SHOULD BE SLIGHTLY SQUISHY WHEN SQUEEZED AND GIVE OFF A SWEET AROMA
HOW TO CUT A MANGO: NO ONE REALLY KNOWS...JUST KIDDING HERE IS EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CUTTING MANGO
IF IT’S NOT COOL, JUST ADD ICE!