Wellness: Colorado, Just Breathe  By Rachel Sturtz      August
2, 2012 8:30 AM  Breathe. It's a one-word command that implores
us to perform our most necessary and, usually, unconscious
function. This summer, it's become an all-too-frequent command
in the wake of what can only be described as a chain of ongoing
tragedy that's taken our collective breath away: The police
officer shooting in City Park; the demonic wildfires that raged
through much of the state, ravaging hundreds of homes, nearly
350 in just the Colorado Springs area; hikers and bikers missing
and killed; and an Aurora massacre that stunned the world. We're
told to breathe in the midst of sobbing, breathe in the silence
of shock, and even breathe when there's a moment of hope.
There's a biological reason for this. Stress causes us to hold
our breath or take shallower, shorter breaths primarily from our
chest. This shallow breathing sends a signal to our autonomic
nervous system (ANS) to flip on its sympathetic system
(responsible for fight or f