The wave came rolling forward, leaping up with a frothy curl that landed aimlessly around my feet while my toes squirmed deeply into the sucking action of the sandy beach.
All the while, the sun warmed its way across the sky, beaming its life into the world below.
Soon, a lone paddle boarder graced the horizon, drifting effortlessly through water made of hydrogen and oxygen molecules that have been around since Earth was born.
I marveled at each wave as it receded back into the safety bed of ocean life, leaving the breathing world with the delicious taste of salty air to expand the lungs and clear the sinuses.
The salinity that laces the air and the generated ions from the crashing of the waves creates a healthy setting for the body, while the beauty and cadence of the ocean water is Mother Nature’s therapy for the mind and soul.
In other words, my standing at the edge of the Pacific, breathing deeply, watching curiously and listening intently to all the sea gives, is good for me. Since ancient times, coastal cities have been the mark for vacations where relaxing in the sun and frolicking in the waves makes for happy people and cures for sickness.
There have been studies that indicate salt-therapy – breathing the salt air – can help some health problems such as asthma, cystic fibrosis, chronic ear infection and bronchitis.
The New England Journal of Medicine did a study that showed inhaling hypertonic saline decreases mucous in the lungs and improves lung function as well as reduces coughing and decreases pressure in the sinuses. Even just the air, salt aside, brims with ions, negatively charged molecules that bond with all the smog and dust, cleaning up the air and making it fresh to breath.
Most places in nature with trees and plants sans concrete and cars bring in the fresh air. But water, especially turbulent water like waves and waterfalls, brings more negative ions to the air making it crisp and clear.
There are other benefits that surround the place where land and ocean meet.
The sun gets a lot of bad rap, but the UV rays keeps the hormones happy with the making of natural vitamin D in the skin as well as through the eyes with a stimulatory effect on the hypothalamus, pineal gland and the master-hormone secreting gland, the pituitary. Sun glasses off for at least 15 minutes lets the eyes absorb the light. Walking in the coarse sand barefoot not only sloshes off the old dead skin from the feet and keeps the legs strong, it also connects the body electrically with the “heartbeat” of earth (7.83 Hz), an important function in keeping electromagnetic resonance, or the Schumann Resonance, in sync with our body.
We are hit every day with so much electronic radiation that our body’s own oscillating electrical circuit becomes out of balance and leaves us out of sync, so swinging to Mother Nature’s beat is beneficial.
With beauty spreading throughout the sky, gorgeous sunsets reflecting off the blue horizon, I still find the best part of the beach is the sound of the ocean, its hypnotic rhythm diffuses the bombarding effects of living the noisy city life; the ocean lulling the brain out of its wide alert beta wave into the alpha waves of deep relaxation.
Every cell in the body responds deeply to this primordial pulse, the most delicious sound the ear can absorb.
So it is small wonder that the mind, body and emotions respond so positively at the beach where thousands flock for fun, health and a feeling of well-being.
Contact Gina at [email protected].
