Regarding our own misunderstanding of sinuses, it is worth thinking about how we ‘inhabit’ or live with and view them. It is worth listening the ‘stories’ people tell themselves about their sinuses. It’s also noteworthy that lots of people have no story for their sinuses. It’s easy to misunderstand or misinterpret or ignore them and not see that stress and eye/forehead strain may be at the centre of blocked sinuses and vice versa – in turn how sinuses feedback to furrowed foreheads.  I believe most stories put people at the mercy of their sinuses and not the other way around.  In other words, we don’t fully inhabit our sinuses.

Here are some stories we tell ourselves about sinuses:

“When I eat dairy products, I get blocked sinuses”

“The only way I can deal with my swollen sinuses is by using this sinus medicine”

“I need an operation to scrape my sinuses”

“When I swim, I get sinus problems”

“I clear my sinuses by using a nasal irrigator”

“I always have a low-level sinus infection”

What is going on with these stories? First they see sinuses as cavities filled with mucous; second, fluid in the sinuses are seen as signs of infection, and third, they are all about external causes and solutions connected to unhealthy lifestyles that have become normal and invisible – but also inevitable to some degree. In other words, it’s the swimming or milk products that cause blocked sinuses – and that these are inevitably part of our normal lives. Very rarely might we think we have a choice in the matter – that it is the me or you that brings on blocked sinuses.

Rarely do we hear people say:

“My eyes are less red now that I have learnt to meditate”

“After 10 minutes of breathing slowly my sinuses clear”

“I’m less stressed at work and no longer suffer from blocked sinuses”

“I calm my sinuses for a few minutes each day by relaxing my face muscles”

“I think my snoring is connected to my frowning”

“I no longer have red eyes now that my breathing is freer”

“Having de-cluttered my house, bedroom and life and mind, I now have clearer sinuses”

“I gave up coffee/milk/sugar completely for two months and now I take it sometimes and sure enough my sinuses feel a lot better”

I wish to make the point that a range of different interactions between sinuses, eyes, stress, frowning, headaches, sleep, snoring, propellant foods and vitality can be made. Those connections are unique for each person. Furthermore, these statements are about seeing sinuses as spaces we inhabit and have control over.  These more positive stories are about being face, body, breath and mind-aware.

So, moving from:-
“My sinuses are blocked”
“My sinuses are unblocked!” (Surprise and mystery)

To:-
“I block my sinuses”
“I unblock my sinuses”

I cover these stories and how we view and inhabit our sinuses in the book.