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I hope the next 23’ish breaths are the most nourishing of your day.
4 THOUGHTS
1. One Way Breathing Heals (…is that it doesn’t)
“In sum, an incredible amount of cellular energy is spent navigating states of moderate threat arousal, energy that could otherwise be used for other health-promoting biological processes such as cellular restoration.”
Here’s one way slow breathing heals. By reducing stress, it allows energy that would be used on stress processes to be redirected toward healing processes.
Thus, we might say: Slow breathing isn’t healing; it allows healing.
2. A Heuristic for How Slow Breathing Helps Memory
“The degree of slowness is directly proportional to the intensity of memory; the degree of speed is directly proportional to the intensity of forgetting.”
– Milan Kundera
Although Kundera isn’t discussing breathing, that’s a perfect heuristic for understanding how slow breathing helps cognitive function: Slowing down intensifies memory; speeding up intensifies forgetting.
3. Only You Know the True Scientific Results
“On the one hand, researchers mainly take a third-person approach—they study the states of the brain using various techniques—and a second-person approach—they use a questionnaire about what participants in the experiment have experienced. Yet only the meditator themselves is in a position to offer true interpretations of the scientific data from their first-person perspective.”
- Matthieu Ricard, Buddhist monk and scientist
Although understanding the science is paramount (and just plain fun), this is an excellent reminder that only you can interpret what it means for you through your first-person experience 🙏
4. Four Tiny Thoughts on Breath, Gratitude, and Love
Breathing saves your life 20,000 times a day; mindfulness helps you appreciate this truth.
A daily breathing practice is self-love, preparing your heart and mind to love others.
Slow breathing is air appreciation.
“It is enough to be grateful for the next breath.” - Brother David
1 Quote
“We can take a wonderful vacation in spirit, even though we are obliged to stay at home, if we will only drop our burdens from our minds for a while.””
1 Answer
Category: Emotions
Answer: Experiencing this emotion is associated with “elevated vagal tone, reduced sympathetic arousal, increased oxytocin release, and reduced inflammation—all processes known to benefit mental and physical health.”
…
(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)
…
Question: What is awe?
In good breath,
Nick Heath, T1D, PhD
“Breathing is the compound interest of health & wellness.”
P.S. productivity hack
Breath Science & Wisdom Meditations for a Better Life
Learn to think, speak, and act in alignment with the person you want to be.
The Breathing App for Diabetes
This is the first program specifically made for people with diabetes to help manage their stress through breathing and mindfulness practices. In addition to the amazing program inside the app, we have some really neat things coming up, so sign up now!
Amazon Associate Disclosure
I’ve been recommending books for almost 6 years. Yet somehow, I just discovered that I could be an Amazon affiliate [face-palm]. In any case better late than never. Now, any Amazon link you click is an affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. So, if you’d like to support my work, buying books through these links is helpful : )
* An asterisk by a quote indicates that I listened to this book on Audible. Therefore, the quotation might not be correct, but is my best attempt at reproducing the punctuation based on the narrator’s pace, tone, and pauses.