How to Signal Calm, Nirvana, and Increasing Your Odds of Happiness

1. How to Send Signals of Calm to Your Brain

“Most contemplative practices share the commonality of slowed breathing, either intentionally, or as a consequence of the calming practice…changes in breathing rate are quickly signaled to the brain, allowing the brain to interpret that the body is in a relaxed, calm state, and safe state.”

- Crosswell et al. (2024), Psychological Review

When you deliberately slow your breath, the brain receives signals of safety, allowing the rest of the body to reach a relaxed, calm, and peaceful state. In other words, calm isn’t something you chase, it’s something you can signal.

2. Exhaling to Reach Nirvana

“Nirvana. This word means ‘blow out.’ Nir is a negative word, and vana is blowing. So, it’s a kind of out blowing.

So, nirvana means ‘breathe out.’ Let it go because it will come back to you if you let it go. But if you don’t let it go, you’ll just suffocate.”

– Alan Watts, Leave It Be
(lighlty edited for readability)

How good is that? It brings to mind this one from Michael J Stephen, MD: “Buddhism and Hinduism were based on an understanding of the potency of the breath. According to these disciplines, studying and harnessing the breath was the only recognized way to nirvana.”

3. Breath as a Built-In Feature of Prayer & Mantras

“Recitation of the rosary, and also of yoga mantras, slowed respiration to almost exactly 6/min, and enhanced heart rate variability and baroreflex sensitivity.”

- Bernardi et al. (2001), British Medical Journal

I was on a call with some friends when this study came up. It reminded me of how classic prayers and mantras naturally slow the breath to ~6 breaths/min, without any instructions. Even a simple phrase repeated gently can be a doorway to calm.

4. How to Increase Your Odds of Happiness 6 Billion to 1

“As I've heard it told, the Dalai Lama once said, ‘When you count others’ happiness as your own, your chances of being happy increase six billion to one.’”

- Oren Jay Sofer, Say What You Mean

Sounds like better odds to me : )

"That point at the tip of the nostril can be viewed as a sort of a window between the inner and outer worlds."

— — Bhante Gunaratana

Mindfulness in Plain English by Bhante Gunaratana

This book is an excellent foundational resource on meditation and mindfulness. I had to read it three times to fully appreciate how good it is. I definitely recommend it.

In good breath,

Nick Heath, T1D, PhD
“Breathing is the compound interest of health & wellness.”

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