Science Talk, Stress, and 3 Exercises to Heal Any Ailment

1. Science Talk for “Breath is Life”

“We must continuously breathe precisely to bring oxygen to mitochondria to fuel oxidative phosphorylation, to charge our mitochondria, which sustain cellular life, brain activity, and consciousness.”

- Crosswell et al. (2024), Psychological Review

That’s a scientific way of saying: Breath is life.

So, let’s use this passage as inspiration to occasionally take a mindful breath, remembering that each one sustains “cellular life, brain activity, and consciousness.”

2. Stress, Inflammation, and a Valuable Tool for Coaches

“Stress-reduction techniques may serve as cost-effective interventions for preventing and treating metabolic disease.”

– Jurgens et al. (2023), Brain, Behavior, & Immunity​

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The results of this paper suggest that stress-lowering exercises (like slow breathing) may reduce inflammation and, consequently, improve metabolic function. 👏

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P.S. If you’re a coach, implementing these findings in your practice is straightforward; all you need is a Google Form. Join the Breath Learning Center: Sign Up -> Click Science 411s -> Click the top one and you’ll see exactly how (plus a Google Form you can copy).

3. Take a Breath Pilgrimage

“With pilgrimage you literally walk a physical path, have a clear goal—your destination—and a means of reaching it: walking. The simplicity...may be the secret to finding inner-direction.”

- Dr. Guy Hayward

That sounds a lot like a breath practice. You breathe a specific way, have a clear goal, and a way of achieving it: your breath. “The simplicity may be the secret to finding inner-direction.”

The best part? You don’t even have to leave your house 😊

4. Three Breathing Exercises that Will Heal Any Ailment

There are three breathing exercises that will heal any ailment:

• The first one is to laugh.

• The second one is to laugh.

• The third one is to laugh.

(Inspired by last week’s quote from Mr. Rogers.)

"Stress is basically a disconnection from the earth, a forgetting of the breath."

— — Natalie Goldberg

(Thanks to Insight Timer for sharing this one.)

Category: Animals Breathing

Answer: According to one study, at least 65 different species of animals perform their own version of this breathing exercise, which you might have thought was uniquely human.

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(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

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Question: What is laugh?

In good breath,

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

P.S. all nervous…

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