The Skill of Breath and Pillars of Health

1. Breathing is a Universal Skill

Most skills you learn in soccer don’t make you better at baseball.

Most skills you learn in tennis don’t make you better at hockey.

But the skill of breathing is universal, applicable in every domain, available every second of every day.

2. A New Foundation for the Pillars of Health

"Sleep is more than a pillar; it is the foundation on which the other two health bastions sit. Take away the bedrock of sleep, or weaken it just a little, and careful eating or physical exercise become less than effective, as we shall see."

- Matthew Walker, Why We Sleep

Beautifully said, but I would go a step further and state that breathing is the bedrock of healthy sleep. Remove correct (nasal) breathing at night, and even excellent sleep hygiene becomes less effective.

Of course, breathing isn’t a cure-all that replaces the other health pillars. But, it is the foundation on which they all sit. We’d be wise to make it a solid one.

Related: Three pillars of mental health: Good sleep, exercise, raw fruits and veggies - Note the portion about sleep quality versus quantity.

P.S. This thought also brings to mind James Nestor, who said, "No matter what you eat, how much you exercise, how skinny or young or strong you are, none of it matters if you’re not breathing properly."

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