Paul Brunton

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3 Great Science Quotes, Slowing Down, and Finding Beauty in Imperfection

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Reading Time: 1 min 45 sec

I hope the next 21’ish breaths are the most nourishing of your day.

4 THOUGHTS

1. Slowing Down Makes You Faster

“Emotional control rules your ability to get results under pressure. The foundation of emotional control is a calmer, clearer mind…If you can slow down, you can mitigate a bad mood and settle your feelings of stress and worry. Quieting your thoughts means you'll argue less, hold back snap decisions, tamp down a rising temper, and stay focused on the task in front of you for longer. Slowing down actually gets you where you want to be faster and better.”

– Dr. Dana Sinclair, Dialed In

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And one of the best ways to slow down? Conscious, slow breathing, of course 😊

2. Two Great Quotes from Science Papers

1. “The respiratory-neural connection seems to have particularly strong effects on emotions: slow respiration protocols like resonance respiration exert a relaxing and calming effect, while faster respiration tends to induce anxiety states.” - Neuroscience Bulletin (2023)

2. “Parasympathetic dominance can occur through slowing and/or controlling breath…Most contemplative practices share the commonality of slowed breathing, either intentionally, or as a consequence of the calming practice.” - Psychological Review (2024)

3. One More Great Quote Worth Reading

“The growth in scientific interest into breathwork parallels its explosion in public visibility in the media and popularity across the general population: while it is hard to estimate precisely how many people regularly practice breathwork techniques, there are likely to be tens of millions of breathwork practitioners worldwide.”

- Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews (2023)

👏👏👏

4. Finding the Beauty in Imperfection

“According to legend, a young man once sought out a master to teach him the Japanese tea ceremony. The master tested him by asking him to clean up a garden. The young man removed the weeds and raked the leaves until the grounds were pristine. As he reviewed his flawless work, he decided something was missing. He walked over to a cherry tree and shook it so that some flower petals fell to the ground. By finding the beauty in imperfection, he showed he was ready to become a master.”

– Adam Grant, Hidden Potential

1 Quote

“By ‘expecting nothing’ you are not ‘giving up.’ Far from it! You are making a decision to focus on what needs to be done rather than on outcomes.””
— Eric Maisel, Ph.D.

1 GOOD BOOK

Instructions for Spiritual Living by Paul Brunton

I was surprised how much I liked this book. Despite its rather terrible name, Brunton avoids cookie-cutter advice and instead offers genuine wisdom and practical advice on using contemplative practices to lead a better life.

In good breath,

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

Enjoy these posts? Donate to say thanks!


P.S. seriously, well done


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!

Learn more here.



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.

 
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Helping the Mind-Body System, Give Yourself a Break, & Share What You Learn

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Reading Time: 2 min 2 sec

I hope the next 24’ish breaths are the most nourishing of your day.

4 THOUGHTS

1. Breathing as a First Line of Defense

“We propose that the ANS [autonomic nervous system] is modulated by breathing so that in sympathetic dominant states like stress and anxiety, slow-deep breathing techniques and meditation can shift sympathetic dominance to parasympathetic dominance…We propose that these breathing techniques could be used as first-line and supplemental treatments for stress, anxiety, depression, and some emotional disorders.”

– Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback (2015)

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I’m revisiting some old papers as part of a project I’m working on and came back across this gem. I think it’s safe to say that, a decade later, research has backed up this proposal 👏

2. Helping Nearly Every Part of Your Mind-Body System

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“The reduction of stress is like the great leveler because the messages and substances produced by the relaxation response are sent throughout the body systemically—they go basically everywhere. When you move your body out from the stress response and into the relaxation response, it is good for your heart, but also good for digestion, your pancreas, your brain, and basically every part of your mind-body complex.”

– Eddie Stern, Healing Through Breathing

And this is why the stress-reducing benefits of slow breathing (see Thought #1) are so helpful for so many different health problems 👏

3. It’s a Mistake to Rely on a Single Approach

“…it's a mistake to rely on a single guide. No one else knows your exact journey. But if you collect directions from multiple guides, they can sometimes combine to reveal routes you didn’t see. The more uncertain the path and the higher the peak, the greater the range of guides you’ll need. The challenge is to piece the various tips together into a route that works for you.”

– Adam Grant, Hidden Potential

This is perfect advice for our contemplative practices, too 🙏

4. Circulate What You Learn for the Use of Others

“I follow the practice and counsel of an old Greek monk, Callistus Telicudes, who wrote: ‘One ought not to keep what is learned by Meditation, but one should make notes of it and circulate the writings for the use of others.’ This is why I communicate these inner experiences to those who might be helped, to those who might receive more vision of and more belief in life itself.”

– Paul Brunton, Instructions for Spiritual Living

This applies not only to meditation, but to every aspect of life. You never know when something you share might help someone else piece together a route that works for them 🙏

1 Quote

“Laugh at yourself once in awhile; give yourself a break.””
— Greg Evans

1 GOOD BOOK

How Bad Do You Want It? by Matt Fitzgerald

A detour from our usual breathing and meditation books, this was one of my all-time favorites on the mind, written through the lens of endurance sports. It’s filled with inspiring stories and fascinating science that’ll have you rethink what you’re capable of.

In good breath,

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

Enjoy these posts? Donate to say thanks!


P.S. my two new favorite words


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!

Learn more here.



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.

 
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How to Measure Progress, Cognitive Regulator, and Awareness, Awareness…

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Reading Time: 2 min 9 sec

I hope the next 26’ish breaths are the most nourishing of your day.

4 THOUGHTS

1. Breath as a Central Regulator of Cognition

“Collectively, the emerging consensus view from both animal and human neuroimaging studies places the breath, and its role in modulating neuronal rhythms, as a central regulator of higher order cognition. Through olfactory, somatosensory, and interoceptive pathways, respiration can be seen as a global rhythm that regulates how and when we process stimuli arising in the body and the world.”

- Psychological Review (2022)

That is all 🧠

2. On Finding What Works for You

“We must smile indulgently at those who insist that their particular method is the only effective one, as we must smile tolerantly also at those who limit truth to their small conception of it. … A method or technique that is good for one person may not be good for another. And the methods that well suited the ancient mind may be ill suited to the modern one.”

- Paul Brunton, Instructions for Spiritual Living

An excellent reminder that there’s no one-size-fits-all in contemplative practice. If you’re feeling stuck or unmotivated, it could simply mean you’re using methods that don’t fit who you are right now (or the world we live in today) 🙏

P.S. The art (and challenge) is knowing when we’re being undisciplined versus when we need a new approach…only we can discern that.

3. On Measuring Progress

“I’m not impressed by supernatural experiences; I look for changes in character and conduct. How selfless can you be? Can you restrain your senses when necessary? Can you go against your self-will when it benefits those around you? How long is your span of attention? These are the signs of progress in meditation.”

– Eknath Easwaran, Passage Meditation

I’ve shared this one before, but since I return to it often myself (usually to realize how little progress I’ve made 😂), I thought it was worth sharing again. It’s a perfect way to gauge progress in any breathing or meditation practice.

4. This Is Too Brief…Can You Expand on It a Bit?

“There’s the story of the disciple who goes to the master and says, ‘Could you give me a word of wisdom that would guide me through my days?’

It was the master’s day of silence, so he picked up a pad and wrote one word, ‘Awareness’, and gave it to the traveler.

When the traveler saw that, he said, ‘This is too brief. Can you expand on it a bit?’

So the master took the pad back, pleasantly, and wrote, ‘Awareness, awareness, awareness.’”

– Anthony de Mello, Awareness

1 Quote

“To an extent, we are always aware of everything going on around us—except that we are not. Somewhere in the brain, a decision is made about what to focus on and what to ignore.””
— Kam Knight

1 GOOD BOOK

The Healing Power of the Breath by Richard Brown, MD, and Patricia Gerbarg, MD

This is one of my all-time favorite books on breathing. It blends the essential science of breath with clear, practical instructions (and is just a joy to read). Brown and Gerbarg are truly a gift to the world of breathing and psychiatry.

In good breath,

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

Enjoy these posts? Donate to say thanks!


P.S. unfortunately I am also in there


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!

Learn more here.



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.

 
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Brain Syncing Study, Mind Rhythms, and Being Inspired by Spirit

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Reading Time: 1 min 56 sec

I hope the next 23’ish breaths are the most nourishing of your day.

4 THOUGHTS

1. Slow Breathing Syncs Respiration, Brain, and Heart

“Here, we show for the first time, that decelerated breathing at a rate of 6 cycles/minute has a strong influence on the slow cortical potentials (SCPs) of the brain. At this rate a maximum synchrony between breathing, respiratory sinus arrhythmia (heart rate variability), and the SCPs occur.”

- Journal of Breath Research (2019)

SCPs are shifts in electrical brain activity that reflect its baseline excitability. This study showed that slow breathing quickly influenced SCPs, bringing them into sync with our respiration and heart rhythm. It’s another neat example of how our breathing rate can harmonize many of our body’s systems.

2. The Rhythm of the Mind

“Another change which takes place in deepening meditation is the slowing down of the breathing rhythm. According to the great mystics, especially in Hinduism and Buddhism, the breathing rhythm is closely connected with the rhythm of the mind. We know, for example, that as we are getting angry, the rhythm of the mind changes…our breathing becomes stertorous.”

– Eknath Easwaran, The Bhagavad Gita fro Daily Living

That passage is a perfect follow-up to our previous thought. It shows that while science reveals the mechanisms (things like SCPs, breath-brain harmony, and others), ancient wisdom reveals the practical meaning. Both views support the path to a meaningful life 👏

3. Being Inspired by the Spirit

“If we would be inspired by the Spirit at all times and in all places, we must first let it inspire us at set times and in set places. This is one justification of meditation. For all inspiration rises out of the inward deeps of our nature. We cannot compel it, but we can invite it.”

- Paul Brunton, Instructions for Spiritual Living

What better way to (literally and metaphorically) be “inspired by the Spirit” at set times and in set places than through a regular breath or meditation practice? With time, patience, and consistency, this “planned inspiration” begins flowing at all times and in all places 🙏

4. Did the Fall Hurt You?

“There’s the story of Paddy, who fell off the scaffolding and got a good bump. They asked, ‘Did the fall hurt you, Paddy?’ And he said, ‘No, it was the stop that hurt, not the fall.’”

– Anthony de Mello, Awareness

1 Quote

“When your intentions are clear and strong, the appropriate actions naturally follow.””
— The Mind Illuminated

1 GOOD BOOK

The Mind Illuminated by John Yates, Ph.D., Matthew Immergut, Ph.D., and Jeremy Graves

This is an incredible book on the stages of meditation. I absolutely loved the first half or so…after that, a lot of it was beyond my understanding (simply because I haven’t progressed that far in my practice). However, I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the mind and its transformations through meditation.

In good breath,

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

Enjoy these posts? Donate to say thanks!


P.S. we all can dream


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!

Learn more here.



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.