Reading Time: 1 min 46 sec
I hope the next 21-ish breaths are the most nourishing of your day.
4 THOUGHTS
1. It’s About Pace, Not Speed
“It is a gentle, slow practice…and pace (not speed) matters. There is no rushing, no urgency embedded into a step. It isn’t a task to ‘get over’ so I can move on to the next thing on the list. Instead it is an opportunity to be aligned with the pace of the natural world.”
- Libby DeLana, Do Walk
This was about walking, but it applies equally well to contemplative practices. They’re about pace, not speed. You’re aligning with the flow of the natural world before getting carried away by the day’s tasks.
So for our purposes, we might modify DeLana’s words as: There is no rushing, no urgency embedded into a breath. 👏
2. Using Speech to Shift How We Feel
“Because speech is created with breath and because our breath is directly tied to our nervous system, the pace of our speaking is often a direct reflection of our internal state. What’s fascinating is that changing our pace of speech can shift our internal state.”
- Oren Jay Sofer, Say What You Mean
Speaking of pace, here’s an excellent reminder that we can shift our internal state simply by speaking more slowly. This will slow our breathing, allowing our nervous system to calm down.
3. Two Ways to Practice Slow Breathing
1. Deliberate Slow Breathing: Using a pacer or counting to intentionally breathe slowly at a set pace (like 6 breaths/minute).
2. Natural Slow Breathing: Using meditation or relaxation to put your physiology in a state where slow breathing occurs spontaneously.
Either one is an effective way to improve wellness, so pick the approach that suits you best 🙏
4. Grow the Good to Crowd Out the Bad
“When I was working for the St. Louis Rams, I asked the head groundskeeper, Scott Parker, how I could get rid of the weeds in my yard at home. With great confidence, he replied, ‘Grow more grass.’ Growing more grass chokes out the weeds.”
– Drs Jason Selk & Ellen Reed, Relentless Solution Focus
I’ve shared this before, but its wisdom is timeless: In any challenging situation, let’s ask: “Am I growing more grass or just pulling weeds?”
1 Quote
“In other words, by changing the breath pattern one can induce a chosen state of mind.””
1 GOOD BOOK
Spinal Breathing Pranayama by Yogani
Even if you don’t practice “spinal breathing pranayama,” this is a great read. It offers many practical guidelines and lots of wisdom on the breath. Definitely worth checking out if you enjoy slow breathing.
In good breath,
Nick Heath, T1D, PhD
“Breathing is the compound interest of health & wellness.”
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* 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.