The Tibetan Yoga of Breath

,

One Solution to Stress, Getting More, and the Best $0.99 I’ve Spent

,

Listen Instead of Reading

If you enjoy listening, you can subscribe to the audio version on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Audible so you don’t even have to look at the email 😊

Reading Time: 2 min 12 sec

I hope the next 33ish breaths are the most nourishing of your day.


4 THOUGHTS

1. The Most Ubiquitous Form of Stress (and one solution to it)

“Our bodies get worn down more quickly under chronic stress, and chronic uncertainty is the most ubiquitous form of chronic stress.”

- Elissa Epel, Ph.D., The Stress Prescription

Our greatest, “most ubiquitous form of chronic stress” is uncertainty. (This statement holds up in my life. It’s mind-blowingly obvious, yet I’ve never realized it.)

One of Dr. Epel’s Solutions: Accept and embrace uncertainty as an unavoidable part of life. Easy to say, harder to do.

My Way of Doing It: Practice mindfulness of breathing, learning to cultivate an attitude of nonjudgmental acceptance as you receive each breath exactly as it is. This mindset will transfer to your perspective off the cushion, too.

2. A Simple Way for Getting More Out of Your Practice

Before you start:

“Take a moment to reflect on your motivation, making sure that the wish to practice for the benefit of all beings is present in the mind.”

- Anyen Rinpoche & Allison Choying Zangmo, The Tibetan Yoga of Breath

It only takes 5-10 seconds, and you can adopt this beautiful mindset for any wellness practice you do 👏

3. Mindfulness is Contagious (you can make others healthier)

“As more than forty years of research has shown, mindfulness is good for our health. The research on mindful contagion suggests that one person’s mindfulness may increase another person’s mindfulness. Thus, I think it may be the case that the people around us with whom we interact may actually be having a positive effect on our health.”

- Ellen Langer, Ph.D., The Mindful Body

✅ Mindfulness is good for our health.

✅ Our mindfulness can increase another person’s mindfulness.

Thus, deductive logic tells us that, by practicing mindfulness, we may be able to positively impact the health of those around us 🙏

4. Becoming Your Own Island

“You don’t need a course in silence or relaxation to be able simply to pause. Silence can be anywhere, anytime—it’s just in front of your nose.”

- Erling Kagge, Silence

That’s amazing by itself, but it got even better. Kagge went on to say, “Sure, we are all part of the same continent, but the potential wealth of being an island for yourself is something you carry around with you all the time.”

“An island for yourself” <– That’s so good 👏

Here’s to using our breath to create our own island of silence, today.

BONUS: The Best $0.99 cents I’ve Spent

This gentle, fade-in alarm clock: Progressive Alarm Clock (this is iPhone specific, but it looks like Android has other good options).

P.S. I just Googled “gentle alarm clock” and found this one. Perhaps there are better ones out there, but this does the trick for me.

1 Quote

“I recommend breathwork to almost all patients that I see because, in my experience, stress is a primary cause (or an aggravating cause) of most cases of illness. And even if people have diseases that clearly have organic physical causes, relaxation can nonetheless benefit them and help their body’s healing system work better.””
— Andrew Weil, MD

1 Answer

Category: Respiratory Tract

Answer: The upper & lower respiratory tracts are lined with this, which can trap small particles, thus helping to filter incoming air.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is a mucous membrane?


3 Spots Left

I have 3 spots left in October for my 8-week program for overcoming stressful life setbacks. Email nick@thebreathingdiabetic.com with subject line “breath” to learn more.

In good breath,

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


P.S. achieved full enlightenment

iCalm for Focused Relaxation

If you haven’t already, try iCalm. They called it “meditation in a bottle”…I gave in and bought…and now I use it almost daily, lol. Use discount code NICK20 for 20% off.

* 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.

 
,

Emotional Balance, Why Mindfulness, and Moving Beyond a Calm Mind

,

Listen Instead of Reading

If you enjoy listening, you can subscribe to the audio version on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Audible so you don’t even have to look at the email 😊

4 THOUGHTS

1. Improve Emotional Balance with the Breath-Wind-Mind Connection

“Each time a gust of wind blows over the ocean, ripples and waves cause movement and agitation on the water’s surface. However, when the air is calm, so is the water. It is just so with the mind. The more often we breathe, the more agitated the energy of body and mind becomes. By breathing less frequently, we begin to achieve elemental harmony.”

- Anyen Rinpoche & Allison Choying Zangmo, The Tibetan Yoga of Breath

This beautiful analogy reminds us that the calmer we breathe, the more peaceful our minds. For this reason, the authors also say:

“As the [breath] is brought into balance and becomes more stable, neurotic tendencies lessen and even begin to disappear.”

Balance our breath, and we balance our emotional states.

***

P.S. Ironically, I find not balancing my breath the most balancing. For example, I often use slightly longer exhales and left-nostril breathing to elicit emotional equanimity. So play with it and find what works for you 🙏

2. The Liberating Power of Breath Awareness

“Breathing awareness is not just about calming the mind—a common assumption among meditators not familiar with this method. Rather, the breath helps you maintain full attention, enabling you to see with greater clarity and accuracy the true nature of all forms: everything that arises passes away. The implications of such insightful seeing can be profound and liberating.”

- Larry Rosenberg, Three Steps to Awakening

Here’s an excellent reminder that breath awareness—the most foundational of all mindfulness techniques—can be used to go beyond just “calming the mind.” It can help us “to see with greater clarity and accuracy the true nature of all forms.”

That sounds like a worthy goal to me 🙏

3. Why Mindfulness is a Part of All Breathing Practices

Almost all breathing practices start with breath awareness (this usually annoys me because I just want to get to the “good stuff,” lol).

But here’s why it’s so important: Without mindfulness, the benefits of the breathing practice will be minimal at best.

  • We need mindfulness to notice when we actually need breathing.

  • We need it to observe how our breathing reflects our emotions.

  • We need it to notice if the practice is actually helping in our lives.

Embrace mindfulness, and watch the power of any breathing method you use grow exponentially.

4. Abraham Maslow’s Teaching Philosophy (how can you use it?)

“Maslow viewed the role of the teacher, therapist, and parent as horticulturists, whose task is to ‘enable people to become healthy and effective in their own style.’ To Maslow, this meant that ‘we try to make a rose into a good rose, rather than seek to change roses into lilies. . .It necessitates a pleasure in the self-actualization of a person who may be quite different from yourself. It even implies an ultimate respect and acknowledgement of the sacredness and uniqueness of each kind of person.’”

- Scott Barry Kaufman, Ph.D., Transcend

 

I absolutely love this, especially: “We try to make a rose into a good rose, rather than seek to change roses into lilies.” 👏👏👏

How might you apply this philosophy in your life, or in your role as a teacher or parent?

Breath is Life Learning Center

Timeless Wisdom + Modern Science Made Simple to Help You Live a Better Life

Join Today.

$14.99/month or $149/year

1 Quote

“And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer.””
— Rainer Maria Rilke

1 Answer

Category: Breath Awareness

Answer: Bringing awareness to your breathing uses this sense, which means something like “sensing internal signals from your body.”

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is interoception?

In good breath,

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


P.S. That is such a great deal

* 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.

Sign Up For The Breathing 411

Each Monday, I curate and synthesize information from scientific journals, books, articles, and podcasts to share 4 thoughts, 1 quote, and 1 answer (like "Jeopardy!") related to breathing. It’s a fun way to learn something new each week.

 
,

How to Let Go, Breathing for Better Emotions, and Loving Life

,

Listen Instead of Reading

If you enjoy listening, you can subscribe to the audio version on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Audible so you don’t even have to look at the email 😊

4 THOUGHTS

1. Breathing to Reduce Negative Emotions

“In view of the close association between respiration, ANS activity, and emotions presented, it is apparent that individuals possess the ability to alter emotional states using the voluntary control of breathing and mindset.”

- Self-Regulation of Breathing as a Primary Treatment for Anxiety

 

Over the years, the most rewarding benefit of my breath practice has been better mental health. This paper helps explain why.

They propose that slow breathing alters cell excitability by activating the parasympathetic nervous system, making you physiologically less susceptible to negative emotions. That’s pretty neat.

If you’re interested, you can get all the details in the Learning Center.

***

P.S. To apply these findings in your life, consistently use virtually any slow breathing practice to activate the parasympathetic nervous system and increase overall vagal tone 🙏

2. How to Let Go: Brush Your Teeth and Heal

“Try to think of the practice as you would the daily ritual of brushing your teeth … Let your body heal itself without the interference of mind-generated doubts, criticism, and appraisals. … You wouldn’t critique your toothbrushing so don’t analyze this exercise either.”

- Herbert Benson, MD, Timeless Healing

Whether it’s breathing, meditation, or another wellness practice, a reoccurring theme I hear is that we need to let go of expectations. We need to simply perform the exercises without judgment. Judgment and self-appraisals will only take away from their healing potential.

That’s really easy to say, but harder to actually do. That’s why I love this analogy. Each time we find ourselves judging our practice, we can think: “You wouldn’t critique your toothbrushing so don’t analyze this exercise either.” Then, just get back to the practice.

Simple yet powerful 🙏

3. The Power of Breathing in Everyday Life

“[Breath] training not only results in extraordinary wisdom and realization…but it also results in ordinary worldly wisdom. When we have the qualities of calm and relaxation in body, speech, and mind, we are able to accomplish more, and with better-designed plans. We make clear and thoughtful decisions and have more harmonious relationships. We avoid doing things that are at odds with our personal goals and integrity, and do not sabotage our own growth. We avoid making impulsive decisions, or speaking impulsive words, ones we may regret later. When we lack chaos on the inside, the world outside reflects our sense of inner harmony.”

- Anyen Rinpoche & Allison Choying Zangmo, The Tibetan Yoga of Breath

This is a perfect description of how a consistent breathing practice can help our everyday lives in meaningful (yet often immeasurable) ways 👏

4. Loving Life

To genuinely fall in love with life, fall in love with breathing.

***

P.S. I know that sounds cheesy (it even feels cliche writing it), but it’s absolutely true.

Breath is Life Learning Center

“Thank you for all that you share. As a newly qualified Breath Instructor this information is vital for my learning so that I can pass this knowledge to my students.”

- Nicola

Join Today.

$14.99/month or $149/year

1 Quote

“Waking up is becoming more alive. The aliveness that’s available to all of you is already here in this moment. It’s life in the form of breathing.””
— Larry Rosenberg

1 Answer

Category: Breathing and Emotions

Answer: Contemplative practices like breathing, meditation, and yoga may influence emotions by increasing this neurotransmitter.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid)?

In good breath,

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


P.S. Meditation in real life

* 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.

Sign Up For The Breathing 411

Each Monday, I curate and synthesize information from scientific journals, books, articles, and podcasts to share 4 thoughts, 1 quote, and 1 answer (like "Jeopardy!") related to breathing. It’s a fun way to learn something new each week.

 
,

Build-a-Breath, How to Work with Emotions, and Carrying Great Power

,

Listen Instead of Reading

If you enjoy listening, you can subscribe to the audio version on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Audible so you don’t even have to look at the email 😊

4 THOUGHTS

1. Build-a-Breath: Breath Stages and the Nervous System

“Vagal activity is enhanced during the postinspiratory period and inhibited during the postexpiratory period.” - Kromenacker et al. (2018)

 

When I read this somewhat unassuming sentence, it actually led to a pretty big “aha moment” for me. It means: 

  • Inhalations: Sympathetic

  • Inhale-Pauses: Parasympathetic

  • Exhalations: Parasympathetic 

  • Exhale-Pauses: Sympathetic (I had never actually thought about this one and just assumed it was parasympathetic.)

Let’s apply this to a real-world example: the popular 4-7-8 breath. Using the above relationships, we see that 4 seconds are spent in sympathetic and 15 parasympathetic—no wonder it’s so relaxing.

With this information, you can now assemble and tailor a breath to meet your needs using a simple app like Breathe: iPhone & Android.

The power is yours…have fun with it 🙏

 

2. One Way to Stop Overbreathing: Mouth Tape at Night

“Taping the mouth at night ensures the benefits of good breathing during sleep, allowing you to fall asleep more quickly, stay asleep longer, and wake feeling energized.”

– Patrick McKeown, The Oxygen Advantage

And if that’s not enough, it’s also one way (among many changes we need to make) to train our bodies to breathe less in general.

As Patrick says, “Spending a guaranteed eight hours breathing through your nose while you sleep is an opportune way to reeducate your respiratory center to adjust to a more normal breathing volume.” 👏 👏 👏

***

P.S. If you want more amazing wisdom from The Oxygen Advantage, I just released a Book 411 summary on it in the Learning Center.

3. How to Work with the Root of Emotional Imbalances

“No matter how out of control we feel, how low our energy is, or how large our problems seem to loom, wind energy training is an effective intervention for all emotional imbalances. When we work with the breath, we work with the root of the problem.”

- Anyen Rinpoche & Allison Choying Zangmo, The Tibetan Yoga of Breath

I have nothing to add except to repeat that last sentence: “When we work with the breath, we work with the root of the problem.” 👏

4. A Tiny Thought On Why Breathing Helps Everything

Since no bodily function can occur without breathing, it just makes sense that breathing, in some way, influences every bodily function.

Breath is Life Learning Center

“I wish everyone in the world knew about the Breath Is Life Learning Center. My life has improved through your easy-to-digest and often entertaining information.” - Happy Member

Join Today.

1 Quote

““For something so simple, automatic, and for most people, unconscious, breathing carries with it great power.””
— Al Lee & Don Campbell

1 Answer

Category: Breathing and Emotions

Answer: Using fMRI, researchers have found that breathing influences activity in this region of the brain, an area associated with emotional regulation and response.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is the cingulate cortex?

In good breath,

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


P.S. and I can finally be free

* 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.

Sign Up For The Breathing 411

Each Monday, I curate and synthesize information from scientific journals, books, articles, and podcasts to share 4 thoughts, 1 quote, and 1 answer (like "Jeopardy!") related to breathing. It’s a fun way to learn something new each week.

 
,

Why Breath Control Matters, -148°F, and Engaging Fully in Life

,

Listen Instead of Reading

If you enjoy listening, you can subscribe to the audio version on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Audible so you don’t even have to look at the email 😊

4 THOUGHTS

1. A Remarkable Fact About the Upper Airways (-148°F)

“…the upper respiratory tract is able to warm and saturate inspired air so that in climates as cold as minus 100°C [-148°F] air entering the alveoli has attained body temperature and is saturated with water vapor.” 

- Walker and Wells (1961)

My brain can’t fully grasp how remarkable that is over such a short distance…

Our airways are incredible.

2. Oral Posture and Nasal Breathing

“Try it for yourself: Open your mouth and place your tongue on your upper palate. Now try to breathe through your mouth. While it is possible to draw a wisp of air into the lungs, it will not feel right. It follows therefore that the tongue of a mouth breather will tend to rest on the floor of the mouth or suspended midway.”

– Patrick McKeown, The Oxygen Advantage

Patrick’s explanation here is perhaps the most commonsense reason for maintaining optimal oral posture: It promotes nasal breathing simply because breathing through your mouth is awkward when the tongue is against the roof of the mouth. 👏

3. Why Voluntary Breath Control Matters

“We can hold our breath, or breathe faster, or breathe slower, at any time, by choice. Why does this control matter? It matters because breathing is the link between our inner and outer experiences … It is also the link between the physical and emotional reactions we have to those experiences. In other words, what is happening within our bodies and minds is channeled through our breathing.”

- Anyen Rinpoche & Allison Choying Zangmo, The Tibetan Yoga of Breath

I have nothing to add except a few of these 🤯 🤯 🤯

4. A Neat Study on Slow Yogic Breathing and Vagal Stimulation

“These findings raise the possibility that mind-body techniques that use slow breathing at rest exert their breathing-related relaxation effects through vagal mechanisms.”

- Vagal Mediation of Low-Frequency Heart Rate Variability During Slow Yogic Breathing

This ingenious study separately blocked the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems and then measured HRV during slow yogic breathing. By doing this, they conclusively found that increases in HRV were primarily due to increased vagal activity.

In other words, slow breathing is vagus nerve stimulation 👏

***

P.S. You get the full Science 411 on this paper when you sign up for the Breath is Life Learning Center.

Breath is Life Learning Center

The Largest Collection of Breathing Wisdom and Science on the Web

Join Today.

1 Quote

“Mindful Breathing is a useful practice in its own right. … However, I’d like you to think of it as a versatile training tool to help you engage fully in every meaningful task in your life.””
— Russ Harris

1 Answer

Category: Diagnostic Breath Exercise

Answer: This physiological exercise is basically a forced exhale against a closed glottis, mouth, and nose.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is the Valsalva maneuver?

In good breath,

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


P.S. literally me every time

* 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.

Sign Up For The Breathing 411

Each Monday, I curate and synthesize information from scientific journals, books, articles, and podcasts to share 4 thoughts, 1 quote, and 1 answer (like "Jeopardy!") related to breathing. It’s a fun way to learn something new each week.

 
,

Top 5 Daily Breaths, a Guide to Wim Hof, and Coherence Fuels Purpose

,
 

🎧 Listen Instead of Reading 🎧

If you enjoy listening, you can subscribe to the audio version on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Audible so you don’t even have to look at the email 😊

 

4 Thoughts



1. Wim Hof & Diabetes: A Complete Guide to the Benefits and 5 Real Dangers

This is a complex topic I get a lot of questions about. I made a 40-min class on it, but attempted to put the most critical information into this free post:

You can read it here.

It’s pretty long, but I hope it’s thorough and genuinely helpful, especially if you have diabetes or are a WHM coach. 🙏

2. Word Etymology and Why We Can All Do Asanas, Yogi or Not

“The word asana is made up of two parts: as ‘to sit’ and ana, ‘breath.’ To do an asana is to literally sit with your breath, or to sit in a special way and breathe.”

- Eddie Stern, One Simple Thing

This is awesome word etymology (thanks, Eddie). And, it’s an excellent reminder that sometimes abstract words are straightforward to implement.

So, I say we all channel our inner yogi and do some more asanas, today 🧘‍♂️

3. Why Coherence Fuels Purpose: Finding Internal & External Safety for Growth

“The need for coherence is the form of meaning that is most strongly tied to the need for safety. Does my immediate environment make sense? Is there any predictability and comprehensibility in my life? Coherence is necessary to even get a chance to pursue one’s larger purpose or pursue various ways that one can matter in this world.”

- Scott Barry Kaufman, Ph.D., Transcend

Researchers tell us to “pursue one’s larger purpose,” we need external coherence with our environment, which allows us to feel safe.

Conversely, we know that slow breathing (~5-6 breaths/min) provides internal coherence—a predictability in our nervous system that makes us feel safe.

And in my opinion, this second type is even more potent because it’s always available, and our inner state determines how we relate to our external world.

So let’s breathe slowly, find some internal coherence (and maybe even external, too), and use this feeling of safety to pursue our bigger purpose.

***

Related Quote: “The unseen design of things is more harmonious than the seen.” - Heraclitus

4. Two Small Thoughts on Breath and Presence

  • Physically, wherever you find your breath, you find yourself.

  • Spiritually, whenever you find your breath, you find your self.

Extra Thought: Top 5 Breathing Exercises to Practice Daily (and the Best Times to Do Them)

I wrote another guest blog for ResBiotic. I hope this one is super practical and can help you or someone you know get started with breathing. Enjoy!

Top 5 Breathing Exercises to Practice Daily (And the Best Times to Do Them)



1 QUOTE

“This illustrates the most empowering point of all. The key to our own experience lies within our bodies all the time.”
— The Tibetan Yoga of Breath

1 ANSWER

Category: The Lungs

Answer: The alveoli have a mixture of lipids and proteins called this, which prevent them from collapsing during low lung volume.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is surfactant?

In good breath,

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

P.S. thanks for buying this gum

Available Now:

THE BREATHING FOR DIABETES SELF-PACED WORKSHOP

If you like geeking out on breathing, or just want to live an overall healthier life, I’m confident you’ll love the workshop (diabetes or not).

By the end of the workshop, you’ll have:

  • The ideal breathing rate for you.

  • A daily practice plan designed around human behavior science rather than discipline and “motivation.”

  • A tool to reduce stress and calm your nervous system anytime, any place.

Plus, you get:

  • A 40-min Wim Hof and Diabetes Mini Masterclass.

    • If you’re interested in the WHM, I think you’ll find a lot of information in here you’ve probably never seen before—like why you should only practice it in the morning and why you don’t have to hold your breath to get the same results.

  • A PDF of 100 inspiring breathing quotes.

  • A Breath Matching worksheet to grow your practice.

  • A simple 10-day plan for implementing what you learn.

And if you don't like it, it’s 100% refundable, so you have nothing to lose.

 
 

* 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.

Sign Up For The Breathing 411

Each Monday, I curate and synthesize information from scientific journals, books, articles, and podcasts to share 4 thoughts, 1 quote, and 1 answer (like "Jeopardy!") related to breathing. It’s a fun way to learn something new each week.

 
 

Breath is Mind: 25 Thoughtful Quotes on the Breath-Mind Connection

 

1. “When you practice mindfulness of breathing, then the breathing is mind.” - Thich Nhat Hanh

 

2.  “I am as confident as I am of anything that, in myself, the stream of thinking…is only a careless name for what, when scrutinized, reveals itself to consist chiefly of the stream of my breathing.” - William James

3. “As we discover, when we pay attention to its natural rhythm, the breath becomes calm. Simultaneously, the mind quiets down. It all happens naturally. … Any force is counterproductive.” - Bhante Henepola Gunarantana

 

4. “When the mind is agitated, change the pattern of the breath.” - Patanjali

 

5. “Breath is the king of mind.” - B.K.S. Iyengar

 

6. “When the Breath wanders, the mind is unsteady, but when the Breath is still, so is the mind still.” - Hatha Yoga Pradipika

 

7. “However, when the air is calm, so is the water. It is just so with the mind. The more often we breathe, the more agitated the energy of body and mind becomes. By breathing less frequently, we begin to achieve elemental harmony.” - The Tibetan Yoga of Breath

 

8. “By controlling your breathing, you can use a voluntary mechanical behavior to make a profound change on your state of mind.” - Emma Seppälä

 

9. “So get out of your mind and into your breath because the breath is the life-force.  Not your mind, the breath.  Follow your breath, and it will lead you anywhere in your brain—and thus the mind—that you want to go.” - Wim Hof

10. “Thanks to the regulation of breathing patterns, patterns in our thinking are not just affected, but revealed, together with their entanglement with respiration.” - Marco Bernini 

11. "Messages from the respiratory system have rapid, powerful effects on major brain centers involved in thought, emotion, and behavior." - Dr. Patricia Gerbarg and Dr. Richard Brown

12. “In other words, by changing the breath pattern one can induce a chosen state of mind.” - Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati (found in Restoring Prana)

 

13. “The breath is free from greed, hatred, delusion, and fear. When the mind joins with the breath, the mind temporarily becomes free from greed, hatred, delusion, and fear.” - Bhante Henepola Gunarantana

 

14. "The breath is the intersection of the body and mind." - Thich Nhat Hanh

 

15. “Interestingly, the Greek word psyche, which we often use to indicate our mind or the emotional state of our mind, actually means soul or spirit, or most tellingly, the breath of life.” - Eddie Stern

 

16. “These practices demonstrate that the mind and the heart follow the lungs, not the other way around.” - Michael J Stephen

 

17. “The intrinsic link between prana and citta accounts for why the yogis insisted on breathing practices as the primary means to pacify the mind.  Through the breath, the ANS is directly impacted.  Breathing can effectively modulate the reactive loop, and restore us to a more coherent frame of mind.” - Robin Rothenberg

 

18. “I will breathe in, releasing the mind. … I will breathe out, releasing the mind.” - Mindfulness of Breathing Sutta (Majjhima Nikaya 118)

 

19. “Just as your mind influences the breath, you can influence the state of your mind through the breath as well.” - Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

20. “When we focus on the breath, our breathing naturally becomes calm. When the breath becomes calm, the mind and body also become calm.” - Bhante Henepola Gunarantana

 

21. “If our breathing is light and calm—a natural result of conscious breathing—our mind and body will slowly become light, calm, and clear, and our feelings also.” - Thich Nhat Hanh

 

22. “The Tibetan language describes this relationship between the wind and the mind as the wind-mind (Tib. rlung sems). This compound word describes the wind energy and the conceptual mind as always, intertwined and moving together—a singular motion.” - The Tibetan Yoga of Breath

 

23. “‘[A]ccording to the Navajo conception, then, Winds exist all around and within the individual, entering and departing through respiratory organs and whirls on the body’s surface. That which is within and that which surrounds one is all the same and it is holy.’ Finally, and most profoundly, this invisible medium in which we are bodily immersed, is what provides us with the capacity for conscious thought.” – David Abram, with inset quote from James McNeley

 

24. “When the incoming breath is offered into the outgoing breath, the outgoing breath is offered into the incoming breath, or when both are offered into the retention, the mind is purified of self-interest.” - Baba Hari Dass (found in Restoring Prana)

25. “The ‘I think’ which Kant said must be able to accompany all my objects, is the ‘I breathe’ which actually does accompany them. Breath is the essence out of which philosophers have constructed the entity known to them as consciousness” - William James

An Unexpected Truth, 22 One-Sentence Ideas, and the Best Part of Breathing

 
 

Get This In Your Inbox Every Monday

🎧 Listen Instead of Reading 🎧

If you enjoy listening, you can subscribe to the audio version on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Audible so you don’t even have to look at the email 😊

 
 
 

4 Thoughts


1. 22 One-Sentence Breathing Ideas for 2022

1. Demonstrations of breathing are small compared with the great thing that is hidden behind them. 

2. Breathing doesn’t heal you; it gives your body the environment it needs to heal itself.

Keep going…

Let’s continue the tradition this year. Here are 22 one-sentence breathing ideas to kick off 2022. Enjoy!

***

Related: 21 One-Sentence Breathing Ideas for 2021

2. A Unexpected Truth: Use Your Heart to be More Objective

“I feel like I process information more objectively. If there's a bad call, or a player does something unexpected on the court, I can inhibit my reaction and quickly determine what needs to happen next with less effort.”

- Client of Leah Lagos, excerpt from Heart Breath Mind

This was the result of heart rate variability (HRV) training via slow breathing. As counterintuitive as it might sound, current science tells us that the more we train our hearts, the more objective we become.

It’s actually our pesky (albeit valuable, lol) brains that trick us into excess emotional reactivity, anxiety, stress, rumination, and on & on.

So to be more rational, use your heart, not your head : )

***

Related: This 2-Minute Breathing Exercise Can Help You Make Better Decisions, According to a New Study

3. Why You Should Practice Abdominal Nose Breathing

“However, when we breathe through the nostrils and into the abdomen, not only do we breathe less frequently, but our exhalations are prolonged. What this means is that abdominal nose breathing not only makes more oxygen available to our bodies in a more efficient manner, but it also stimulates the sympathetic nervous system less frequently.”

- The Tibetan Yoga of Breath

That is all : )

4. The Best Part about Breathing

The best part about breathing is that we can satisfy our craving to read and learn while also applying that wisdom in our lives. There’s no abstraction. It’s as easy as “sit down and breathe like this for a few minutes and see how you feel.”

Sure, I write to try to make it fun and philosophical. But when it comes down to it, you just sit there and breathe. No one can take it away from you, and you don’t need any special training. You just do it.

 
 
 
 

1 QUOTE

"There's nothing mystical or abstract about it. It's physical. Your breath is your life-force, right here, right now. It could not be any simpler. Just breathe and reclaim your soul."

- Wim Hof

 
 
 
 

1 ANSWER

Category: The Airways and Ancient Yoga

Answer: The trachea, a key component of breathing, is also referred to as this.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is the windpipe?

P.S. Yantra Yoga techniques were called “Wind Energy Training,” which sounds kind of woo-woo. But let’s not forget modern science refers to our main breathing tube as the “windpipe” : )

In good breath,

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

P.S. a workplace revolutionary tbh

 
 
 

Sign Up For The Breathing 411

Each Monday, I curate and synthesize information from scientific journals, books, articles, and podcasts to share 4 thoughts, 1 quote, and 1 answer (like "Jeopardy!") related to breathing. It’s a fun way to learn something new each week.

 
 

Breath as Spirit, Body and Mind, and 2 Opposing Views on Overbreathing

 
 

🎧 Listen Instead of Reading 🎧

If you enjoy listening, you can now subscribe to the audio version on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Audible so you don’t even have to look at the email 😊

 
 
 

4 Thoughts


1. 18 “Inspiring” Quotes on Breath as Spirit and Life

“Man was created of the Earth, and lives by virtue of the air; for there is in the air a secret food of life…whose invisible congealed spirit is better than the whole earth.”

- Michael Sendivogius, 17th Century

In this post, I share 18 excellent quotes referring to the breath as life or spirit. It’s by no means comprehensive—just a few that have stuck out to me.

Enjoy!

2. Overbreathing Causes Electrolyte Imbalance

“In addition, overbreathing and the resulting pH dysregulation also lead to electrolyte imbalances … When your pH becomes too alkaline, electrolytes migrate into muscle and brain cells instead of staying in the fluid outside of those cells. As a result, you may experience muscle spasms, weakness, and fatigue.”

- Inna Khazan, Ph.D., Biofeedback and Mindfulness in Everyday Life (this book is 🤯good)

I knew that overbreathing could dehydrate us, but this one was news to me. And since it’s hard to tell if you’re overbreathing without a capnometer, I think the most practical safeguard here is to simply breathe nasally, even during exercise.

3. A Different Take on Overbreathing

“Sometimes students get confused about using the breath throughout the day. They give it an inordinate amount of attention … That isn't the idea at all. The breath is a gateway into the present moment, making our attention to it greater, not less.”

- Larry Rosenberg, Breath by Breath

I’m an overbreather in a different way: I focus on my breathing too much. So, here’s a friendly reminder to all of us that breathing is just a tool. Let’s not give it “an inordinate amount of attention.” Just enough to make our lives richer and fuller. For most people, that’s as little as 10-20 min/day.

4. Breathing Translations—Go to the Source Yourself

You can read my thoughts on breathing (thank you 🙏). You can read what Wim Hof, Patrick McKeown, and others say. But these are just a few translations. The best thing to do is go to the original source for yourself.

And luckily, you don’t need training in any ancient languages to do your own translations. You just need the universal language of living: the breath of life.

 
 
 
 

1 QUOTE

“The good news is that through working with the breath, we actually hold the key to helping ourselves bring body and mind into balance.”

- The Tibetan Yoga of Breath

 
 
 
 

1 ANSWER

Category: Breathing 101

Answer: This is the amount of air that moves into and out of the lungs with each breath.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is tidal volume?

In good breath,

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

P.S. try for a new high score

 
 
 

Sign Up For The Breathing 411

Each Monday, I curate and synthesize information from scientific journals, books, articles, and podcasts to share 4 thoughts, 1 quote, and 1 answer (like "Jeopardy!") related to breathing. It’s a fun way to learn something new each week.

 
 

The Joy of Breathwork is _________, and The 3 Best Ways to be Consistent

 
 

Listen Instead of Reading

 
 
 

4 Thoughts


1. The Joy of Breathwork is _________

If you’ve read any books on breathwork, or heard any podcasts, or taken any classes, you’ve inevitably heard some incredible stories of healing.

People use different breathing methods to help various health conditions under different settings. They all seem to work, and there’s no one-size-fits-all.

It highlights a simple yet profound truth: The joy of breathwork is breathing.

***

Quote that inspired this thought: “I realized: These were tears of joy, and the joy of movement is moving.” - Kelly McGonigal, PhD, The Joy of Movement

2. The 3 Best Ways to be Consistent with Your Breathing Practice

“A small daily task, if it be really daily, will beat the labours of a spasmodic Hercules.”

– Anthony Trollope

1. Start very tiny. Even if it's 1 breath or 30 seconds. Just pick something so small you can't fail.

2. Do it at the same time every day. Pick a consistent cue (e.g., brushing your teeth, etc.) that will trigger your tiny practice.

3. Celebrate. This is most important. Do something silly that you find rewarding (fist bump, etc.). Celebration releases dopamine, which will trick your brain into looking forward to your practice.

***

P.S. Here’s my celebration: “That’s like me to do another breathing session!”

P.P.S. These concepts come from the excellent book Tiny Habits.

3. Marginal Gains: Why Being Consistent Matters

“It is so easy to overestimate the importance of one defining moment and underestimate the value of making small improvements on a daily basis. … Meanwhile, improving by 1 percent isn’t particularly notable—sometimes it isn’t even noticeable—but it can be far more meaningful, especially in the long run.”

- James Clear

And there’s why being consistent is so important. Those tiny 1% gains are far more meaningful in the long run than they might at first seem. As my favorite teacher Brian Johnson says, “when you aggregate and compound enough of those tiny little incremental optimizations MAGIC happens.” 🙏

***

Related: Breathing is the Compound Interest of Health and Wellness

Related Quote: “Any practice, whether spiritual, physical, or artistic, only begins to pay off when it is done with regularity and sincerity.” - Eddie Stern, One Simple Thing

4. The Pleiotropic Benefits of Breathing

“Eating well, exercising, getting enough sleep, and managing stress will always be the foundational pillars of health and wellness. One reason for this is that these interventions are what scientists call pleiotropic—they provide a wide range of benefits that aren’t limited to a particular health condition.”

– Chris Kresser

Breathwork is also pleiotropic: it provides wide-ranging benefits, which aren’t limited to one health condition. (That’s also why it often seems like a panacea.)

Combining this idea with Thoughts 2 & 3, we see why breathing is the compound interest of health and wellness: When done consistently, the marginal gains from its wide-ranging, “pleiotropic” benefits aggregate into magic.

Sounds good to me : )

 
 
 
 

1 QUOTE

“The breath is something that is readily available to us simply because we are human beings. We do not need anything else to qualify. How marvelous!”

- The Tibetan Yoga of Breath

 
 
 
 

1 ANSWER

Category: Nasal Breathing

Answer: Nitric oxide, which is one of the most important benefits of nasal breathing, is produced in this region of the upper airways.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What are the paranasal sinuses?

In good breath,

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

P.S. Nothing like changing your appearance

 
 
 

Sign Up For The Breathing 411

Each Monday, I curate and synthesize information from scientific journals, books, articles, and podcasts to share 4 thoughts, 1 quote, and 1 answer (like "Jeopardy!") related to breathing. It’s a fun way to learn something new each week.

 
 

How Breathing Helps You Get and Stay Frustrated (and why it’s a good thing)

 
 

Listen Instead of Reading

 
 
 

4 Thoughts


1. Why You Need to be Frustrated, and How Breathing Can Help

“Long-haul creativity, Robinson believes, requires a low-level, near-constant sense of frustration. … It’s a constant, itchy dissatisfaction, a deep sense of what-if, and can-I-make-it-better, and the like.”

- Steven Kotler, The Art of Impossible

A consistent breathing practice will improve your mental clarity and overall health. But it will also frustrate the hell out of you.

It’s so simple; why isn’t this taught everywhere? Wait, it’s free, and it literally helps everything?

Then, of course, your improved mental clarity will seep into everything you do, and you will get more frustrated with the world, in general. (Not that I’m speaking from personal experience or anything 😂)

But now we see it’s a good thing. We need a little frustration, a slight sense of dissatisfaction, a knowing that things could be better. It helps us sustain the creativity needed to deliver what the world needs.

And a regular breathing practice is the easiest way to get that itchy dissatisfaction.

So, please, go get a little more frustrated, and a little more creative, today : )

***

P.S. Kotler shares nine different ways for achieving long-haul creativity in the book. This was #5, but its unexpected nature made it stand out the most.

2. A Few Stand-Out Passages on the Importance of the Ancient Nose

“As a general note, the teachings on wind energy training and Yantra yoga emphasize breathing through the nostrils during the entire practice session. Unless we are given specific, personal instruction by a master on how and when to breathe through the mouth, we should always breathe through the nose.”

- The Tibetan Yoga of Breath

“The nose is the heavenly door (while) the mouth is the earthly window. Therefore, inhale through your nose and use your mouth to exhale. Never do otherwise for breath would be in danger and illness would set in.”

- The Primordial Breath, Volume I

"Ancient Egyptian cultures also recognized the importance of the breath, the evidence of which we see today in the many ancient statues that had their noses broken off but otherwise were left untouched. This defacement was no accident, but a deliberate act by conquering groups to take the life, in this case the breath of life, away from these icons."

- Michael J. Stephen, MD, Breath Taking

3. Walking After a Meal: The Simplest Habit for Stable Blood Sugar

“The most important takeaway is simple: Whenever possible, move your body after eating. Doing this helps mobilize post-meal glucose to fuel physical activity and curb the spike you might experience if you were inactive.”

- Levels, Walking after a meal: the simplest habit for stable blood sugar

The folks at Levels put out some of the best blogs; they’re well-written and packed with practical information.

This one was so good it almost made me want to switch my post-meal breathing session for a walk. Who knows, maybe I’ll become The Walking Diabetic : )

Enjoy!

***

Related: Diaphragmatic Breathing Reduces Postprandial Oxidative Stress

4. A Little Bit of Tape goes a Long Way

“I guess it goes to show that a little bit of tape can go a long way.”

- 411 Reader

When you tape your mouth at night, you reap the benefits of nasal breathing for 7+ hours a night. This includes things like better oxygenation, optimal breathing volume, harnessing nitric oxide, and brainwave synchronization.

Ultimately, this leads to deeper and more restorative sleep.

And if you’re a diabetic, your improved sleep might lead to noticeably better insulin sensitivity, which happened for this reader.

“I guess it goes to show that a little bit of tape can go a long way.” Perfectly said. 🙏

 
 
 
 

1 QUOTE

“The air, we might say, is the soul of the visible landscape, the secret realm from which all things draw their nourishment.”

- David Abram, The Spell of the Sensuous

P.S. Thanks to 411 reader Davis for sharing this book, and specifically the chapter on breathing, with me. So much goodness to explore. 🙏

 
 
 
 

1 Answer

Category: Brainwaves and Creativity

Answer: These brainwaves, which are between 8 and 12 Hz, are most associated with creative thinking.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What are alpha brainwaves?

In good breath,

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

P.S. Slipping the bouncer a $20

 
 
 

Sign Up For The Breathing 411

Each Monday, I curate and synthesize information from scientific journals, books, articles, and podcasts to share 4 thoughts, 1 quote, and 1 answer (like "Jeopardy!") related to breathing. It’s a fun way to learn something new each week.

 
 

How I Trained for Altitude and Why We All Benefit from Breath Training

 
 

Listen Instead of Reading

 

Autonomic Neuroscience says slow breathing is for diabetes & hypertension.

Harvard Medical School says yogic breathing is for stress.

And Tibetan Yoga says breath training is for everyone.

Let’s see how…

 
 
 
 

4 Thoughts


1. How I Trained for High Altitude (it’s not what you might think)

I thought, “I’m The Breathing Diabetic. I better be able to handle some altitude.”

But I didn’t train how you might think. Of course, I initially started with more breath holds. But I realized that the issue at altitude is lower air pressure.

- How I Trained for High Altitude Blog Post

This one was slightly too long to fit in as a “Thought,” so I made it a really short blog post.

Give it a read to learn my somewhat odd training method for my recent hike up to 13,200 feet…and to see if it actually worked (pictures included).

Please respond to this email if you have any thoughts on my reasoning…it was my first time at altitude, so I’d appreciate any feedback or thoughts you have.

***

Related: How To Breathe To Live Longer

2. Slow Breathing for Diabetes and High Blood Pressure

“Even in already well controlled diabetic patients, guided breathing had beneficial influences on cardiovascular autonomic control and a measurable impact on BP control.  It enriches available options for non-pharmacological blood pressure…reduction.”

- Effects Of Guided Breathing On Blood Pressure And Heart Rate Variability In Hypertensive Diabetic Patients

According to Johns Hopkins, approximately two-thirds of adult diabetics have high blood pressure or take medication for it. And people with diabetes and hypertension are 4x more likely to develop heart disease.

Fortunately, this study found that just 12 minutes a day of slow breathing (with no changes to medication) led to significantly lower blood pressure, increased heart rate variability, and a reduced spontaneous breathing rate (indicating reduced sympathetic arousal).

All of which led to this remarkable final statement: “If consistently used, guided breathing enhances restoration of physiological autonomic balance in patients with diabetes and hypertension.” Amen 🙏

Here’s to controlling our breath to control of our blood pressure, today.

3. Harvard Medical School: “Yogic Breathing Improved University Students' Response to Stress”

“When we anticipate a stressful situation, our breathing and heart rates naturally go up…but the yogic breathing group seemed to show protection against that type of stress. Their heart rate increased only slightly when they knew a stressful situation was coming.”

- Yogic breathing improved university students' response to stress

Enjoy this excellent and quick write-up showing that yogic SKY breathing can significantly reduce the stress response. It’s from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a world-class teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School.

The next thought builds off of this idea of “protection against stress”…

4. What Turbulence Can Teach Us About Breathing

When you’re flying and hit turbulence, you’re told to put on your seatbelt.

It’s reactive.

It’s similar to when turbulence hits in our lives. We react. We start eating healthy or meditating or exercising more.

But a regular breathing practice is proactive.

It helps you avoid turbulence altogether.

Or, if you can’t avoid the turbulence, it’s like your seatbelt. You’re already fastened in. You don’t need to rush back to your seat. You’re ready.

 
 
 
 

1 Quote

“Because the breath is such an excellent and abundant support for life and vitality for every being on the planet, everyone can benefit from training in the breath.”

– The Tibetan Yoga of Breath

 
 
 
 

1 Answer

Category: Hypoxia and Red Blood Cells

Answer: During hypoxia, this organ releases additional red blood cells to increase your oxygen carrying capacity.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is the spleen?

In good breath,

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

P.S. “sorry, it’s my first day!”

 
 
 

Sign Up For The Breathing 411

Each Monday, I curate and synthesize information from scientific journals, books, articles, and podcasts to share 4 thoughts, 1 quote, and 1 answer (like "Jeopardy!") related to breathing. It’s a fun way to learn something new each week.