mindful breathing

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Mindful vs. Slow Breathing, and How to Know the Nature of All Beings

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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 3 sec

I hope the next 30ish breaths are the most nourishing of your day.


4 THOUGHTS

1. How to Become Mindful of the Nature of All Beings

“Moreover, breathing is not exclusive. Living beings differ in appearance and behavior. They eat various kinds of food. They sleep in many types of beds. But all living beings breathe. … When we focus on the breath, we become mindful of the universal nature of all beings.”

– Bhante Gunaratana, The 4 Foundations of Mindfulness

Just a thoughtful reminder that breathing unites all living beings, so when we focus on it, it can help us appreciate this universal connection 👏

2. An Excellent Summary of Some Benefits of Mindful Breathing

I found this summary by Daniel Goleman, Ph.D., in Why We Meditate and loved it. I hope it inspires you to practice as much as it did me 🙏:

“People who practice simple mindfulness of the breath, for instance, become more relaxed in their daily lives and recover from upsets more quickly than non-meditators. The method seems to calm the amygdala, so that we are pitched into the fight-or-flight state less often. And the more time over the years you put into this mindfulness method, the less reactive you become. Troubling events trigger you into an upset state far less often. If you are triggered, your upset is less strong. And—maybe the biggest calming benefit—you recover more quickly than you did formerly.”

3. An Excellent Summary of Some Benefits of Slow Breathing

In that same book, Daniel Goleman, Ph.D., also had a wonderful summary of the key benefits of slow breathing:

“To summarize all the studies: Along with this healthy variability in time between heartbeats, people doing slowed breathing reported feeling ease and comfort, being more relaxed, as well as having positive energy and a general feeling of pleasantness. …

Slowed breathing also seems to bring a significant change in brain function. …(EEG) studies found that slower breathing was accompanied by an increase in synchronized alpha waves, which signify the brain has gone into a state of rest, like a car idling. This shift in brain state was associated with benefits like lessened anxiety, anger, and confusion, and an increase in feelings of vigor.”

The natural question: Should I practice mindful breathing or slow breathing?

My super scientific answer: The choice is yours 😊

4. Why Breathing Brings Us to the Present Moment

You can’t retake a previous breath you’ve already taken. You can’t take a future breath you haven’t taken. You can only take the breath you’re currently taking.

That’s pretty darn obvious, but it’s crucial for why breathing brings us to the present moment. When you focus on your breathing, you cannot be anywhere but here and now.

1 Quote

“That is the point. You sail out across the sea, but it’s when you make your return that you may discover what you have been seeking is in fact inside yourself.””
— Erling Kagge

1 Answer

Category: The Human Body

Answer: Your bone marrow produces 2-3 million of these every second.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What are red blood cells?

In good breath,

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


P.S. a conversation with God

Become happier, healthier, and more mindful.

Let’s go beyond standardized approaches that do not account for your unique circumstances. I’ll meet you exactly where you are and serve as your coach and accountability partner on your journey toward living a happier, healthier, and more mindful life.

Learn More about One-on-One Coaching.

* 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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Is this Amazing or Dangerous, Longevity, and How to Create More Time

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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. Yoga Breathing, Meditation, and Longevity

“By inducing stress resilience, breath work enables us to rapidly and compassionately relieve many forms of suffering.”

– Brown and Gerbarg (2009)

Here’s my take-home from this excellent narrative review 👏

Yogic breathing and meditation are complementary practices that may enhance longevity by improving nervous system health and stress resiliency, boosting emotional health, enhancing brain health, and reducing suffering associated with disasters.

***

P.S. Sign up at BreathLearning.com to get the PDF & podcast summaries for this one, and tons of other science articles & books.

2. Amazing or Dangerous? Mindful Breathing Preserves Focus After Multitasking

I’m not sure if this finding is (1) just amazing or (2) potentially dangerous, lol. But it’s too neat not to share 😊

“For instance, research at Stanford University found that if you are focused on an important project and then stop to answer a text or email, and end up browsing the web, when you finally return to your important project your focus has dimmed. It takes you some time to ramp up your concentration to the previous level. Unless you did ten minutes of mindfulness of your breath a couple of times that day—then you have little or no loss of concentration after ‘multitasking.’”

– Daniel Goleman, Ph.D., Why We Meditate

3. Affecting Deep Physical and Psychological Changes

“As the breath is the link between the body and mind, it can intervene in the activities of either level. With increased awareness and control of the subtle aspects of breathing, these interventions can affect deep physical and psychological changes.”

- John Clarke, MD, Science of Breath

Just a compelling reminder of how powerful breathing exercises and simple mindful breath awareness are. Because the breath literally and metaphorically links the body and mind, such interventions “can affect deep physical and psychological changes.” 👏

4. Don’t Have Time to Breathe or Meditate? (maybe this passage will be inspiring)

“It is a truth universally acknowledged that one saves time travelling only two hours from one point to another instead of spending eight hours on the same journey. While this holds up mathematically, my experience is the opposite: time passes more quickly when I increase the speed of travel. My speed and time accelerate in parallel. It is as if the duration of a single hour becomes less than a clock-hour. When I am in a rush, I hardly pay attention to anything at all.”

- Erling Kagge, Walking: One Step at a Time

Although this passage is about travel and walking, it applies perfectly to breathing or meditation.

By taking time out of your already busy morning to meditate or breathe, you actually create more time because you slow things down.

So, instead of thinking, “I don’t have time to do this,” think, “I create time by doing this.”

1 Quote

“Sometimes, you get lucky in life, when the most important thing you need to do turns out to also be the simplest. One example is breathing. Breathing is the most important thing we need to do in our lives, and for most of us, it is also the easiest thing we ever do. If you belong to the population of people who can breathe effortlessly, you are so lucky!””
— Chade-Meng Tan

1 Answer

Category: Nasal Drainage

Answer: These eventually go down the nasolacrimal duct, draining into your nose, often causing people to need a tissue.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What are tears?

In good breath,

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


P.S. so true

I Take 1/2 Bottle Every Morning

I take 1/2 a bottle of iCalm every morning, just before my first sip of coffee. It’s amazing, and I absolutely love them.

In fact, although I don’t have much disposable income right now, I prioritize these each month because they’re so helpful.

If you’d like to try them, use the code NICK20 to get 20% off 🙏

Get the iCalm Relaxation Shot

 
 

* 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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HIIB?, a Trick for Being Present, and Becoming More Joyous

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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. High-Intensity Interval…Breathing?

Here’s why we should add intensity of intention to mindful breathing:

“[T]he more intensely you are attending to the present moment, the more temporary freedom you gain from regrets about the past and worries about the future. Furthermore, the more intensely you practice, the longer the benefits linger after the practice.”

- Chade-Meng Tan, Joy On Demand

So, the more intensely you focus on the breath, the greater joy you experience, and the longer the benefits linger. Sounds good to me.

Practically, one way of doing this is through what we might jokingly call High-Intensity Interval Breathing: Instead of a continuous 20-minute mindful breathing session, break it into four “intense” 4-minute sessions, with a 1-minute break between each.

Give it a try and see if you like it 🙏

2. Make a Good First Impression

“You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”

– Will Rogers

Each morning, when we wake up, we meet a new day. We can make a good first impression by doing our breathing practice first thing.

The day will like you more (and treat you kinder).

***

P.S. Aim for consistency: Each day you meet is different, and today doesn’t remember yesterday’s introduction 😊

3. Picturing Trampolines: A Trick for Staying Present

Here’s a trick the staff psychologist for British Rowing offered in the 2003 World Championships to help the rowers focus on the process instead of the outcome:

“The rowers were instructed to picture a trampoline at the finish line, tipped onto its side so that any thought of theirs that jumped ahead to the outcome would bounce back to the present moment. They bought into it and it worked.”

– Matt Fitzgerald, The Comeback Quotient

That seems like it would be a helpful visualization in all of life 👏

4. Becoming More Present, Joyous, and Warm-Hearted

“The benefits of quieting the mind include becoming more calm and clear. But resting in pure awareness goes a step beyond this sense of quiet. Richard Davidson, who studied the brains of highly advanced yogis who had attained this level, tells me that he had never met any group of people so present, joyous, and warm-hearted.”

- Daniel Goleman, Why We Meditate

In my opinion, that last sentence answers the book title: We meditate (or do breathing, yoga, etc.) to become more present, joyous, and warm-hearted.

1 Quote

“I can only meditate when I am walking, when I stop I cease to think; my mind only works with my legs.””
— Jean-Jacques Rousseau

1 Answer

Category: Stress Hormones

Answer: This “breathing exercise” has been shown to significantly reduce cortisol, one of the primary stress hormones.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is laughter?

Don’t forget to get your dose today : )

In good breath,

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


P.S. Meditation in a nutshell

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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.

 
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How Gratitude Works, Fast Breathing, and Coming Home in a Loving Way

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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. Mindful Breath Awareness Improves Impulsivity and Brain Dynamics

“In sum, we show that a relatively short period of mindfulness practice…significantly changes brain dynamics related to the internal monitoring of response conflicts and related errors.”

– Pozuelos et al. (2019)

Using cognitive tests and EEG, this study found that practicing mindful breath awareness for 17 minutes, five days a week, for three weeks improved impulse control and brain dynamics related to metacognition.

As the authors say, “These findings contribute to clarifying the mechanisms through which mindfulness meditation practice promotes positive outcomes.” 👏👏👏

2. That’s How Gratitude Works…

“That’s how gratitude works, transforming not reality itself but how reality is seen.”

– Matt Fitzgerald, The Comeback Quotient

If you’ve ever finished a mindful, slow breathing practice (or any contemplative practice) and noticed that everything around you seems more peaceful and beautiful, this is why.

These practices naturally cultivate gratitude, which doesn’t change reality, but how reality is seen.

3. Fast Walking as a Breathing Metaphor

Two questions for you:

  1. Have you ever walked really fast to catch a flight?

  2. Have you ever walked fast just as exercise?

The first creates stress and anxiety.

The second creates attainment and flow.

Same process, different outcome.

That’s what deliberate versus unconscious fast breathing is like.

If you’re doing it purposefully and safely as an exercise, it can be beneficial (and even life-changing for some).

But if you’re doing it unconsciously or to “get somewhere fast,” it’ll have the opposite effect.

4. The Only Thing that Works for Improving Attention

“You cannot simply decide to pay attention ‘better.’ No matter how much I tell you about how attention works and why, and no matter how motivated you are, the way your brain pays attention cannot be fundamentally altered by sheer force of will…Instead, we need to train our brains to work differently. And the exciting news is: at long last, we’ve actually figured out how.”

- Amishi Jha, Ph.D., Peak Mind

And what did they figure out works? Mindfulness of breathing. As she says, “mindfulness training was the only brain-training tool that consistently worked to strengthen attention across our studies.”

1 Quote

“Breath is your means of bringing yourself back home to your body in the most loving way, to tailor your connections to yourself so that you feel less fractured and fragmented and more solid and whole.””
— Jill Miller

P.S. This came from Jill’s new book, Body by Breath.

1 Answer

Category: Meta-Awareness

Answer: The ability to monitor your actions and progress toward a predefined goal is known as this metacognitive skill.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is response monitoring?

In good breath,

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


P.S. Can’t sleep. Let’s see if this works

Try iCalm 20% Off

iCalm is a relaxation shot with just 4 ingredients: Taurine, L-Theanine, Lemon Balm Extract, and GABA. I absolutely love them.

If you’d like to try them, use the code NICK20 to get 20% off 🙏

Get the iCalm Relaxation Shot

 
 

* 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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Element of Choice, Less Effort, and Focus on Enjoyment for Better Results

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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. Focus On Enjoyment (but only if you want better results)

“Literally anything you can do to augment your enjoyment of training will facilitate a process focus and lead to better performance. If you will enjoy a given workout more in location A than in location B, you'll get more out of it in location A. If you will enjoy a workout more with training partner C than with training partner D, you'll get more out of it with training partner C. If you will enjoy a given workout more with music than without, you'll get more out of the workout with music. And so on.”

- Matt Fitzgerald, The Comeback Quotient

I think this applies to our breathing, mindfulness, or any contemplative training: focus on enjoyment, and you’ll get way more out of it.

2. Jimi Hendrix and Breath Awareness

I bet when Jimi Hendrix picked up his guitar, it changed his whole demeanor.  Just holding it likely put him in a different state.

That’s what breath awareness is like. 

Sure, we can breathe in specific ways to tune our minds for certain thoughts or our bodies for certain states.  But just noticing your breath immediately transforms you, like a musician holding their instrument.

So even if you don't change it, make sure you at least “pick up” your breathing several times today 🙏

3. Less Perceived Effort: Slow Breathing Helps with Both Layers

“Perceived effort actually has two layers. The first layer is how the athlete feels. The second layer is how the athlete feels about how she feels. The first layer is strictly physiological, whereas the second is emotional, or affective.”

- Matt Fitzgerald, How Bad Do You Want It?

This passage pertains to sports, but it applies perfectly to perceived effort in life in general. And slow breathing helps with both layers:

  • First Layer: Slow breathing improves how you feel by reducing physiological stress (cortisol, sympathetic activity, brain waves).

  • Second Layer: Slow breathing helps you feel better about how you feel by improving your emotional health.

So practice some mindful, slow breathing and watch your perceived effort in everyday tasks go down, allowing you to live a better life.

***

P.S. If you want to learn more about breathing for better emotional health, consider signing up for my 4-week course starting Aug 20th.

4. Element of Choice: Meditation’s Benefits for Your Whole Life

“If I had to say in one or two sentences what the benefits of meditation were for your whole life—for your emotional life in particular—it is that meditative practice helps introduce the element of choice. … We cannot necessarily control what the outside world offers us, but we can control how we respond to it. That is the element of choice, and choice creates freedom.”

- Erika Rosenberg, Ph.D., The Healing Power of Meditation

I have nothing to add but a few of these 👏👏👏

1 Quote

“It takes only two seconds, three seconds, to breathe in, to bring mind home to your body. And there, mind and body together, we are established in the here and the now, and you get in touch with the wonders of life, the Kingdom of God.””
— Thich Nhat Hanh

P.S. This was transcribed from this wonderful 58-sec clip.

1 Answer

Category: Meditation Retreat

Answer: Participating in a meditation retreat has been shown to positively impact this metric, representing an increase in well-being, mindfulness, empathy, and ego resiliency and a decrease in depression, anxiety, neuroticism, and difficulties in emotion regulation.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is adaptive functioning?

P.S. I found this in The Healing Power of Meditation.

In good breath,

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


P.S. POV: you’re a certified people pleaser

Try iCalm 20% Off

iCalm is a relaxation shot with just 4 ingredients: Taurine, L-Theanine, Lemon Balm Extract, and GABA. I absolutely love them.

If you’d like to try them, use the code NICK20 to get 20% off 🙏

Get the iCalm Relaxation Shot

 
 

* 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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Finding Answers Within, Tree Tops, and How to Breathe for Joy

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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. How to Breathe for Joy

“To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration that the alteration of respiration is sufficient to induce emotion.”

- Respiratory Feedback in the Generation of Emotion

This groundbreaking study (21 years ago 😊) was the first to find that breathing in specific ways can induce the corresponding emotional state. Meaning we can change our breath to change how we feel.

For example, to elicit joy, they told participants to “Breathe and exhale slowly and deeply through the nose; your breathing is very regular and your ribcage relaxed.”

Try it for ~2 minutes and see how you feel 🙏

***

P.S. If you want to learn more about breathing & emotions, sign up for my upcoming 4-week course, Breathing for Better Mental & Emotional Health: Click Here to Learn More

2. Finding Answers to Life’s Most Pressing Questions

“An athlete gets herself into trouble when, instead of listening to her body and its intuitions, she begins to worry about what her competitors are doing and tries to “outwork” them. The answers to the most pressing questions that athletes face in their day-to-day quest for improvement (“Should I push? Should I back off?”) lie within them.”

– Matt Fitzgerald, How Bad Do You Want It?

I believe this idea applies to all of life, not just athletics: Nine times out of ten, the answers to the most pressing questions we face in our quest for continuous improvement lie within us.

3. How to Deal with Life’s Storms (according to Thich Nhat Hanh)

“When a storm comes up in you, get out of the treetop and go down to the trunk for safety. Your roots start down at your abdomen, slightly below the navel…Put all your attention on that part of your belly, and breathe deeply. Don’t think about anything, and you’ll be safe while the storm of emotions is blowing. Practice this every day for just five minutes, and after three weeks, you’ll be able to handle your emotions successfully whenever they rise up.”

- Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace is Every Breath

I love this analogy. The next time we’re dealing with an emotional storm, we’ll be wise to remember to “get out of the treetop and go down to the trunk for safety.” 👏👏👏

4. Your Breathing Style Determines Your Stability in All of Life

“The larger point is that someone’s breathing style gives us insight into their broader stability strategy, the set of patterns that they have evolved over the years to help them get by in the physical world. All of us have these strategies and 95% of the time…they work fine. But once you add different stressors…those strategies, those instinctive physical reactions, can create problems. And if our respiration is also taxed, those other problems will be magnified.”*

– Peter Attia, MD, Outlive

Although Dr. Attia is discussing the role of breathing for physical stability, isn’t it amazing that this idea is equally applicable to mental, emotional, and spiritual steadiness too?

Our breathing style determines our stability in all of life.

1 Quote

“By consciously slowing down the breath and making it rhythmic so that consciousness is not disturbed by it, we can achieve corresponding tranquility.””
— Hiroshi Motoyama

P.S. I found that great quote here.

1 Answer

Category: Breathing & Emotions

Answer: Nasal breathing stimulates this part of the brain, which communicates with emotional areas like the amygdala and hippocampus.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is the olfactory bulb?

In good breath,

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


P.S. here’s my go to lazy meal

Get iCalm 20% Off

Try out the iCalm Relaxation Shot. It’s a perfect modern complement to our contemplative practices 🙏

Use the code NICK20 to get 20% off.

Get the iCalm Relaxation Shot

 
 

* 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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Better Mental Health, Letting Go with Gratitude, and Is This Healing?

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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 for Better Mental and Emotional Health


“The information presented is interesting and inspiring. The power of conscious breathing can't be overstated. I've benefited physically, mentally and spiritually from taking this course.”

– Tina Gilbertson (May 2023 Class)


A reminder that I’ll be running a 4-week Breathing for Better Mental & Emotional Health Course starting August 20th (session recordings available for those who can’t attend live).

In addition to the positive anecdotal feedback I received, the May 2023 class achieved a 35% reduction in stress:

 
 


The Three Skills You’ll Learn:

  1. Mindful Breath Awareness (Week 1)

  2. Mindful Slow Breathing (Weeks 2 & 3; Week 3 is my favorite)

  3. Remembered Wellness & Wholeness (Week 4)

You can sign up for just $195 before 11:59 p.m. EST on August 4th.

I hope you’ll consider joining 🙏

Click Here to Learn More and Enroll

(Use discount code EARLY100 if it’s not already applied.)

2. Mindfulness and The Everlasting Audience Effect

The Audience Effect: ‘The effect of passive onlookers or spectators on an individual's task performance.’

I think we could argue that mindfulness creates an everlasting audience effect of one. And it always changes your behavior for the best, because the one onlooker is the most important of all: you.

3. Your Seatbelt for Everyday Life

“It’s like when you’re flying in an airplane. Whenever severe turbulence comes along, the seatbelt keeps you from getting thrown around the cabin. Mindful breathing is your seatbelt in everyday life—it keeps you safe here in the present moment.”

- Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace is Every Breath

Experiencing any turbulence in your life?

(Of course you are, you’re human 😊)

Just remember: “Mindful breathing is your seatbelt in everyday life—it keeps you safe here in the present moment.” < — 👏👏👏

4. Something That Helped Me Tremendously This Week

What Helped: Letting go while cultivating gratitude.

This was inspired by How Bad Do You Want It?, which I read and immediately re-read because it was so good.

A lesson I took from it was that the greatest athletes learn to let go of winning and instead experience gratitude for being able to compete in their chosen sport. (Paradoxically, this is how they end up winning.)

Of course, we’re all endurance athletes in the sport of life, so we can use this approach as well. I’ve consciously adopted it in two practices:

  1. While doing my morning walks

  2. While doing my morning breathing

If you feel so inspired, try it out in any activity you do:

  1. Let go of winning or any desired outcome you have.

  2. Cultivate gratitude that you’re able to perform the action.

1 Quote

“What if learning how to inhabit silence and stillness and awareness—especially when you do so with kindness, with patience, and with self-compassion—is itself healing?””
— Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D.

1 Answer

Category: Stress Hormones

Answer: Consistent practice of diaphragmatic breathing has been shown to reduce levels of this primary stress hormone.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is cortisol?

In good breath,

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


P.S. Since I didn’t win the Mega Millions…

Get iCalm 20% Off

Try out the iCalm Relaxation Shot. It’s a perfect modern complement to our contemplative practices 🙏

Use the code NICK20 to get 20% off.

Get the iCalm Relaxation Shot

 
 

* 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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Two Simple Things, a Better Brain, and You Already Knew This, But…

,

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 Better Brain: Mindful Breathing Improves Cognition and Neural Efficiency

“It is intriguing that a mental exercise that ‘merely’ entails the voluntary focus on a simple object, such as the sensation of one’s own breath, combined with a non-reactive and accepting awareness of concurrently arising mental phenomena, can have far-reaching effects on cognitive functions.”

- Nature Scientific Reports (2018)

This study found that the brief (but consistent) practice of mindful breathing improves our attention, our ability to resist distractions, and the efficiency of neural networks responsible for these processes.

Those benefits are a superpower in today’s world 👏

***

P.S. Here are two videos you can use to try mindful breathing:

Breathing Meditation | UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center

Five Minute Mindful Breathing

2. How Much Should Your Mind Wander during Mindful Breathing?

Speaking of mindful breathing, I just read this Q&A in Light Watkins’ new book, Travel Light, and thought it was an amazing reframe of mind-wandering. I hope you find it helpful too:

“What percentage of time should my mind wander in meditation?

One hundred percent of the time. Trying to stop your mind from wandering in meditation is as futile as trying to stop your heart from beating by thinking, “Don't beat!" over and over. It's going to keep wandering, and therefore it's best to just shift your attitude about it from antagonistic to friendly. In other words, never chastise your mind for thinking. Instead, if you practice celebrating your wandering mind, it will become more settled more often.”

3. You Already Knew This, But…

Peter Attia, MD, discussing techniques he uses for his emotional health in Outlive:

“Another technique I have grown very fond of is slow, deep breathing: four seconds to inhale, six seconds to exhale. Repeat. As the breath goes, the nervous system follows.”

You already knew this by now, but I’m sharing it to highlight how breathing spans genres. Whether it’s MD science or deep spirituality, it all comes back to the same basics: 4 sec in, 6 sec out, repeat.

The breath leads, the nervous system follows.

4. Two Simple Things We Should Do Every Day for Our Heart & Mind

  1. Observe One Breath: This brings us back to the present, is relaxing, and cultivates “meta-awareness.”

  2. Change One Breath: Lengthen your inhale and exhale to feel the instantly calming power of slow breathing.

Extra: Nick the Skateboarder (plus meditation in a bottle part 2)

When I was a kid, all I did was skateboard. It consumed every inch of my life. I dreamed of being sponsored by the companies I loved.

Well, that never happened, lol. But today, I have a chance to do something kind of similar with breathing.

Two weeks ago, I mentioned that I love iCalm’s product and mission. I was given the opportunity to be an affiliate. Although it’s not the same as being sponsored, it’s the closest thing I can do in my current life to provide value to you (and to make younger Nick proud, lol).

So, if you want to try it out, use the code NICK20 to get 20% off.

Get the iCalm Relaxation Shot

1 Quote

“The breathing will seamlessly bring you back to the natural mental and emotional flexibility you had as a child, but with the direction and purpose you have as an adult.””
— Richard Brown, MD, and Patricia Gerbarg, MD

1 Answer

Category: Attention

Answer: This theory suggests that time in nature may be able to improve our ability to focus and concentrate.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is Attention Restoration Theory?

In good breath,

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


P.S. Where is my support group

* 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.

 
,

A Helpful Breathing Tip, Two Ways, and How to Build a Stronger Mind

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4 THOUGHTS


1. The Most Helpful Breathing Tip I’ve Found (it’s embarrassingly cliché & simple)

Don’t take ten breaths. Take one breath, ten times.

Don’t do 5 minutes of breathing. Consciously take one breath, over and over, until your 5-minute timer goes off.

Sounds silly, but it works 👏

2. How to Build a Stronger Mind

In Peak Mind, Dr. Jha describes a “mindfulness push-up” as the following:

  1. You shine your attention on your breath.

  2. Your mind wanders, and you notice it.

  3. You redirect your mind to your breath.

“This is what we might call the ‘push-up’ of a mindfulness breathing exercise.”

I love this analogy because it conveys the most crucial aspect of mindfulness: Just like repeated physical push-ups make our muscles stronger, repeated “mindfulness push-ups” make our minds stronger.

Meaning we need our minds to wander so we can notice it and come back to the breath. It’s how our minds get stronger.

3. Breathing Must Be Practiced Not Just in Solitude

“Spirituality must be practiced not just in solitude but also among people. Open up to people around you and feel connected. This is the true challenge of spiritual practice.”

- Haemin Sunim, The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down

The same is true for our breathing (or any contemplative) practice. It must be performed not only in solitude, but in real life:

  • How we do (or do not) reply to comments on social media is our practice.

  • How we do (or do not) reply to emails that provoke us is our practice.

  • How we do (or do not) interact with friends & family is our practice.

  • And on and on for every aspect of our lives…

So, this is the true challenge: To use our favorite contemplative practice to fundamentally change who we are and how we interact with the world for the better.

4. Two Ways to Keep Your Practice Interesting

  1. Switch up your routine or exercises every 15-30 days to continuously create novelty.

  2. Cultivate mindfulness so the same old boring exercises continuously create novelty.

P.S. There’s no right or wrong, and you can use both approaches simultaneously 😊

1 Quote

“Practicing to walk and breathe mindfully helps you dwell more in the real world, so you can get in touch with the wonders of life in the present moment, and nourish and heal your body and mind.””
— Thich Nhat Hanh

1 Answer

Category: Breathing Basics

Answer: The way your breathing responds to high carbon dioxide or low oxygen is generally referred to as this.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is chemoreflex sensitivity?

In good breath,

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


P.S. Every single morning

* 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.

 
,

My Top 5 Breath Books, Unconditional Love, and a Life Changing Outro

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4 THOUGHTS


1. My 5 Favorite Breathing Books & the Order I’d Read Them if I Started Over

  1. Full Catastrophe Living: Teaches the power of mindful breathing, which is the starting point of all breathing practices.

  2. Breathing: The Master Key to Self Healing (audio only): One of the most accessible and practical intros to breathing.

  3. The Healing Power of the Breath: One of the best for learning how slow breathing techniques help all aspects of life.

  4. Breath: This is a must-read for anyone interested in breathing.

  5. The Oxygen Advantage: Now that you’re a true breath nerd, you’re ready to dive into all Patrick’a life-changing wisdom.

Major Caveat: This changes based on where I am in life and the new books I read 😊

2. Moving Toward Our Better Nature

“As we see it, the most compelling impacts of meditation are not better health or sharper business performance but, rather, a further reach toward our better nature.”

– Daniel Goleman, Ph.D. & Richard Davidson, Ph.D., Altered Traits

I think this is true of any contemplative practice: meditation, breathing, yoga, or even just reading.

So here’s to choosing our favorite one and inching closer toward our better nature, today 🙏

3. Life-Changing: How to End a Breathing, Meditation, or Really Any Contemplative Practice

Say this to yourself silently:

“even if I have been distracted, … is there something that has moved me, and that I would like to keep? Is there something that I would like to take with me and use to nourish myself?”

– Dr. Cathy Blanc, The Healing Power of Meditation

Then, silently wish that you can put whatever moved you into practice to bring more peace, humanity, and love to the world 🙏

P.S. If you feel so inspired, try it at the end of this email : )

4. Unconditional Love

The other day, I worked on breathing research all day. Yet come afternoon, I realized I’d barely actually checked in with my own breath (the irony, I know, lol).

But like a puppy waiting on its human to get home from work, the second I remembered, the breath was right there, holding no grudges or hard feelings, just simply grateful for my attention.

1 Quote

“If we can simply realize the fullness of this moment, of this breath, we can find stillness and peace right here.””
— Jon Kabat-Zinn

1 Answer

Category: Breathing 101

Answer: Like winds in the atmosphere, air flowing into and out of our lungs is driven by these.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What are pressure gradients?

In good breath,

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


P.S. I show affection for my pets by…

* 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.

 
,

All 3 at Once, Laughing Monks, and Naturally Arising Compassion

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4 THOUGHTS


1. Breathing Does All Three at Once

A body scan focuses on your physical being.

Observing your thoughts focuses on your mental being.

Observing your beliefs focuses on your spiritual being.

But being with your breath does all three.

2. Maybe We Shouldn’t Be Surprised?

Imagine the power in your home goes out.

Would you walk into every room, try each electronic, and then act surprised every time they didn’t work? “The coffee maker won’t start!” “The internet won’t turn on!” “The TV isn’t working either!”

Of course not. But that’s sort of what we do with breathing studies: “Breathing helps our brain!” “It also helps our heart!” “It also helps us sleep better!”

But like the power lines feeding our homes, breathing is the power feeding our bodies. Without it, nothing else works; however, when it’s working correctly, everything inside works better, too.

So maybe we shouldn’t be surprised when breathing helps our bodies in some way. Maybe we should be surprised when it doesn’t…

3. Mindfulness plus Slow Breathing equals Amplified Benefits

“In both groups, meditation acutely decreased arterial and cerebral oxygen saturation, reduced chemoreflex sensitivity, and prolonged the RR interval, independently of respiration. Conversely, slow breathing improved heart rate variability, independently of concurrent meditation.”

- Bernardi et al. (2017), Psychophysiology

This study isolated the unique benefits of mantra-based mindfulness vs. slow breathing. As stated, they found that meditation alone reduced metabolism, whereas slow breathing alone increased HRV.

But in my opinion, the most practical finding was that combining them into one practice may provide the best of both techniques.

Here is a simple way to do it:

  1. Pick an emotionally meaningful word (“peace,” “love,” etc.)

  2. Focus on and silently repeat that word to yourself while exhaling during your slow breathing practice.

4. Laughing Monks: A Story to Contemplate

“For example, when Varela put on an EEG cap, which uses electrodes to measure electrical activity in the brain, monks from the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics in Dharamsala laughed and said, ‘How could we be measuring anything to do with the mind by putting a cap on the head? The mind is here!’—pointing to their hearts.”

– Clifford Saron, Ph.D., The Healing Power of Meditation

 

Reading that story (and its multiple implicit lessons) a few times is like a meditation in itself 😊

1 Quote

“It is not even logical, but it seems that when the human mind is open, compassion is the most natural thing to arise, and I think that is a key part of what we call mindfulness training.””
— Dr. Edel Maex

1 Answer

Category: Brain Changes

Answer: Meditation, like breath awareness, can increase the density of this brain tissue, which is where neurons talk to each other, and information processing happens.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is grey matter?

In good breath,

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


P.S. How to deal with stress

* 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.

 
,

Slow Gratitude, Breath Pole Vaulting, and Two Ways It Calms the Mind

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4 THOUGHTS


1. The Gratitude of Breathing

Slow breathing is to meditation what gratitude is to journaling.

2. A Benefit of Meditation: Slower Everyday Breathing

“Comparing each to a nonmeditator of the same age and sex, the meditators were breathing an average 1.6 breaths more slowly. And this was while they were just sitting still, waiting for a cognitive test to start.

…

As practice continues and breathing becomes progressively slower, the body adjusts its physiological set point for its respiratory rate accordingly. That’s a good thing. While chronic rapid breathing signifies ongoing anxiety, a slower breath rate indicates reduced autonomic activity, better mood, and salutary health.”

– Daniel Goleman, Ph.D. & Richard Davidson, Ph.D., Altered Traits

 

The more you meditate, the less you breathe, and the better mood and health you acquire 👏

P.S. A voluntary slow breathing practice by itself (which is a form of meditation, in my opinion 😊) can give similar results.

3. Two Ways Attending to the Breath Calms the Mind

“Physiologically, attending to the breath makes it slower and deeper and thereby stimulates the vagus nerve, which then launches the relaxation response. Psychologically, attending to the breath intensely brings the mind to the present, away from past and future, and so temporarily frees the mind from regret about the past and worry about the future.”*

- Chade-Meng Tan, Joy on Demand

That is all 👏

4. The Breathing Pole Vaulter: Letting Go at a Great Height

“Listening to them, one image that came to mind was that of the polevaulter. At first, the athlete needs a pole to propel him or herself to a great height. At a certain point, the athlete has to release the pole and just jump.”

– Larry Rosenberg, Three Steps to Awakening

 

This is an excellent analogy for any breath-focused contemplative practice (breathwork, meditation, yoga, etc.)

The breath is like the pole, boosting us to a great height where we can “let go” and discover our full potential.

A 9-Minute Podcast

I was honored to have a discussion with Tina Gilbertson, creator of the Reconnection Club and just an all-around amazing person. She condensed our conversation into a short & sweet 9-minute podcast.

I hope you enjoy it: Episode 146: Breathe

1 Quote

“Breathing, the common, everyday act of inhaling and exhaling a breath, has the ability to be something that benefits not just me or you, it can benefit every person we encounter.” ”
— Rev. Duffy Peet

1 Answer

Category: The Nostrils

Answer: Measurements reveal that the left-nostril breathing makes this branch of the autonomic nervous system more active, benefiting overall cardiovascular and autonomic health.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is the parasympathetic branch?

In good breath,

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


P.S. how I said “here”

The Garlic Breath of the Week

Here is the most-liked post this past week.

* 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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Alzheimer’s, Nose vs. Mouth, and How to Find the Perfect Practice

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4 THOUGHTS


1. The Smiling of Breathing

Slow breathing is to breath exercises what smiling is to facial expressions.

2. Slow Breathing Might Reduce the Risk of Alzheimer’s

“As far as we can tell from the published literature and ClinicalTrials.gov searches, this study provides the first evidence of a behavioral intervention that reduces Aβ levels (measured with plasma, CSF or PET) compared to a randomized control group.”

– Nature Sci Rep (2023)

 

This recently-published study found that 20-40 minutes of daily slow breathing reduces levels of amyloid-β, a key Alzheimer’s biomarker, in younger and older adults, suggesting that it may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s and promote healthy brain aging.

Pretty remarkable stuff 👏

3. How to Find the Perfect Practice

  • If you studied basketball in great detail, you could probably find a lot of health benefits.

  • If you studied surfing in great detail, you could probably find a lot of health benefits.

  • If you studied tennis in great detail, you could probably find a lot of health benefits.

Likewise:

  • If you study slow breathing in great detail, you’ll find a lot of health benefits.

  • If you study mindfulness in great detail, you’ll find a lot of health benefits.

  • If you study yoga in great detail, you’ll find a lot of health benefits.

The difference?

People choose sports based on joy and pleasure, but often choose a contemplative path just based on the science and health benefits. 

Let’s do our best to balance both, but emphasize joy.  If we focus on joy, the benefits of any practice will take care of themselves.

4. Nose vs Mouth: A Mindful Observation of Nature’s Design

You can have your mouth open or closed. But there’s no such thing as having your nose “opened or closed.” Your nose is always open, always ready to be breathed through.

There’s a lesson from nature in there…

***

P.S. Of course, this breaks down if you’re sick, have bad allergies, or have another medical condition blocking it. But you get the idea : )

1 Quote

“Mindfulness lets us see things in a new light and believe in the possibility of change.””
— Ellen Langer, Ph.D.

1 Answer

Category: Breathing & the Brain

Answer: Slow deep breathing impacts this fluid, which plays a critical role in “cushioning” the brain and spinal cord while also distributing nutrients and hormones.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)?

In good breath,

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


P.S. There are two types of people

The Garlic Breath of the Week

Here is the most-liked post this past week.

* 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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The Best Morning Breathing Exercise, Air Candy, and Greater Calmness

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4 THOUGHTS


1. Air Candy

Gratitude turns an ordinary breath into air candy.

2. The Best Morning Breathing Exercise

The best morning breathing exercise is a good night’s sleep.

P.S. I had a few nights of poorer-than-normal sleep and noticed that my morning breathing was nowhere near as enjoyable or effective. Which inspired this purposefully playful sentence : )

3. Greater Calmness: How to Choose Effective Responses in Stressful Situations

“When we are mindful of our breathing, it automatically helps us to establish greater calmness in both the body and the mind. Then we are better able to be aware of our thoughts and feelings…And with this awareness comes a feeling of having more room to move, of having more options, of being free to choose effective and appropriate responses in stressful situations rather than losing our equilibrium and sense of self as a result of feeling overwhelmed, thrown off balance by our own knee-jerk reactions.”

- Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., Full Catastrophe Living

Beautifully said 👏👏👏

So the next time we need to choose an effective & appropriate response in a stressful situation, let’s first tune into our breath to “establish greater calmness in both the body and the mind,” allowing us to move forward with clarity.

4. This Will Help You in Anything You Set Out to Do

“Working memory is where you hold a goal in mind so you can move toward it. By goal…I mean the micro-intentions and deliberate aim of having a desired outcome for each and every task you engage in—all the decisions, planning, thinking, actions, and behaviors you do over the course of a day: anything you set out to do.”

– Amishi P. Jha, Ph.D., Peak Mind

Based on this description, having good working memory is pretty crucial since it plays a role in “anything you set out to do.”

But it’s relevant here because a 2022 study found that slow breathing significantly improves working memory.

Putting it together: By improving working memory, slow breathing may potentially help you with anything you set out to do 👏

1 Quote

“At this very moment, whether you know it or not, each breath happens right here and right now. Little by little the question becomes, Are you intimate with this breath just as it is?””
— Larry Rosenberg

1 Answer

Category: Breath-Heart Connections

Answer: The heart is connected to this muscle via the pericardium, which is a fluid-filled sac surrounding the heart.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is the diaphragm?

In good breath,

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


P.S. It’s a common problem.

The Garlic Breath of the Week

Here is the most-liked post this past week.

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

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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.

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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

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Nutritious Breathing, a Touch of Mindfulness, and Why Resonance Works

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4 Thoughts



1. Nutritious Breathing

Practicing low & slow nasal breathing is like eating a nutrient-dense, whole-food meal. We get more with less and always feel nourished afterward.

P.S. This was inspired by Katy Bowman’s Nutritious Movement.

2. Relaxed & Alert and Why Coherent (or Resonant) Breathing Works

“Within a very short time, breathing at five breaths a minute will synchronize the electrical rhythms of the heart, lungs and brain, which is very beneficial and leads to a state in which we are both relaxed and alert. It's unusual to be both relaxed and alert at the same time, but Coherent Breathing creates this sweet spot.”

- Dr. Patricia Gerbarg, from Wake Up to Sleep

Here’s an excellent description of why resonant breathing (aka Coherent or just “slow” breathing) works. It synchronizes the electrical rhythms of the heart, lungs, and brain, leaving us “relaxed and alert.” <— Sounds good to me 🙏

Give it a try: Breathe 6 seconds in and 6 seconds out. Or 5 seconds in, 7 out.

3. But You Don’t Have to Control Your Breathing, Just Touch it with Mindfulness

“Something happens when mindfulness touches breathing. Its quality changes for the better. […] The breath becomes pleasant; it is enjoyable just to sit and breathe. […] The body, the mind, and the breath begin to coalesce. They each partake of the other, so that it is difficult to distinguish among them.”

- Larry Rosenberg, Breath by Breath

I’m guilty of thinking controlled slow breathing exercises are best.

But let’s not forget that a touch of mindfulness is similarly powerful, causing the body, mind, and breath to coalesce. <— Sounds good to me (again) 😊

***

P.S. That “coalescing” sounds a lot like the synchronization of electrical signals from the heart, brain, and lungs described for resonance breathing…

4. Direct vs. Indirect Slow Relaxed Breathing: Pick Which Suits You Best

Thoughts 2 & 3 bring up two important concepts:

  • Direct Slow Breathing: Using an app (or counting) to deliberately breathe slowly at a set pace (like five breaths a minute).

  • Indirect Slow Breathing: Using mindfulness or a relaxation technique (like yoga nidra) to inadvertently slow your breathing.

Of course, they have slightly different benefits, but either will be an effective way to improve your health & wellness, so pick the one that suits you best 🙏

1 QUOTE

“Bringing awareness to our breathing, we remind ourselves that we are here now, so we might as well be fully awake for whatever is happening.”
— Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D.
 

1 ANSWER

Category: The Nose

Answer: These bony structures, which are surrounded by tissue and a mucous membrane, play a critical role in warming and humidifying incoming air as well as modulating airflow.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What are nasal turbinates?

In good breath,

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

P.S. how I am now

Breathing for Diabetes:

If you love learning about breathing, or just want to live an overall healthier life, I think you’ll really enjoy this class (diabetes or not).

 
 

* 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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Breath is Medicine, Slow Breathing in 223 Studies, and "Yes, This Is It"

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4 Thoughts



1. Voluntary Slow Breathing Improves Cardio-autonomic Function in 223 Studies

“By considering the importance of the PNS for health-related issues, … these results encourage the implementation of voluntary slow breathing exercises in health-related contexts, given the low-tech and low-cost techniques they require.” (my emphasis)

-Laborde et al. (2022), Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews

That was a concluding remark of a recent 2022 meta-analysis looking at 223 studies on voluntary slow breathing and cardio-autonomic function.

The improvements across all 223 studies were by no means Earth-shattering. But they were significant, with virtually no side effects. Sounds good to me 👏

2. Breath is Medicine

“Medicine and medication both derive from an ancient Indo-Iranian root meaning something like ‘thoughtful action to establish order’; the same root gives us the words measure and meditate.”

- Andrew Weil, MD, Mind Over Meds

If “medicine” means “thoughtful action,” then mindful breathing is medicine.

Let’s not forget to take our dose, today : )

3. Maybe We Should Stop Worrying About Our Feelings?

“Feelings are natural phenomena, like clouds in the sky. Or rain. There are some feelings we like, and some feelings we don’t like. Just like we talk about good and bad weather. But there's nothing we can do about them. And there's nothing that needs to be done about them. Of course, you don't ignore the weather. You don't pretend that it's not raining when it's raining. You take it into consideration, but you don't try to fix it.”*

- David Reynolds, Constructive Living

That passage blew my mind and actually changed how I live.

We often hear about letting our thoughts float by: just watch them, then come back to the breath.

Perhaps sometimes we should do the same with our feelings, too?

4. “Yes, This Is It”

“A few years ago, I was leading a meditation retreat. … At one point, a woman raised her hand and asked: “Is this it? This being with the breath thing? Isn't there something more we can do?”

[Lodro’s response was:] “Yes, this is it.”*

- Lodro Rinzler, Walk Like a Buddha

I have a problem where I’m always searching for “the next thing.” Maybe you do too? But it really just comes down to this “being with the breath thing.”

“Yes, this is it.”


1 QUOTE

“The body’s function of breathing has been regarded by most ancient esoteric religious teachings as the very handle to be used to get hold of, or obtain the control of one’s mind and body.”
— Michael Wurmbrand
 

1 ANSWER

Category: Autonomic Nervous System

Answer: Because this branch of the nervous system innervates almost every organ, any action that reduces its activity will have widespread calming benefits throughout the body.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is the sympathetic (fight-or-flight) nervous system?

In good breath,

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

P.S. “the worst they can say is no”

Breathing for Diabetes:

If you love learning about breathing, or just want to live an overall healthier life, I think you’ll really enjoy this class (diabetes or not).

 
 

* 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.

 
 
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3 Easy Mindful Breaths, Breathing's Version of AI, and 7/11 for 7/11

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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 Different Kind of AI for Breathing (one that works in real life)

For breathing, we don’t need artificial intelligence. Instead, we can tap into a much more powerful AI: Ancient Intelligence.

Before modern scientific methods, ancient cultures built “breathing algorithms” based on what worked in real life. We just have to follow them.

Although there are countless resources out there, here are two to get started:

And here’s to using a little more breathing AI, today : )

***

P.S. This was inspired by this Brian Johnson +1 🙏

2. The Good Breath isn’t Achievable; It’s a Way of Breathing

“Instead, the good life that I present, which is deeply grounded in the core principles of humanistic psychology and a realistic understanding of human needs, is about the healthy expression of needs in the service of discovering and expressing a self that works best for you.

The good life is not something you will ever achieve. It’s a way of living.”

- Scott Barry Kaufman, Transcend

I absolutely love this passage. And with it, I introduce my version for breathing:

The good breath is deeply grounded in the principles of human physiology and psychology, along with a realistic understanding of individual human differences. It’s about the healthy expression of your emotions and highest potential through breathing practices that work best for you.

The good breath isn’t something we try to achieve. It’s simply a way of breathing.

***

Related: The Deep Breath Hypothesis

3. Knowing isn’t Enough: You Have to Use the Breath

“As strange as it may sound, we tell ourselves that because we know how to repel a symptom …, we don't have to actually use the tool any longer.

[…] But if you want to build stronger muscles, you can't just think about lifting weights—you actually have to do the exercises.

In the same way, if you want to increase your Life Force, you have to actually use the tools.”

- Barry Michels and Phil Stutz, Coming Alive

I think they actually wrote that first sentence for me 😂

Just a reminder that, no matter how much we “know,” we still have to practice.

This goes for breathing or any other tool we use for a better life.

4. 7/11 for 7/11: Slow Relaxing Breathing for 7 to 11 Minutes

Since it’s 7/11, I invite you to practice 7/11 breathing with me:

  • 7-second inhale

  • 11-second exhale

  • Do this for between 7 to 11 mins (I did 10 this morning)

I’ve been using this rate almost every day for about 3 years, simply because 7 is my wife’s favorite number and 11 is mine <— super scientific 😂.

Give it a go and see how you feel 🙏

Extra: 3 Easy Ways to Relax with Mindful Breathing

Here’s another guest blog I wrote for ResBiotic. This is my favorite one yet : )

3 Easy Ways to Relax with Mindful Breathing

Enjoy the quick read!


1 QUOTE

“To meditate with mindful breathing is to bring body and mind back to the present moment so that you do not miss your appointment with life.”
— Thich Nhat Hanh
 

1 ANSWER

Category: Lungs & Nerves

Answer: The lungs are filled with receptors and can be thought of as a sensory organ, communicating information to the brain via this nerve.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is the vagus nerve?

In good breath,

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

P.S. they’re gonna have to put down another unicorn

Breathing for Diabetes:

If you love learning about breathing, or just want to live an overall healthier life, I think you’ll really enjoy this class (diabetes or not).

 
 

* 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.

 
 

Sit Up Straight, a Language of Energy, and Two Hours instead of One?

 
 

🎧 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. Mindful Low-and-Slow Breathing is “Almost Always Helpful”

“Mindful low-and-slow breathing (Chapter 2) activates the parasympathetic (relaxation) nervous system and is therefore almost always helpful in reducing physiological arousal, including bringing down skin conductance. Reducing skin conductance with low-and-slow breathing is particularly helpful for a quick recovery break, between meetings, or as a break from challenging activities of the day.”

- Inna Khazan, PhD, Biofeedback and Mindfulness in Everyday Life

Mindful low-and-slow breathing is “almost always helpful in reducing physiological arousal.” <— sounds good to me.

Use it anytime, anywhere for a quick reset and recovery.

2. Sit Up Straight: Take a Full, Deep Breath

“Our thoracic curve affects lung function. When the thoracic curve become more pronounced (think hunchback), the lungs’ ability to expand decreases. Excessive thoracic curvature weakens respiratory muscles and restricts your ability to take a full, deep breath.”

- Pete Egoscue, Pain Free

We probably don’t need another reminder to sit up straight. We know good posture is essential for just about everything (especially breathing; and vice-versa, as good breathing can lead to better posture).

But, for some reason, it really stuck out here and has inspired me to make my posture a top priority. Maybe this passage will spark something for you too 🙏

3. Do This when Life Gets Complicated: Two Hours instead of One

“The non-negotiable part is key. When life gets complicated, these four practices are typically what we remove from our schedule, but the research shows this is the last choice we should make. When life gets complicated, lean into these practices, as they’re how you get the creativity needed to untangle the complicated.”

- Steven Kotler, The Art of Impossible

Kotler is discussing four key practices for “sustained peak performance” (which he says are gratitude, mindfulness, exercise, and sleep).

But the idea applies to anything we do for better health (like breathing).

When life gets absurdly busy, lean into these practices. As Gandhi said, “I have so much to accomplish today that I must meditate for two hours instead of one.”

4. Sleep Better with Breathing

Car accidents and heart attacks will spike today due to the time change (which is why I haven’t participated in two years—be the change you want to see style.)

However, most of us can’t just ignore it due to life and work obligations. The next best thing is protecting ourselves. Here’s how breathing can help:

 
 
 
 

1 QUOTE

“Within the rhythms and structure of your breath is coded a language of energy that your nervous system, glands, and mind understand.”

- Gurucharan Singh Khalsa, PhD, and Yogi Bhajan, PhD

 
 
 
 

1 ANSWER

Category: Sleep

Answer: Before the invention of electric light, people used to sleep about this many hours.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is ten hours?

In good breath,

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

P.S. My favorite childhood memory

P.P.S. Thanks to Laura from the MAPS Institute for sharing that funny post.

 
 
 

* 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.

 
 

Breathing & Love, Rising Above the Clouds, and 4 Years in 4 Points

 
 

Listen Instead of Reading

 
 
 

4 Thoughts


1. Demonstrations of Breathing & Love

“Demonstrations of love are small, compared with the great thing that is hidden behind them.”

- Khalil Gibran

Call it what you’d like, prana, qi, & so on, but the same is true: Demonstrations of breathing are small compared with the great thing that is hidden behind them.

2. Breathing for Diabetes: 4 Years in 4 Bullet Points

Based on about 4 years of research and self-practice, the 4 key ways that regular breathing practices help diabetes are by:

3. Breathing for (non) Diabetics: “Raising Our Heads Above the Clouds”

“But many of the same interventions that can help us get our heads above water can just as effectively be devoted to raising our heads above the clouds.”

- Steven Kotler and Jamie Wheal, Stealing Fire

This is unquestionably true for breathing. Although everything I read, practice, and share is focused on keeping my “head above the water” as a diabetic, they can also “raise your head above the clouds” if you’re not diabetic.

Interesting side note: it’s typically broken people that find supplemental modalities like breathing—I guess because we need them the most : ) But if you’re not broken, all the benefits of breathing will be even more helpful.

So here’s to using our breathing to stay afloat, or rise above the clouds, today.

4. The Buddha, 20 Years after Enlightenment

Did you know that the Buddha was still meditating 20 years after his enlightenment? (I guess it never ends, folks 😄)

What kind of meditation, you might wonder? “Mindfulness of breathing.”

Extra Thought: Take High Altitude Yoga Alongside Me One Last Time

My wife is moving on to a new yoga adventure 🎉. But, she’ll be teaching the High Altitude Yoga class we designed together one last time.

The class incorporates slow breathing, breath holds, and yoga into a challenging but fun 45-min flow.

It’s $8 and happening tomorrow morning (Tuesday, Dec 14) at 6:15 a.m. EST. I’ll be there, and I hope you’ll join me in taking it!

 
 
 
 

1 QUOTE

“Relaxing the breath, breathe in. Relaxing the breath, breathe out. Then joy arises naturally.”

- Bhante Gunarantana

The Four Foundations of Mindfulness in Plain English

 
 
 
 

1 ANSWER

Category: The Diaphragm

Answer: This organ rests on the top of the diaphragm.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is the heart?

P.S. This was inspired by Jill Miller’s amazing line: “Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Which is of course, my diaphragm.” (Makes me laugh every time.)

In good breath,

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

P.S. and I’ve never respected anything more

 
 
 

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.