Listen Instead of Reading
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4 Thoughts
1. Less is More
When you breathe less, you almost always get more.
More blood flow.
More oxygen delivery.
More time sleeping deeply.
More time alive on this planet.
2. Breathing Turns Insight into Action
“What are tools? Tools are practices, simple techniques that bridge the gap between insight and action. Using them over time enables you to fulfill your potential.”*
- Barry Michels and Phil Stutz, Coming Alive
I think breathing exercises fit this definition perfectly.
They’re simple techniques that convert insights (like those in Thought #1) into actions (like taking a few minutes to breathe light & slow each day).
And, I hope you’re discovering like I am that using them over time enables us to fulfill our highest potential.
3. The Breath Is Always Now
“The breath is a constant reminder of what is going on in this very moment. It is not a time to think about the past or what you will be doing later. The breath is always now.”*
- Lodro Rinzler, Walk Like a Buddha
And this is why breathing is perhaps the best tool we have. When you’re focused on the breath, there’s no time to worry about the past or future.
The breath is always now.
4. Ancient Wisdom: Breathing Exercises Bring a Long & Healthy Life
In The Primordial Breath, which is part of the ancient Taoist Canon, there is an excellent line about breathing exercises & a long life:
“At best, it brings immortality, and at the very least, it profits toward a long life.”**
Sounds good to me 🙏
***
P.S. Unfortunately, “immortality” shouldn’t be taken literally...dang it! In the preface, the translator says: “Due to the distance in time and culture many words, as translated, do not necessarily mean what they appear at first glance to mean…Most texts under ‘immortality’ understand a long and healthy life.”
** This quote was referring to one specific breathing exercise called the “Embryonic Breath.” But, given their use of many breathing exercises for longevity, I think my thought matches their sentiment.
EXTRA: Free 1-on-1 Sessions on Anything
I am going to start offering free one-hour 1-on-1 sessions between July 11th - September 30th. These can be about anything:
A general discussion
You can bring specific questions & I’ll do my best to answer
I can lead you through a gentle slow breathing practice
Or some mix of all of these
Also, I’m using the scheduling service my wife used for her online yoga, so if you see “Black Sand Yoga” anywhere, that’s why : )
I look forward to meeting some of you!
1 QUOTE
“In fact, every relaxation, calming or meditation technique relies on breathing, which may be the lowest common denominator in all the approaches to calming the body and mind.”
1 ANSWER
Category: Lungs
Answer: Normal human lungs weigh about this much, and approximately 40-50% of that weight comes from blood.
…
(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)
…
Question: What is 1 kg (or 2.2 lbs)?
In good breath,
Nick Heath, T1D, PhD
“Breathing is the compound interest of health & wellness.”
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.