Listen Instead of Reading
Hey,
Here are 4 thoughts, 1 quote, and 1 answer for this week. Enjoy!
4 Thoughts
1. The Real Lesson from Phil Mickelson: For Diabetes, and Life in General
Phil Mickelson used controlled breathing throughout the PGA Championship. So, when he won, it was an exciting moment for the breathing community.
But do you know what happened for the next tournament? He played poorly.
Of course, with sports, we accept that this is just part of the game. Even with his focused breathing, no one can win them all.
But do you apply this concept in your life, especially if you have diabetes?
Do you remember that life is more complex than sports? There’s no “one thing” that will ensure you always win.
But, and this is important, Phil still finished that next lousy round of golf. He didn’t just walk off the course because he wasn’t winning.
And that’s what we have to do. A high blood sugar doesn’t mean we should give up on our protocol. A poor night of sleep doesn’t mean this breathing stuff doesn’t work. Life is hard, and we all have off days. But, that’s precisely when we need our fundamentals the most.
Here’s to knowing we’ll have bad days and weeks, and finishing anyway, knowing we’ll eventually be on top again.
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P.S. I know nothing about golf, so thanks to my dad for pointing out how bad Mickelson played when we hung out on Father’s Day, sparking this thought : )
2. Breathing is a Scalpel to Your Brain and Emotions
In 2017, a group of Stanford researchers discovered a small cluster of neurons that control your breathing—the breathing “pacemaker neurons.”
It turns out that these neurons extend to other parts of the brain that control emotions, and it’s a two-way street: The emotional areas can influence your breathing, but your breathing can also influence them.
On a recent RadioLab Podcast (aptly titled “Breath”), after learning this, Molly Webster likened her breathing to a scalpel to her brain and emotions:
“I feel like, in a way, he almost gave me like a scalpel to get inside my own brain and control it…If I actually change my breathing, it will change this breath pacemaker region, and it will send an ‘I’m chill’ signal to the fight or flight directly, and it will calm down.”
This brought a massive smile to my face. What a perfect analogy.
Practically and scientifically, you can know that when you take control of your breath, you take control of a small cluster of neurons that talk to other regions of your brain. So the scalpel is right there in your nose. Use it when needed.
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P.S. Thanks to one of my best friends, Capt J.G., for sending me this podcast.
3. “Breathing Exercises for Better Metabolic Health”
“Research shows that controlled breathing can positively impact our nervous system, reducing stress and maybe even improving glucose control.”
This article is a perfect synthesis of research and practical advice on how breathing might help with blood sugars. It’s basically my entire website summarized into a 6-minute read…I feel rather long-winded now : )
Please read and share this one!
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Related: The Lesser-Known Benefits Of Nasal Breathing, Designed For Diabetes
Related: Why Slow Breathing is Beneficial for Diabetes
4. Moderate Breathing, in Moderation
“All breathing in moderation, including moderate breathing.”
A reader helped me add this one to the list of “Breathing Graffiti.” Thanks, M. Night Larry. It’s clever, and it has lots of practical wisdom too.
Remember that we take over 20,00 breaths a day. So Wim Hof is OK now and then. Breath holds are OK now and then. (If you’re in good health, of course.)
All breathing in moderation, even moderate breathing. That’s a simple and valuable principle to live by.
1 Quote
“When the mental state is disturbed, the life energy (prana) gets unbalanced and this leads to irregular breath; hence to regulate the mental state the yoga practitioner should regulate the breath.”
Hatha Yoga Pradipika, 300 A.D., from Role of respiration in mind-body practices: concepts from contemporary science and traditional yoga texts
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P.S. This was from almost 2000 (!) years ago. The neurons controlling how this works (Thought #2) were only discovered in 2017. The paper linked above provides additional insight into the science behind this ancient wisdom.
1 Answer
Category: Breathing in History
Answer: The healing power of the breath was recognized this far back.
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(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)
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Question: What is 7000 BCE? (pg. 58)
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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.