September 30, 2024

How to Walk Farther, Mind Roots, and Breath & Gratitude

September 30, 2024

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Reading Time: 1 min 41 sec

I hope the next 20’ish breaths are the most nourishing of your day.

4 THOUGHTS

1. The Roots of Training the Mind

“Relaxation is the basic competency in meditation that enables all the others. Mind training without relaxation is like a tree without strong roots—it is not sustainable. The skillful trainee establishes relaxation first and then builds on top of it.”
– Chade-Meng Tan, Joy On Demand

And what’s the fastest way to establish relaxation? Slow breathing, of course 😊. Thus, a quick 5-minute slow breathing practice before meditation can act as the roots of our mind-training program.

2. Walk Farther Without Feeling Exhausted

“Efficient breathing allows our bodies to be properly oxygenated, enabling us to walk farther without feeling exhausted. Many of us don’t breathe properly as we exercise, gulping rapidly at air through our mouths rather than matching our (full, nasal) inhalations to our stride. When we walk to the rhythm of our breath—or even breathe to the rhythm of our feet—we slow and lengthen our breathing. In combination with good posture, paced rhythmic breathing means that demanding mountain ascents and lengthy treks feel less tiring.”
– Annabel Streets, 52 Ways to Walk

👏👏👏

3. Three Thoughts on Breathing and Gratitude

1. The best practice for breath appreciation is getting a stuffy nose.

2. Physiological gratitude occurs 20,000 times a day in the space where an exhale ends and an inhale begins.

3. Take a few breaths and say, “This is great! I have an abundance of the most valuable resource known to our species, and I don't even have to work that hard to get it!”

4. How to Have Happiness Immediately

And to wrap-up, here’s a quote from Thich Nhat Hanh, who has a knack for making some of the more “woo-woo” and idyllic ideas of meditation concrete and actionable:

“Breathing and walking with awareness generates the energy of mindfulness. This energy brings our mind back to our body so that we’re really here in the present moment, so we can be in touch with the wonders of life that are there inside us and around us. If we can recognize these wonders, we have happiness immediately.”

1 Quote

“Repeating simple tasks with a clear intention can reprogram unconscious mental processes. This can completely transform who you are as a person.””

— John Yates, Ph.D., Matthew Immergut, Ph.D.

1 Answer

Category: Breath Coupling

Answer: This entrainment is the name given to our ability to coordinate breathing and vocalization.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is respiratory-phonation coordination?

In good breath,

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

P.S. another day, another reason to…

There Is No Path

“Traveler, there is no path. The path is made by walking.” – Antonio Machado

Your breath, your mind, and your awareness are your most powerful tools for living a fulfilled life. Don’t limit yourself to one method or feel guilty about your varied interests—these are what make you, you. Embrace your curiosity and explore different teachings, understand their core principles, and forge your own path. Learn more.

The Breathing App for Diabetes

This is the first program specifically made for people with diabetes to help manage their stress through breathing and mindfulness practices. In addition to the amazing program inside the app, we have some really neat things coming up, so sign up now!

Learn more here.

Amazon Associate Disclosure

I’ve been recommending books for almost 6 years. Yet somehow, I just discovered that I could be an Amazon affiliate [face-palm]. In any case better late than never. Now, any Amazon link you click is an affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. So, if you’d like to support my work, buying books through these links is helpful : )

* 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.

Nicholas Heath

January 8, 2024

weekly email, Batch 9

Catch & Shoot, 20 or 50 Years, and Slow Breathing Doesn’t Work Now

Nicholas Heath

January 8, 2024

weekly email, Batch 9

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Reading Time: 1 min 49 sec

I hope the next 27’ish breaths are the most nourishing of your day.

4 THOUGHTS

1. Slow Breathing Doesn’t Work?

A paper recently published in Nature may seem to suggest that slow breathing doesn’t work over a “placebo.” However, when analyzed carefully, it actually showed that controlled, nasal, diaphragmatic breathing works wonderfully (whether it’s slow or not).

I created a 10-minute video breaking down the study for those breath nerds who are interested : ) Watch it here.

2. Take a Walk and Breathe Through Your Nose

“Walking is the perfect time to hone your breathing. So take a stroll—and breathe through your nose.”
- Annabel Streets, 52 Ways to Walk

Want to get even more benefits from walking (as if there aren’t enough already)? It’s simple: just breathe nasally. As Streets says:

“As you walk, close your mouth; relax the jaw, tongue, and face; and breathe slowly in through the nose and out through the mouth or nose. You'll find this more challenging as your pace picks up. But stay focused and you might—possibly—have fewer colds, more energy, and greater serenity.”

Sounds good to me 🙏

3. Catch Before Shooting: The Power of Breath Awareness

“I once saw a player trying to shoot before he caught the ball; he was moving so fast that when he finally was able to reach for the ball, he hit it and of course it flew out of bounds. Well, why does that happen? It's because he wasn't in the present moment; he wasn't in the flow.”
- George Mumford, The Mindful Athlete

This same thing happens in life. In high-stress situations, we often try to shoot before we’ve even caught the ball (guilty here). This is where breath awareness comes in.

When we come back to our breath before reacting to a stressor—even for one breath—it’s like catching the ball before we shoot. Just that simple act allows us to make a better play going forward.

4. Two Choices: 20 or 50 Years?

“A disciple asks a Zen master: ‘How long does it take to be able to experience Awakening?’ ‘Maybe 20 years,’ answers the master. ‘And if I am in a hurry?’ asks the disciple again. ‘In that case, it is 50 years,’ concludes the master.”
- Steven Laureys, MD, The No-Nonsense Meditation Book

This passage made me laugh out loud. It’s a perfect reminder that trying to hurry often takes more time.

1 Quote

“For the lungs to draw in air, they must first be emptied. For the mind to draw inspiration, it wants space to welcome the new.””

— Rick Rubin

1 Answer

Category: Breath Condition

Answer: Halitosis refers to this “breathing condition,” which can often be helped by switching to primarily nasal breathing.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is bad breath?

In good breath,

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

P.S. a new year resolution I can get behind

Coaching

Breathing & Mindfulness 1-on-1

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Nicholas Heath

November 27, 2023

weekly email, Batch 9

Free 5-Star Resort, Transferring Passion, and Breathing in the Rain

Nicholas Heath

November 27, 2023

weekly email, Batch 9

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: 1 min 37 sec

I hope the next 25’ish breaths are the most nourishing of your day.

4 THOUGHTS

1. A Rainy, Effortless Breathing Exercise

“Importantly, rain washes away the vestiges of pollution. Air is always cleaner during and immediately after a downpour…As rain tumbles through the atmosphere, each drop attracts hundreds of pollutant particles…Leaving the air bracingly fresh, scrubbed clean.”
- Annabel Streets, 52 Ways to Walk

Next time it rains, go out and breathe some freshly cleaned air. It’s the most effective & effortless “breathing exercise” you can do 😊

2. What Can Be Transferred is Passion

“That's really where the power of meditation lies, and it's not something that can be transferred from one person to another. What can be transferred is the passion for it.”
- Jon Kabat-Zinn, Meditation for Optimum Health

This made me think if I could sit down and do slow, mindful breathing for you, I would. But alas, our bodies don’t work that way…

However, I hope these newsletters and my workshops & coaching can at least transfer some of my passion for these practices to you 🙏

3. The Spiritual Essence of Human Beings

“I think that really is the power of breath. It is the spiritual essence of human beings; when we look in that direction, we are doing spiritual work.”
- Andrew Weil, MD, Breathing: The Master Key

Of course, doing breathing exercises doesn’t require any spirituality.

But because breathing is “the spiritual essence of human beings,” just focusing on it can become a spiritual practice if we so choose 👏

4. Checking Into a Free 5-star Resort

“When you focus for a short time, gently brushing aside any intrusive thoughts, your mind and body suddenly become a five-star resort in which all the service personnel make your restoration and health their priority and are especially concerned with alleviating the harmful effects of stress.”
– Herbert Benson, MD, Timeless Healing

Sitting or lying down, slowing down, and focusing on your breath is like checking into a five-star healing resort: “all the service personnel make your restoration and health their priority.”

Make sure you check in a few times this week.

1 Quote

“You should keep your mind on your breathing until you are not aware of your breathing.””

— Shunryu Suzuki

1 Answer

Category: Receptors & Nerves

Answer: Pulmonary stretch receptors respond to excess lung stretching by sending a signal through this nerve to stop inhalation.

…

(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. feeling visited enough

Is Your Advice Being Ignored?

Consider giving the gift of calm to someone you care about (maybe that person you’ve tried to convince to do breathing exercises, but they just won’t listen 😉):

Use discount code NICK20 for 20% off.

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Nicholas Heath

November 13, 2023

weekly email, Batch 9

Mindful Sauna, Focus on You, and Singing for Better Breathing

Nicholas Heath

November 13, 2023

weekly email, Batch 9

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 15 sec

I hope the next 34ish breaths are the most nourishing of your day.

4 THOUGHTS

1. How Jon Kabat-Zinn Got Introduced to Mindfulness (it’s not what you might think)

“I would actually say that the sauna at MIT was probably my first and most powerful meditation teacher. And I used to go with some of my graduate student friends and sit in the sauna and crank the heat up as far as it would go. And you'd have to breathe more slowly in the sauna because it was so hot to just not burn your nostrils. And it was helpful if you didn't move around too much because even that took a lot of energy. And it was also helpful if you didn't think all that much.”
- Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., Meditation for Optimum Health

This is a neat story for sauna lovers and a nice metaphorical reminder that sometimes stressors help us most in cultivating peace.

2. Sing More for More Efficient Breathing

“Singing provides our lungs with a workout, resulting in enhanced respiratory muscles and more efficient breathing. Researchers call this optimized breathing, and arguably, it’s exactly what we need as we walk, particularly if we sing in rhythm with our feet.”
– Annabel Streets, 52 Ways to Walk

As an overly self-conscious person, I can’t bring myself to sing while walking. But this passage has inspired me to sing more (when no one is listening, of course 😂). I hope it does the same for you.

3. Focus on You: What Sets Breathing Apart from Traditional Diabetes Approaches

Traditional approaches to diabetes often forget that we’re people (with diabetes), not diabetic people. They seem to only focus on our disease, not on us.

Breathing and mindfulness are different. They are about bringing awareness to what’s right with you—what’s already whole.

They build resilience, compassion, and agency despite your condition, enhancing you as a person rather than only focusing on your diabetes.

Sometimes, they do end up helping your diabetes, and sometimes, they don’t. But either way, you have peace of mind and a better life.

4. What Matters is That We’re in the Water

Here’s a memorable passage from Tsoknye Rinpoche on how to deal with the ups and downs of our contemplative practice:

“Remember that meditation experiences keep rising and falling, like our moods or the stock market. Sometimes we feel clear, light, and elated, like we’re making rapid progress. Other times we feel sluggish or agitated, like we’re not getting anywhere, like anything but meditation would be better. Just keep going without getting too caught up in our shifting experiences. … In the end, our experiences are like waves in the ocean, but despite their ups and downs, what matters is that we're still in the water.”

👏👏👏

1 Quote

“I think that working with the breath can be a very powerful technique to center the mind. To help you work more effectively. To help you deal with all of the challenges that life throws in your way, every day. And to really turn your direction away from the material world toward the non-physical world.””

— Andrew Weil, MD

1 Answer

Category: The Nose

Answer: Nasal congestion is generally caused by this, which makes breathing more challenging and reduces the nose’s ability to clear mucous (which exacerbates the congestion further).

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is inflammation of the nasal mucosal?

In good breath,

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

P.S. No just that one thing

iCalm for Focused Relaxation

I know I’m a broken record, but I can’t recommend iCalm enough. I take 1/2 shot before my coffee and absolutely love it. Give it a try!

Use discount code NICK20 for 20% off.

Amazon Associate Disclosure

Nicholas Heath

November 6, 2023

weekly email, Batch 9

How to Actually Increase Well-Being, Waves, and the Power of Breathwalk

Nicholas Heath

November 6, 2023

weekly email, Batch 9

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: 1 min 23 sec

I hope the next 21ish breaths are the most nourishing of your day.

4 THOUGHTS

1. Without Wind, There Would Be No Waves

Imagine if we tried to understand ocean waves by studying the internal makeup of the water (without first examining the winds).

Yet we often try to understand the body by looking at all its intricate details (without first examining the breath).

Without winds, there would be no waves to study. Without breath, there would be no body to marvel.

2. The Well-Being Equation

In this eloquent equation (created by philosopher Arne Næss), “glow” refers to passion or fervor. It’s squared. This means a slight increase in glow will drown out increases in physical and mental pain.

It’s a nice reminder that, instead of always focusing on what’s bad, sometimes it’s better to simply create more good 🙏

3. There’s Something about Breathwalking

“There's something about walking to the rhythm of one's own breath, as if we can walk on and on, into the horizon and beyond.”
- Annabel Streets, 52 Ways to Walk

This book had an excellent chapter on the power of breathwalking (called “Afghan walking”). The above quote summarizes it nicely: By synchronizing our breath and steps, we feel we can walk forever.

Give it a try next time you walk around the office or to and from your car: Inhale 4 steps, exhale 4 steps (or whatever pace is comfortable for you). Simple yet extremely powerful.

4. One Could Spend a Lifetime

“Hence it is that one can spend decades, or even a lifetime, delving into the subtleties and implications of the process of breathing.”
– Science of Breath

Thank you for joining me on this seemingly endless journey 🙏

1 Quote

“So the problem is not so much to see what nobody has yet seen, as to think what nobody has yet thought concerning that which everybody sees.” ”

— Arthur Schopenhauer

1 Answer

Category: The Nose

Answer: This represents the natural congestion of one nostril and reciprocal decongestion of the other occurring throughout the day.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is the nasal cycle?

In good breath,

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

P.S. a quick hack for reading

iCalm for Focused Relaxation

Not trying to sound salesy, but if you haven’t tried iCalm yet, you should. It’s amazing. I take 1/2 shot with my coffee and absolutely love it. So much so that it’s the first time I’ve ever become an affiliate. We have the same mission, but different approach (and they are honestly some of the nicest people on the planet running it).

Use discount code NICK20 for 20% off.

Amazon Associate Disclosure