Rev. Duffy Peet

Become More You, Deep Changes, and Benefiting Those We Encounter


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Reading Time: 1 min 39 sec

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



4 THOUGHTS

1. Become More and More You

“The film director David Lynch formulated it most compellingly when he told me ‘The thing about meditation is, you become more and more you.’ So you should not have the slightest concern about meditating in ways that suit you and are to your liking.”

- Steven Laureys, MD,
The No-Nonsense Meditation Book

That’s so good, and it applies perfectly to breathing exercises, too.

With that in mind, we might ask, ‘How could I tailor my breathing or meditation practice to better suit my unique self?’ Remember: it’s about becoming more of who we are, not more of someone else 🙏

2. Getting 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

“As the breath is the link between the body and mind, it can intervene in the activities of either level.” That’s a potent reminder of why the breath is so powerful. Be sure to use it wisely, today 🙏

3. Immediate Influence of the Divine

“Taken more spiritually, inspiration means to breathe life into. An ancient interpretation defines it as the immediate influence of the divine.”

- Rick Rubin, The Creative Act

This is just a reminder that, at any moment, we can experience the “immediate influence of the divine” by bringing all our attention to the act of inhalation via mindfulness of breathing 🙏

4. Benefit Every Person We Encounter

“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

This is an excellent reminder that our breathing and meditation practices go beyond just our personal wellness. Because these practices make us calmer, joyful, loving, and more attentive, they benefit every person we encounter 👏


1 Quote

So try to remember every day that you are participating in meditation even at breakfast, at work, at school, in the garden, everywhere.”
— Eknath Easwaran

1 Answer

Category: The Nose

Answer: Physiological reflexes that occur due to changes in body position (such as going from sitting-to-lying or lying on one side) can impact this, and hence nasal congestion.

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

Question: What is nasal airflow?


In good breath,

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

P.S. Me neither

Breathing, Reading, and Meditation for a Well-Lived Life

Learn to think, speak, and act in alignment with the person you want to be.

Start Today.

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.


 

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.


 

5 Favorite Breathing Products, 4 Favorite Newsletters, and the Here and Now


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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. The Power of Breath Awareness (a joyful abiding in the here & now)


“The breath accompanies you the full length of life’s road: you learn about the body, feelings, mental formations, the mind itself, and, finally, the lawfulness of impermanence and emptiness of a substantial self.”

- Larry Rosenberg, Three Steps to Awakening


This passage beautifully highlights the power of breath awareness.

And perhaps this power is why the Buddha formally practiced mindful breathing, even after attaining enlightenment:

“Even after full enlightenment, the Buddha himself set aside personal retreat time for the practice of mindfulness of breathing, calling it ‘a joyful abiding in the here and now.’”

Here’s to using our breath to joyfully abide in the here and now a little more this week 🙏



2. Change How You Feel (almost instantaneously)


“Our breathing pattern can have an enormous effect on our psycho-physical state.  This means that changing the way we breathe can literally change the way we feel, almost instantaneously.  Want to be relaxed? Breathe like you already are.”

– Charlie Morley, Wake Up to Sleep

 

I’ve shared passages like this probably a dozen times now.  But it never gets old, because it’s the most powerful part of breathing: we can almost instantaneously change how we feel anytime, anywhere.

Make sure you use this amazing gift at least once today 🙏




3. My 4 Favorite Newsletters


If you’re looking to diversify your wisdom, here are four of my favorite newsletters. There are many I enjoy, but I always read these four:

1. Light’s Daily Dose: This is my favorite one. It’s just a small inspirational wisdom nugget each day. It’s amazing. (Sign Up)

2. James Clear’s 3-2-1: You probably know this one. And of course, I copied his format ~3 years ago to create the “411” 😊 (Sign Up)

3. Brain Food: Random life-changing wisdom. A must-read every Sunday. (Sign Up)

4. Josh Spector’s Daily Email: The shortest email you’ll get. Sometimes it’s an idea, but usually a link to a cool resource. (Sign Up)



4. Five Breathing Products I Love


Although it’s hard for me to believe, people occasionally send me free breathing stuff. Here are some cool products I’ve tried and loved, in no particular order:

ResBiotic: Daily probiotic that targets the gut-lung access for better lung health. (Learn More)

Airofit: A super sophisticated resistance breathing device. (The one I use) (Here’s a cheaper Version that does same thing, just no bluetooth)

AER Filters: Gives our nose filtering a little boost. (UK store.) (If you’re in the US, you can get them on Amazon here.)

Anicca: A mindful breathing device. Don’t think it’s for sale to the public yet, but if you’re therapist of any kind, check it out. (Learn More)

BeWell “Breathing is Cool” Sweatshirt: Do yourself a favor, and go buy one of these right now. It’ll support an amazing cause, and you’ll have one of the coolest sweaters out there 🙏 (Link to Buy)



Breath is Life Learning Center

Learn & integrate different methods, philosophies, and approaches to breathing for better mental and physical health.

Join Today.

$14.99/month or $149/year


1 Quote

May your adventures be truly great for as long as you take another breath. And may you live long as you seek to discover the wonders and the benefits that each breath has to offer in this, the journey of life.”
— Rev. Duffy Peet

1 Answer

Category: Sneezing

Answer: This reflex is characterized by successive sneezing as the result of exposure to bright light.

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

Question: What is the photic sneeze reflex?


In good breath,

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


P.S. why do you have that thing?


* 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.