Rick Rubin

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Breath and Wine, Simplest Movement, and 4 Reminders on Connection

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Announcement

I am excited to be giving a 1-hr virtual workshop tomorrow, August 27th, at 5:30 p.m. Eastern for the nonprofit BeWell in School. It’s donation-based, and all proceeds go to support their mission. They are truly and incredible organization, and I am honored whenever I get to support them. Get signed up here.

On to the newsletter…

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 0 sec

I hope the next 24’ish breaths are the most nourishing of your day.


4 THOUGHTS

1. Simplest and Most Unobtrusive of Movements

“Despite centuries of reports from followers of Eastern traditions that slow breathing can improve focus, bring a sense of calm when we might otherwise lose it and even whisk us away to an altered state of consciousness, most of us still don’t take time out from our busy lives to prioritize this simplest and most unobtrusive of body movements.”

– Caroline Williams, Move

If you feel “moved” by this, here is an excellent reminder to take time this week to prioritize the simplest and most unobtrusive movement of all: slow breathing 👏

2. The Only Practice that Matters

“The only practice that matters is the one you consistently do, not the practice of any other artist.”

– Rick Rubin, The Creative Act

A perfect reminder (which also applies to breathing) to follow what’s right for you, not what’s right for someone else. It brings to mind another wonderful quote attributed to Zen Shin: “A flower does not think of competing with the flower next to it. It just blooms.”

3. Four Reminders that Breath is Connection

1. “To breathe is to absorb ourselves in what surrounds us, to take in little bits of life, understand them, and give pieces of ourselves back out. Respiration is, at its core, reciprocation.” - James Nestor

2. “Living beings differ in appearance and behavior…But all living beings breathe…When we focus on the breath, we become mindful of the universal nature of all beings.” – Bhante Gunaratana

3. “The air I inhale enters my body and becomes part of me. The air that I exhale moves into someone else and becomes part of her. Just by looking at how the air moves, we realize we are all connected to one another, not just figuratively but also literally.” - Haemin Sunim

4. “Each new breath creates a unity of life as all people share the nourishment that the earth’s atmosphere freely offers.” - Barbara Fredrickson, Ph.D.

4. The Best of Both Worlds

“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

Here’s to using our breath to develop child-like mental flexibility alongside adult-like purpose a little more this week 🙏

1 Quote

“Like the joy of the sea coming home to shore, may the relief of laughter rinse through your soul.””
— John O’Donohue

1 Answer

Category: Breath, Brain, and Wine

Answer: The cluster of neurons that generate breathing rhythm is named this after a German bottle of wine.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is the pre-Bötzinger Complex?

Wiser than Before Podcast

I was recently a guest on the Wiser than Before Podcast. It was an awesome chat with Josh. If you love breathing, I think you’ll love the show!

Listen: Spotify or Apple,

Watch: YouTube

In good breath,

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

P.S. the ultimate out of body experience

A Path to Lasting Change

The Breath Learning Center integrates ancient wisdom with modern science to help us make lasting change.

You enjoy daily wisdom meditations, science and book reviews, workshops, and guided practices, all at your own pace.

Get started for as little as 16 cents a day.

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.

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

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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 😊

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.

 
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Blue Mindfulness, Worry & Hurry, and a Natural Way to the Heart

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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 😊

Reading Time: 1 min 49 sec

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


4 THOUGHTS

1. Blue Mindfulness

“What science is also revealing is that there’s an additional simple, watery means to mindfulness. Indeed, think of it as Blue Mindfulness.”

– Wallace J Nichols, Blue Mind

This refers to the idea that being around water (and nature in general) can invoke mindfulness. And even if you can’t make it into nature, it turns out that just listening to the sound of water can elicit some of its benefits.

So, this is your nudge to get out into nature or put on some ocean noises during your next breathing or meditation practice to get a little extra “blue mindfulness” 😊

2. A Water Breathing Walk

“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

I’ve shared this one before, but it felt right to re-share after the previous thought. Consider getting out and breathing some freshly cleaned air after the next rain—it’s an effortless “breathing exercise” 😊

3. Why Worry Goes With Hurry

“Worry goes with hurry because people in a hurry don’t have time to think clearly and make clear decisions, so they are always worried about results. … If you slow down enough to think clearly and act wisely, you have no need to worry because you know you are doing your best.”

– Eknath Easwaran, Original Goodness

One way to slow down enough to think clearly and act wisely? Slow, mindful breathing, which slows body and mind, thus reducing worry.

***

P.S. Of course, thinking clearly and acting wisely doesn’t mean we’ll make perfect decisions. It just means we won’t have to worry as much because we’ll know we’re doing our best with what we have 🙏

4. Some Advice to Follow (for the rest of our lives)

“Receive wisdom skillfully. Try it on for size and see how it fits. Incorporate what’s useful. Let go of the rest. And no matter how credible the source, test and tune in to yourself to discover what works for you.”

– Rick Rubin, The Creative Act

Ironically, that advice goes for this passage, too 😊

1 Quote

“You know that our breathing is the inhaling and exhaling of air. The organ which serves for this is the lungs which lie round the heart. Thus breathing is a natural way to the heart.””
— Nicephorus the Solitary

1 Answer

Category: Synchronization

Answer: This refers to the measurement of the interaction between lungs and the heart during sleep.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is cardiopulmonary coupling?

In good breath,

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

P.S. We didn’t think everyone would bring a bag!

Breath Science & Wisdom Meditations 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.

 
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4 Tiny Thoughts, 3 Ways to Success, and What the Buddha Lost

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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 😊

Enjoy These Posts?

Donate to support my research.

Reading Time: 1 min 49 sec

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


4 THOUGHTS

1. One Reason Your Breathing Changes when You Observe It

“You might notice that as soon as you begin to observe your breath, it changes a little. Perhaps it gets a little longer, or fuller. That’s ok. It’s the nature of the observer and the observed, that whatever you observe responds to you, changes, or lets you know what it needs.”

– Eddie Stern, Healing Through Breathing

I’ve never been able to “observe my breath without changing it.” This is one of the best passages I’ve found on why that happens 🙏

2. Don’t Fake a Smile, Activate One

“I don’t like to think of this exercise as faking or forcing a smile, but rather as activating a smile. When we activate a smile, a neurological reaction takes place that lifts our mood and makes everything seem less foreboding.”

– Annabel Streets, 52 Ways to Walk

I love this reframing of ‘activating’ over ‘faking,’ which we can use across domains:

  • Activate a smile; don’t fake it.

  • Activate some slow breathing; don’t fake it.

  • Activate gratitude; don’t fake it.

It reminds us that these are natural states, literally hardwired into our bodies and minds for growth and restoration. We shouldn’t fake them; we should activate them.

3. The Buddha Gained ‘Nothing at All’ through Meditation

“Someone once asked the Buddha skeptically, ‘What have you gained through meditation?’

The Buddha replied, ‘Nothing at all.’

‘Then, Blessed One, what good is it?’

‘Let me tell you what I lost through meditation: sickness, anger, depression, insecurity, the burden of old age, the fear of death. That is the good of meditation…”

– Eknath Easwaran, The Dhammapada​

​

This is one of the biggest paradoxes of breathing and meditation practices. While we often focus on what we’ll get, the things we lose are usually most important. 🙏

4. Four Tiny Thoughts

1. Breathing exercises are like brain-canceling headphones.

2. By practicing mindfulness, you become a thought meteorologist.

3. Laughter is the only breathing exercise transcending age and cultural boundaries, present everywhere, appreciated by everyone.

4. It may sound paradoxical, but the point of a breathing practice is to no longer need a breathing practice.

1 Quote

“There are three ways to ultimate success:
The first way is to be kind.
The second way is to be kind.
The third way is to be kind.””
— Fred Rogers

1 Answer

Category: Nasal Breathing and Speech

Answer: This muscular organ helps maintain nasal breathing while also being critical to speech.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is the tongue?

In good breath,

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

P.S. me neither

Breath Practices and Wisdom Meditations for a Better Life

Timeless Wisdom and Modern Science to Help You Align What You Think, Say, and Do with the Person You Want to Become.

Get started 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.

 
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How Breathing Heals, Life’s Storms, and the Power of Love

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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 😊

Enjoy These Posts?

Donate to support my research.

Reading Time: 1 min 38 sec

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


4 THOUGHTS

1. Openings and Limitations

“Any framework, method, or label you impose on yourself is just as likely to be a limitation as an opening.”

– Rick Rubin, The Creative Act

Here’s an excellent idea to contemplate: Are you using any methods (with breathing or elsewhere) that may actually be serving as a limitation? Or, are there any areas of your life where adopting a new method might serve as an opening?

2. Weathering Life’s Storms Gracefully

“We can learn to say to life, ‘It doesn’t matter what you bring today. If you bring something pleasant, I will flourish; if you bring something unpleasant, I will still flourish.’…We can face whatever comes to us calmly and courageously, knowing we have the flexibility to weather any storm gracefully. This is living in freedom, the ultimate goal of training the mind.

– Eknath Easwaran, Conquest of Mind

And I’d say it’s also the ultimate goal of training the breath. By using our breath to increase the adaptability of our nervous system and mind, we learn to weather all of life’s storms more gracefully 🙏

3. How Slow, Conscious Breathing Heals

“What conscious breathing can do is…help shift our nervous system into what is called the healing response…Conscious breathing can enhance levels of sensitivity in our nervous system to handle and manage stress, and to support the restoration of balance. Conscious breathing can create enduring states of focus, presence, and mindful observation, so that life’s challenging situations do not completely highjack us, allowing a greater degree of control. While we cannot control life, we can learn to shape our response to it; conscious breathing is a valuable tool to support that.”

– Eddie Stern, Healing Through Breathing​

That sums it up nicely (and goes perfectly with Thought #2 above) 👏

4. A Good Laugh

As I like to say, laughter is the most therapeutic breathing exercise. Scroll through these breathing memes (sound on) to get your daily dose of healing 😊

1 Quote

“Laughter without love is cold and cruel. Laughter with love is joy and happiness.

Labour without love is drudgery. Labour with love is bliss.

Listening without love is empty sound. With love, it’s understanding.””
— Gladys McGarey, MD (103 years old)

1 Answer

Category: Spontaneous Breath Exercise

Answer: Although adults, babies, and animals do this spontaneously, we still don’t know precisely why we do it.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is yawn?

In good breath,

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

P.S. same tattoo, only bigger

How to Train (and change) Your Mind

Breathing exercises train your mind.

Wisdom meditations change your mind.

Used together, they help you discover who you are and become the person you want to be.

Get started 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.

 
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Why We Suffer, Power of Humming, and a Celebration of Life

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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 😊

Enjoy These Posts?

Donate to support my research.

Reading Time: 1 min 49 sec

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


4 THOUGHTS

1. Why We Suffer from Pain

In The Mindfulness Solution, Ronald Siegel, Psy.D., presents a conceptual equation for suffering:

Suffering = Pain x Resistance

This symbolic relationship means, for any given amount of pain:

  • If our resistance to it is zero, we won’t suffer.

  • If our resistance to it is high, we’ll suffer a lot.

Of course, if you’re a normal human like me, it’s impossible to have zero resistance. But this is an excellent reminder that much of our suffering comes from resisting the pain, not the pain itself.

2. Give Your Practice an Energetic Charge

Here is Rick Rubin discussing having an intention for art:

“It is not an exercise of thought, a goal to be set, or a means of commodification. It is a truth that lives inside you. Through your living it, that truth becomes embedded in the work. If the work doesn’t represent who you are and what you’re living, how can it hold an energetic charge?”

Similarly, this is why having an overarching intention for your contemplative practice(s) is so powerful. It allows your practice to “represent who you are and what you’re living,” giving it an enormous energetic charge in your life 🙏

3. The Power of Humming

“Humming induces brainwave entrainment, and since the sound of a hum is long and sustained, it has calming effect on the brain. It also helps us to naturally extend our exhalation without making much of an effort to do so…Humming is also a spontaneous sound of joy, like after we’ve eaten a delicious tasting food…We hum in agreement with people, or things we read, and children naturally hum when they are happy. Humming is both good for you and we vocalize a hum when we experience good things.”

- Eddie Stern, Healing Through Breathing

That’s an excellent reminder to hum a little more this week 🙏

4. Why I Love Mindful Slow Breathing So Much

Here’s why I think adding mindfulness to slow breathing (‘mindful slow breathing’) is one of the best practices:

Combined, they give you two of the most validated mind-body exercises in one simple practice. Give it a try and see how you feel 🙏

1 Quote

“The greatest of all miracles is to be alive, and when you breathe in, you touch that miracle. Therefore, your breathing can be a celebration of life.””
— Thich Nhat Hanh

1 Answer

Category: Blood Pressure

Answer: The systolic pressure of this system is about 18-25 mmHg, about 1/5th or less of the body’s blood pressure.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is the pulmonary circulation?

In good breath,

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

P.S. welcome to breathing competition

Breath Learning Center

The Breath Learning Center offers a unique approach to health, wholeness, and personal flourishing through the breath. Immerse yourself in timeless wisdom, modern science, and breath-focused practices to improve your physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.

Learn more here.

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.

 
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A Fulfilling Life, How to End, and How to Meditate without Meditating

,

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 😊

Enjoy These Posts?

Donate to support my research.

Reading Time: 1 min 56 sec

I hope the next 29’ish breaths are the most nourishing of your day.


4 THOUGHTS

1. There is No Single Path to a Fulfilling Life

“It may be helpful to receive advice from more experienced artists, but as information, not as prescription…

Established artists generally draw from their personal experience and recommend the solutions that worked for them. These tend to be specific to their journey, not yours. It’s worth remembering that their way is not the way.

Your path is unique, for only you to follow. There is no single route to great art.”

- Rick Rubin, The Creative Act

Likewise, the methods experienced breathing and mindfulness teachers use are specific to their journey, not yours. There is no single path to a fulfilling life.

2. Soak It In: How We End Our Practice Matters

“The way we finish a practice is as important as the doing of it itself. So, as we do the practices in this audio, try to let each breath be an opportunity to practice awareness, and at the end of each practice, take a moment to soak it in, like liquid into a sponge, and that transformative state will then become assimilated within you.”

- Eddie Stern, Healing Through Breathing

That last part is so good for any contemplative practice: “take a moment to soak it in, like liquid into a sponge, and that transformative state will then become assimilated within you.”

If you feel so inspired, give it a try after your next session 🙏

3. Let Nature Meditate You

“This is the huge advantage of water: you don’t need to meditate to take advantage of its healing effects because it meditates you.”

– Wallace J Nichols, Blue Mind

“You don’t need to meditate…because it meditates you.” That’s so good. And it applies to basically any time in nature, not just water.

So, let that excellent quote be motivation to get out in the environment a little more this week 🙏

4. Breath Awareness vs. Breath Control

Breath observation shows you who you are. Breath control shows you who you can be.

Meaning that breath awareness allows us to tune into the state of our body, mind, and spirit. But breath control reminds us that, in many circumstances, we can radically transform how we feel.

1 Quote

“When you learn to stay with the breathing, to sink deep within your consciousness, you find that there is an intrinsic happiness there that has nothing to do with sensual pleasures, and it gives your life a whole new balance.””
— Larry Rosenberg

1 Answer

Category: Blood Circulation

Answer: These are so narrow that red blood cells must travel single file to pass through them, which also helps maximize contact with air.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What are the capillaries surrounding the alveoli?

In good breath,

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

P.S. scroll through for funny breathing memes

P.P.S. Check out The Breathing App for Diabetes to have Eddie Stern and me guide you through a 28-day slow breathing program.

Coaching

I can currently work with one more person if you can meet on weekends. Just send an email to nick@thebreathingdiabetic.com, and we can discuss it further 🙏

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.

 
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Clouds, Humming Under Water, and Two Practices for Today

,

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 😊

Enjoy These Posts?

Donate to support my research.

Reading Time: 2 min 1 sec

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


4 THOUGHTS

1. Breathing, Clouds, and Connection

“Clouds never truly disappear. They change form. They turn into rain and become part of the ocean, and then evaporate and return to being clouds.

The same is true of art.”

- Rick Rubin, The Creative Act

And the same is true of breath.

The same air circulates for everyone. It turns into breath when inhaled, and then gets exhaled and returns to being communal air. Each breath is unique, but breath itself never disappears; it only changes form.

2. If We Breathe Slow, We Can Live Slow

“It has been said that if we breathe fast, we live fast. If we breathe slow, we can live slow. And remember, things that go fast are often over quicker, so when it comes to longevity, slow and steady wins the race. When we can control and steady our breath, we can also begin to embody steadiness in our day-to-day life.”

- Eddie Stern, Healing Through Breathing

That’s an excellent reminder to breathe slow to embody steadiness in our daily lives, allowing us to fully experience this one short life we have. Remember: “If we breathe slow, we can live slow.”

***

P.S. Note that this isn’t about living longer per se. If you want to do that, scroll through Eddie’s wonderful recent IG post.

3. Humming Under Water

In The Well-Lived Life, Dr. Gladys told of her friend Cecile, whose son was afraid of swimming. He would inhale water through his nose and couldn’t breathe. Then, Cecile found a swimming instructor:

​

“The swimming instructor fixed the problem in a single session by teaching the child to hum underwater. ‘It’s such a simple philosophy,’ Cecile mused as she sat across from me on the living room sofa. ‘As long as he keeps humming, he can’t inhale the water. When he’s out of air to hum, he knows to come to the surface.’”

​

This is a perfect reminder that sometimes—just sometimes—solutions are easy when approached from a different angle.

​If you’re so inspired, look for places where you have fear and see if you might be able to do some metaphorical humming instead 😊

4. Two Tiny Thoughts (and practices) for Today

#1

Sometimes, the most mindful thing you can do is let your mind wander.

#2

A repeat from two weeks ago: “Always laugh when you can, it is cheap medicine.” - Lord Byron

1 Quote

“Whenever you wonder how you might access gratefulness in a given moment, try this: Simply return to awareness of your breath—inhale and exhale gratefully.””
— Kristi Nelson

P.S. Thanks to Paul H. for sharing this one with me.

1 Answer

Category: Arteries and Veins

Answer: This is the only place in the body where arteries carry deoxygenated blood and veins carry oxygenated blood.

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(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

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Question: What is in the pulmonary circulation?

In good breath,

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

P.S. ok thinky time

P.P.S. Check out The Breathing App for Diabetes to have Eddie Stern and me guide you through a 28-day slow breathing program.

Coaching

I can currently work with one more person if you can meet on weekends. Just send an email to nick@thebreathingdiabetic.com, and we can discuss it further 🙏

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.

 
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Self-Expression, Sending Messages of Calm, and How to Live Well

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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 😊

Reading Time: 1 min 51 sec

I hope the next 28’ish breaths are the most nourishing of your day.


4 THOUGHTS

1. Breathing is Self-Expression, Helping You Discover Who You Are

“It may not be possible to know who you are without somehow expressing it.”

- Rick Rubin, The Creative Act

That’s so good.

And fortunately, we’re always expressing ourselves through our breathing; the state of our body, mind, and spirit are articulated in every breath. When we tune into it, it helps us discover who we are.

2. How Slow Breathing Sends Calm Messages to the Body and Mind

“When we breathe slow and steady, with the abdomen rising and falling with the breath, the messages that get sent to the brain through the vagus nerve are messages of steadiness, evenness, rhythmicity, safety, and control. The brain will receive these messages, and then respond in kind, sending messages back down to the body and releasing hormones and neurotransmitters that are a response to safety. The body will relax, and homeostasis will be supported.”

- Eddie Stern, Healing Through Breathing

That sounds pretty amazing, but it’s even better when you experience it yourself. Go give it a try for 5 minutes and see how you feel 🙏

P.S. And be sure to get Eddie’s great new book, if you haven’t already.

3. How to Live Well: Immerse Yourself in the Breath

“Living well, therefore, is merely a game of learning how to steer our energy toward life. It requires us to direct our loving attention toward the pulse that ebbs and flows within us, finding the precise rhythm of how that energy moves and immersing ourselves in it. When we do so, life comes alive.”

– Gladys McGarey, MD, The Well-Lived Life

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This is exactly what we do when we focus on our breath: we immerse ourselves in “the pulse that ebbs and flows within us, finding the precise rhythm of how that energy moves.” And life comes alive.

So here’s to immersing ourselves in the breath to live well, today 🙏

4. Ignoring Our Minds in Mindfulness

In many ways, mindfulness is actually about learning to ignore our minds and, instead, listen to our hearts.

Meaning that with mindfulness, you learn that your mind thinks thoughts. You learn to allow them to occur without much judgment. You actually ignore your mind so you can cultivate more of your heart.

1 Quote

“Being alive is a miracle. Just sitting there, enjoying your in-breath and out-breath is already happiness. Since you’re breathing in and out, you know that you’re alive. That’s something worth celebrating.””
— Thich Nhat Hanh

1 Answer

Category: Breath-Heart Connection

Answer: During inhalation, changes in chest and abdominal pressures increase this, which is a critical component of overall cardiovascular circulation that ensures the blood gets reoxygenated.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is venous return (blood flow back to the heart)?

In good breath,

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

P.S. the most universal breathing exercise (sound on)

Coaching

Breathing & Mindfulness 1-on-1 (I currently cannot take on new clients. But if you’re interested, please send me a message, and I’ll let you know when space opens.)

Support this Newsletter

If you enjoy getting these each week, consider donating to keep me breathing. Anything helps and is appreciated 🙏

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.

 
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Smiling, Heart at Ease, and a Life-Changing Shift in Perspective

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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 😊

Reading Time: 1 min 43 sec

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


4 THOUGHTS

1. The Mindful Artist

“The artist actively works to experience life slowly, and then to re-experience the same thing anew.”

– Rick Rubin, The Creative Act

I think this could also define someone living mindfully, a mindful artist, we might say, experiencing each breath anew. (Maybe not all day, every day, but at least during their morning practice 😊).

2. Smile Before Putting (and breathing)

“One tip I've shared with many golfers is a simple one: smile a little bit before each putt. Frowning is something your body does automatically when you've engaged your conscious mind to concentrate on a problem. Smiling tends to be something your body does when you're relaxed and happy and your subconscious brain is in control. Smiling can help putting. Try it and see.”

- Dr. Bob Rotella, How Champions Think​​

​

For these same reasons, smiling before (or during) a slow, deep, nasal breath can also be helpful. Try it and see 🙏

3. A New 2024 Meta-Analysis on Slow Breathing

“In conclusion, the current meta-analysis showed that slow-paced breathing had significant immediate beneficial effects on SBP, HR and time-domain HRV (RMSSD and SDNN), but not on DBP or frequency-domain HRV. Slow-paced breathing also had a modest effect in reducing negative emotions, particularly perceived stress.”

- The Effect of Slow-Paced Breathing on Cardiovascular and Emotion Functions: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review

Nothing too shocking here, but my overall takeaway was: Slow breathing, at least in the short term, generally had positive effects on cardiovascular and emotional health. Check out the study for more.

4. A Life-Changing Exercise and Shift of Perspective

“The next time you find yourself doing something embarrassing, I encourage you to try to think about how it could be seen as funny. What about your mistake is humorous? What was surprising, silly, or just plain ridiculous? How would someone on the outside see it, and why might they laugh? You’ll be surprised by how often a humorous interpretation is available if you only go looking for it.”

- Gladys McGarey, MD, The Well-Lived Life

Last week, we discussed how laughing is the most therapeutic breathing exercise, tickling your adrenals and thus easing your heart.

Here, we learn a simple practice to help make humor part of our day. I’ve done it several times since reading it, and it’s truly life-changing.

1 Quote

“When the heart is at ease, the body is healthy.””
— Chinese Proverb

1 Answer

Category: Breath Words

Answer: Although less commonly used, this word refers to taking a long, deep breath, like a sigh.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is suspiration?

In good breath,

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

P.S. i won’t rest until i’ve cracked this case!

Coaching

Breathing & Mindfulness 1-on-1 (I currently cannot take on new clients. But if you’re interested, please send me a message, and I’ll let you know when space opens.)

Support this Newsletter

If you enjoy getting these each week, consider donating to keep me breathing. Anything helps and is appreciated 🙏

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.

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

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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 😊

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

Support this Newsletter

If you enjoy getting these each week, consider donating to keep me breathing. Anything helps and is appreciated 🙏

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.