Listen Instead of Reading
Sorry, no audio this week. I got sick on Saturday and couldn’t record. I hope to have it up by Tuesday or Wednesday.
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 My Work?
Reading Time: 1 min 38 sec
I hope the next 24’ish breaths are the most nourishing of your day.
4 THOUGHTS
1. Any Effort We Put Toward Love
“Just as our bodies are born to breathe air, we are born to love. That's why although it's good to address our fear, it's even better to focus on our love. Any effort we put toward love—truly, any effort at all—will self-perpetuate, bringing joy, health, and well-being into our lives.”
– Gladys McGarey, MD, The Well-Lived Life
One more time: “Any effort we put toward love…will self-perpetuate, bringing joy, health, and well-being into our lives.”
Sounds good to me 🙏
2. How to Practice Right Effort (hint: start with love & joy)
“Without love and joy motivating your efforts, you're not practicing right effort.”
- George Mumford, The Mindful Athlete
You can apply breathing & mindfulness for the wrong reasons: to rob a bank, manipulate people, and so on. That’s why right effort is critical.
There are several elements of “right effort,” but Mumford provides a simple starting point: make sure love & joy are motivating your efforts. If they are, you’re likely on the right track 🙏
3. Why Healing Hurts (at first)
Here’s David Goggins discussing a race where he had to take a break to let his thyroid reset:
“I decided to rest with no idea how long that process might take. I’d already run 120 miles. Predictably, within an hour, my body reacted as if the race was over. I started to swell and tighten up as my muscles shifted into recovery mode. … This would be a problem.”
It’s a nice reminder that swelling & tightness usually occur when we stop to rest & recover. Not only in endurance events, but in life in general. Just remember that feeling this pain is part of the process.
4. The Gift of Giving: Two Breathing Metaphors to Apply to Life
Reverse Breath Cycle
Think of the breath cycle starting an exhale, not an inhale. Use this as a reminder to give before you receive.
Extended Exhales
Make your exhale slightly longer than your inhale. Use this as a reminder to always give more than you receive.
1 Quote
“Ultimately, your life will be measured by what you gave, not what you received. Don’t hold out on the rest of us—we need you to contribute.””
1 Answer
Category: Oxygen Absorption
Answer: Humans only absorb about this percentage of the oxygen they inhale with each breath.
…
(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)
…
Question: What is 5%?
In good breath,
Nick Heath, T1D, PhD
“Breathing is the compound interest of health & wellness.”
P.S. Start off your new year right
Upcoming Workshops
Saturday, Dec 30: Breathing for Better Brain Health
Coaching
Breathing & Mindfulness 1-on-1
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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.