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4 Thoughts
1. Voluntary Slow Breathing Improves Cardio-autonomic Function in 223 Studies
“By considering the importance of the PNS for health-related issues, … these results encourage the implementation of voluntary slow breathing exercises in health-related contexts, given the low-tech and low-cost techniques they require.” (my emphasis)
-Laborde et al. (2022), Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews
That was a concluding remark of a recent 2022 meta-analysis looking at 223 studies on voluntary slow breathing and cardio-autonomic function.
The improvements across all 223 studies were by no means Earth-shattering. But they were significant, with virtually no side effects. Sounds good to me 👏
2. Breath is Medicine
“Medicine and medication both derive from an ancient Indo-Iranian root meaning something like ‘thoughtful action to establish order’; the same root gives us the words measure and meditate.”
- Andrew Weil, MD, Mind Over Meds
If “medicine” means “thoughtful action,” then mindful breathing is medicine.
Let’s not forget to take our dose, today : )
3. Maybe We Should Stop Worrying About Our Feelings?
“Feelings are natural phenomena, like clouds in the sky. Or rain. There are some feelings we like, and some feelings we don’t like. Just like we talk about good and bad weather. But there's nothing we can do about them. And there's nothing that needs to be done about them. Of course, you don't ignore the weather. You don't pretend that it's not raining when it's raining. You take it into consideration, but you don't try to fix it.”*
- David Reynolds, Constructive Living
That passage blew my mind and actually changed how I live.
We often hear about letting our thoughts float by: just watch them, then come back to the breath.
Perhaps sometimes we should do the same with our feelings, too?
4. “Yes, This Is It”
“A few years ago, I was leading a meditation retreat. … At one point, a woman raised her hand and asked: “Is this it? This being with the breath thing? Isn't there something more we can do?”
[Lodro’s response was:] “Yes, this is it.”*
- Lodro Rinzler, Walk Like a Buddha
I have a problem where I’m always searching for “the next thing.” Maybe you do too? But it really just comes down to this “being with the breath thing.”
“Yes, this is it.”
1 QUOTE
“The body’s function of breathing has been regarded by most ancient esoteric religious teachings as the very handle to be used to get hold of, or obtain the control of one’s mind and body.”
1 ANSWER
Category: Autonomic Nervous System
Answer: Because this branch of the nervous system innervates almost every organ, any action that reduces its activity will have widespread calming benefits throughout the body.
…
(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)
…
Question: What is the sympathetic (fight-or-flight) nervous system?
In good breath,
Nick Heath, T1D, PhD
“Breathing is the compound interest of health & wellness.”
Breathing for Diabetes:
If you love learning about breathing, or just want to live an overall healthier life, I think you’ll really enjoy this class (diabetes or not).
* 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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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.