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3 Easy Mindful Breaths, Breathing's Version of AI, and 7/11 for 7/11

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4 Thoughts



1. A Different Kind of AI for Breathing (one that works in real life)

For breathing, we don’t need artificial intelligence. Instead, we can tap into a much more powerful AI: Ancient Intelligence.

Before modern scientific methods, ancient cultures built “breathing algorithms” based on what worked in real life. We just have to follow them.

Although there are countless resources out there, here are two to get started:

And here’s to using a little more breathing AI, today : )

***

P.S. This was inspired by this Brian Johnson +1 🙏

2. The Good Breath isn’t Achievable; It’s a Way of Breathing

“Instead, the good life that I present, which is deeply grounded in the core principles of humanistic psychology and a realistic understanding of human needs, is about the healthy expression of needs in the service of discovering and expressing a self that works best for you.

The good life is not something you will ever achieve. It’s a way of living.”

- Scott Barry Kaufman, Transcend

I absolutely love this passage. And with it, I introduce my version for breathing:

The good breath is deeply grounded in the principles of human physiology and psychology, along with a realistic understanding of individual human differences. It’s about the healthy expression of your emotions and highest potential through breathing practices that work best for you.

The good breath isn’t something we try to achieve. It’s simply a way of breathing.

***

Related: The Deep Breath Hypothesis

3. Knowing isn’t Enough: You Have to Use the Breath

“As strange as it may sound, we tell ourselves that because we know how to repel a symptom …, we don't have to actually use the tool any longer.

[…] But if you want to build stronger muscles, you can't just think about lifting weights—you actually have to do the exercises.

In the same way, if you want to increase your Life Force, you have to actually use the tools.”

- Barry Michels and Phil Stutz, Coming Alive

I think they actually wrote that first sentence for me 😂

Just a reminder that, no matter how much we “know,” we still have to practice.

This goes for breathing or any other tool we use for a better life.

4. 7/11 for 7/11: Slow Relaxing Breathing for 7 to 11 Minutes

Since it’s 7/11, I invite you to practice 7/11 breathing with me:

  • 7-second inhale

  • 11-second exhale

  • Do this for between 7 to 11 mins (I did 10 this morning)

I’ve been using this rate almost every day for about 3 years, simply because 7 is my wife’s favorite number and 11 is mine <— super scientific 😂.

Give it a go and see how you feel 🙏

Extra: 3 Easy Ways to Relax with Mindful Breathing

Here’s another guest blog I wrote for ResBiotic. This is my favorite one yet : )

3 Easy Ways to Relax with Mindful Breathing

Enjoy the quick read!


1 QUOTE

“To meditate with mindful breathing is to bring body and mind back to the present moment so that you do not miss your appointment with life.”
— Thich Nhat Hanh
 

1 ANSWER

Category: Lungs & Nerves

Answer: The lungs are filled with receptors and can be thought of as a sensory organ, communicating information to the brain via this nerve.

…

(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. they’re gonna have to put down another unicorn

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.

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.

 
 

More Breathing in Less Time

 

Greetings,

This week’s 411 is brought to you by espresso, curiosity, my appreciation for your readership, and espresso. Enjoy!

 
 
 
 

4 THOUGHTS

1. Use Breathing Instead of Thinking

"Social psychologists now know that the truth lies in the opposite direction. People need to change their actions and their minds will follow." – Sean D Young, Stick With It

Experts tell us it’s hard to think our way out of thinking. We need to act and let the mind follow. I believe this is what makes breathing so powerful. It gives you an action you can perform anytime to trick your mind into following.

If you’re anxious, you can breathe slowly, which will calm your nervous system and lead to calmer thoughts. If you’re tired, you can breathe rapidly and stimulate your nervous system, increasing your heart rate and alertness.

There are many ways to use actions to control your emotions and thoughts. But breathing is free and easy. Stop thinking, begin breathing.

2. Post-Meal Breathing for Better Blood Sugars & Digestion

Relaxing breathing methods have been shown to reduce blood sugar spikes associated with meals and glucose tolerance tests. In Breath (pg 43), James Nestor also tells us that right nostril breathing heats up the body and aids in digestion. Together, it seems like a post-meal breathing practice might be a good idea.

I have been testing this in a simple and practical way. Specifically, I’ve been spending ~3 to 5 minutes performing either alternate nostril or diaphragmatic breathing (or their combination) after lunch.

The results have been quite noticeable. My sugars are much better (and even get low sometimes) in the hour following the meal. And these short minutes are especially helpful midday to focus my mind and get me back to work quickly.

Science + Practicality = Better Living

Even if you don’t have diabetes, adding this tiny habit after eating might help with digestion and improve energy levels. Not bad for just a few minutes.

3. More Breathing in Less Time

Brian Johnson is my favorite teacher. Long-time readers are probably sick of me talking about him : ) His motto: More wisdom in less time. In that spirit, here are a few excellent summaries Brian has made of some of the best breathing books:

Enjoy!

Thanks to new 411 reader W.G. for inspiring this thought.

4. The Best Advice You Can Give Someone Interested in Breathing

"Start now. Optimize later. Imperfect starts can always be improved." - James Clear

The Oxygen Advantage, Wim Hof, The Art of Breath, Buteyko, Breatheology, SKY, ujjayi, and on and on. They are all phenomenal for different reasons.

But the most important thing is to choose one and start—experience for yourself how simple and powerful these practices are. You can optimize later.

 
 
 
 

1 QUOTE

In my own experience, a deep breath is always a good first reaction to a first report. Try to let the potato cool a bit before you pick it up.

— General Colin Powell, It Worked For Me

 
 
 
 

1 ANSWER

Answer: This "nasal nerve" is the first one emerging from the brain.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is the olfactory nerve?

In good breath,
Nick

P.S. Preach

 
 

The Breathing 411 - Before There Were Harvard Studies

 

Welcome to another edition of The Breathing 4.1.1.

Below, I do my best to provide you with 4 useful thoughts, 1 insightful quote, and 1 fun answer (like "Jeopardy") related to breathing. Enjoy!

 
 
 
 

4 THOUGHTS

1. Breathing is the Ultimate Self-Improvement Tool

"Never has there been a map, however carefully executed to detail and scale, which carried its owner over even one inch of ground."

- Og Mandino, The Greatest Salesman in the World

Action is the cornerstone of all improvement. We can read and learn all we want, but that is only storing potential energy. Action converts that energy into something useful.

Breathing is the most primitive form of taking action. It gives you something you can do, that actually does something. Breathing induces physiological and neurological changes in your state that are truly useful in any real-life situation.

It’s no wonder all ancient traditions focused on the breath. Before the internet, before you could major in positive psychology, before life coaches and Harvard studies, there was the breath. Breathing is the ultimate self-improvement tool.

2. Insomnia Identified as New Risk Factor for Type-2 Diabetes

"Insomnia was identified as a novel risk factor, with people with insomnia being 17% more likely to develop T2D than those without."

- ScienceDaily, 8 Sep 2020

I guess this shouldn’t be surprising, given that even one night of sleep deprivation significantly increases insulin resistance. But is there anything we can do about it? You’ve probably guessed my answer by now : )

Of course, "breathing" isn’t the cure for everything, and it certainly isn’t a magic pill for insomnia. But it might help.

Slow breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, relaxing the body, preparing it for sleep. Once asleep, nose breathing helps you wake up less (see last week’s 411), maintain rhythmic breathing, and ultimately sleep deeper. All of this might help reduce stress hormones and increase insulin sensitivity.

Overall, a simple change to your breathing, compounded over time, might help reduce your risk of type-2 diabetes (or at least help you manage it better), even if only the tiniest little bit.

Thanks to 411 reader R.D. whose interest in breathing and type-2 diabetes inspired this thought.

3. CO2 Tolerance and Chemoreceptor Flexibility

"Today, chemoreceptor flexibility is part of what distinguishes good athletes from great ones. […] All these people have trained their chemoreceptors to withstand extreme fluctuations in carbon dioxide without panic."

James Nestor, Breath, pg. 170

We discuss carbon dioxide tolerance a lot. But I prefer James’ terminology, using chemoreceptor flexibility rather than CO2 tolerance. Flexibility implies variability. It also implies robustness.

Of course, I believe the most critical part of this flexibility is the ability to withstand higher CO2, that is, CO2 tolerance. But let’s not forget about robustness and adaptability. Tension and relaxation. Stretching in both directions, not just one.

4. 100 Miles or 10 Minutes: Which is Harder?

I rucked 100 miles. It took almost thirty-six hours straight.

I’ve never made it 10 minutes "breathing" without getting distracted.

 
 
 
 

1 QUOTE

"You can borrow knowledge, but not action."

- James Clear

 
 
 
 

1 ANSWER

Answer: The average number of alveoli in your lungs.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy music.)

…

Question: What is about 480 million?

In good breath,
Nick

P.S. Me Up at Night Worrying

 
 

What an Ancient Philosopher Can Teach Us About Breathing

 
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I am clearly a big fan of theory. I love to read and learn how things work (especially breathing). And since you are reading this, I am guessing you do too.

Something I constantly struggle with is the balance between theory and practice. I get joy from reading, but everything I learn would be useless if I did not practice it.

Which begs the question: What is more important, theory or practice? Where do you draw the line between theorizing and practicing? Let’s go back a couple thousand years and see what a philosopher named Musonius Rufus can teach us (my bold for emphasis):

“Theory which teaches how one must act assists action and logically precedes the practice, for it is not possible for something good to be accomplished unless it is accomplished in accordance with theory. But as a matter of fact, practice is more important than theory because it more effectively leads humans to actions than theory does.”

So we need theory to guide our practice. We need sound principles and a foundation based on science. But practice requires action, and action is where we get results.

It’s easy to read a paper and tell you that slow breathing will do this or that. But what’s more important is that you practice and see for yourself. Theory is good, but practice is better.

Let’s use Musonius’ wisdom for inspiration this week. Not just with breathing, but with anything you learn. Use the theory to guide your practice, but focus on the practice.

“Likewise, the man who wants to be good must not only learn the lessons which pertain to virtue but train himself to follow them eagerly and rigorously.”

In good breath,
Nick

P.S. This idea was copied from another one of Brian Johnson’s +1’s. He is one of my favorite teachers. His wisdom helped get me through graduate school and boosted me into my career as a research meteorologist. He is a living embodiment of everything he teaches.

P.P.S. If you don’t know where to start with your breathing practice, I have a “Get Started” page that might help. Or even easier, just spend 5 minutes each morning breathing at 6 breaths/minute. Try it for 5 days and see how you feel.