Welcome to another version of The Breathing 4.1.1., where I curate the curators to bring you the best practical ideas I can find about breathing.
Below you’ll find 4 thoughts, 1 quote, and 1 answer (think "Jeopardy"). Enjoy!
4 THOUGHTS
1. There Are No Quick Fixes, Except This One
"You won’t find many quick fixes in this book, but there is one way to immediately boost willpower: Slow your breathing down to four to six breaths per minute [...] Slowing the breath down activates the prefrontal cortex and increases heart rate variability, which helps shift the brain and body from a state of stress to self-control mode. A few minutes of this technique will make you feel calm, in control, and capable of handling cravings or challenges."
-Kelly McGonigal, The Willpower Instinct
Beautifully said. Thank you, Kelly.
2. The #1 Breathing Fundamental
I’ve referred to it as the 1% rule (an idea I borrowed from James Clear and Dan Pink), but it is also the #1 fundamental: Breathe through your nose.
If you’re reading this, you’re probably aware of the importance of nose breathing. But, did you know that a 2018 study, which has been viewed over 93,000 times and cited 26 times, concluded that the benefits of breath control might be linked back to the nose?
"Taken together, these results confirm that nasal stimulation represents the fundamental link between slow breathing techniques, brain and autonomic activities and psychological/behavioral outputs." - Zaccaro et al. (2018)
That’s a powerful conclusion. So, to add on to what Kelly McGongical said above, breathe slowly and through your nose.
3. Breathing as Active Rest
"Active rest" has become a popular topic among athletes (and people who just enjoy exercising). It’s hard to take a day off when you love your workout, but it’s also necessary to give your body the rest it needs to recover. Enter: active rest.
There are several popular approaches. The sauna, an ice bath, or a long walk. But one of the most powerful is breathing…I’m not biased or anything : )
And the best part is that restful breathing doesn’t require any fancy equipment or money. It can be done anywhere, anytime.
In The Power of Rest, Dr. Matthew Edlund puts it this way:
“We want to learn to rest anywhere, anytime, in ways that restore us, calm us, relax us, and make us alert. That means we have to learn how to breathe.”
Agreed. See Kelly McGonigal’s advice above for the best way to "learn how to breathe."
4. Science Guides the Macro, Practice Guides the Micro
When studies show that something works, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll work for everyone.
We’re all different. We have different bodies, different environments, and different day-to-day stressors and stimuli that we’re exposed to. Although scientific studies try to be as general as possible, their results cannot be expected to work the same in everyone.
This gets to my thought: Science guides the macro, practice guides the micro.
For example, "get 8 hours of sleep" is a great macro statement. It sets a good target that will be beneficial for most people.
However, if you performed an in-depth sleep study on yourself, you might find that you need 7 h 37 min or 8 h 11 min to be fully rested. And that might vary from day-to-day, season-to-season.
The same goes for all of this "breathing" stuff. Guidance such as "breathe at 4-6 breaths per minute" is excellent general advice that will be beneficial for almost everyone. However, it is a macro statement. It will take personal practice to find what’s right for you.
1 QUOTE
"Breathing, like most forms of physical rest, improves as you practice. It takes a little time. But it’s a technique you’ll be able to do for the rest of your life, so it’s worthwhile getting good at it now."
- Matthew Edlund, The Power of Rest
1 ANSWER
Answer: This mammal, weighing in at only 2 g, has the smallest lungs.
…
(Cue the Jeopardy music.)
…
Question: What is the bumblebee bat?
If you enjoy my work, check out a guest blog post I recently did for BreathWrk:
Pilot Your Breathing: The Unexpected Goal of a Breathing Practice
In good breath,
Nick