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4 Thoughts
1. Calm & Energized: How to Achieve the Ideal Physiological State
“[Breathing] allows you to function at peak energy, yet without the physical and psychological costs of anxiety and adrenaline overload. In other words, being calm and energized is not only possible through the breath, but it is also the ideal state.”*
- Emma Seppälä, Ph.D., The Happiness Track
I’m a double espresso kind of person. I got through graduate school drinking 5-hour energies 🤦🏼♂️ But that’s not a sustainable way of living.
Enter the power of breathing practices. They optimally fuel your cells with energy (oxygen) and activate the calming parasympathetic nervous system.
Calm yet energized: “the ideal state.”
2. How to Enter Mystical Traditions w/o 20 Years
“Do you want to enter into the most mystical of traditions and gather their fruits? Forget studying difficult languages and going into a cave for twenty years. Just breathe on the sofa in the morning before breakfast.”
- Wim Hof, The Wim Hof Method
This made me laugh, but it’s also pretty accurate—not just for Wim’s method. It applies to slow breathing. To alternate nostril breathing. To all the techniques.
Breathing is a shortcut into mystical traditions. All you have to do is “breathe on the sofa in the morning before breakfast.” : )
3. A Renowned Scientist on Slow Breathing and HRV Biofeedback: Why isn’t Everyone Doing It?
“It’s a nondrug treatment with very powerful effects. It’s easy to learn. Why isn’t everyone doing it?”
- Paul Lehrer, Ph.D.
I often feel crazy talking about all the benefits of slow breathing. But, here’s a pioneer in slow breathing and HRVB research expressing the same sentiment.
It’s cheap, easy to learn, and has “very powerful effects.”
Indeed, why isn’t everyone doing it?
4. Thich Nhat Hanh on Finding the Best Practice for You
“Only by using your intelligence and putting the teachings into practice can they bring you happiness. Please base your practice on your own life and your own experiences, your successes and your failures.”*
- Thich Nhat Hanh, The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching
Although this passage is about applying the Buddha’s teachings, I think it’s perfect advice for breathing, too.
Of course, we have to learn from others. But no one recipe fits everyone. So it’s ultimately up to us to base our practice on our own lives and experiences. 🙏
Extra: Breathing for Diabetes Workshop
I’m hosting my first-ever Breathing for Diabetes Workshop. I’m super excited, as it distilled 4 years of research and application into about 2 hours of fun : )
It’s happening virtually on March 5, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. eastern, and it’s $99.
If you can’t make this time, no worries, you get full access to the recording plus audio downloads of everything after the workshop.
As a bonus, you also get immediate access to a pre-recorded 40-minute Wim Hof and Diabetes Mini Masterclass when you sign up now.
You can learn about everything you’ll get below. I hope to see you there!
1 QUOTE
“Bearing all this in mind, welcome present circumstances and accept the things whose time has arrived. Be happy when you find that doctrines you have learned and analyzed are being tested by real events.”
- Epictetus
1 ANSWER
Category: Breathing Muscles
Answer: Humans are the only mammals to keep this parallel to the ground, even during walking and running.
…
(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)
…
Question: What is the diaphragm?
In good breath,
Nick Heath, T1D, PhD
“Breathing is the compound interest of health & wellness.”
* 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.