10 Fun Thoughts, Meditation in a Bottle, and Whole-Life Slow Breathing

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Listen Instead of Reading

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 😊

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4 THOUGHTS

1. The Greatest Skill in Breathing (plus 9 more random thoughts)

The greatest skill in breathing (like in life) is knowing when to go with the flow, and when to deliberately change it.

Click here for 9 more random breathing thoughts and quotes.

2. “Meditation in a Bottle” (random product recommendation)

That’s a tagline of this relaxation shot by iCalm.

I stumbled upon it online, decided to buy some, and really loved them. I take one almost every afternoon now.

I have no affiliation with them…just thought it was a cool product and that maybe some of you would like it too 🙏

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P.S. When I bought it, they sent an email questionnaire…I filled it out (it took less than a minute), and they sent me a few additional bottles for free. It might be random, but be on the lookout, just in case.

3. Whole-Life Slow Breathing

Regularly engaging in any kind of contemplative practice that slows down our breathing increases our vagal tone.

The best description I’ve read of why that’s important comes from Barbara Fredrickson, Ph.D., describing people with higher vagal tone:

“Physically, they regulate their internal bodily processes more efficiently, like their glucose levels and inflammation. Mentally, they’re better able to regulate their attention and emotions, even their behavior. Socially, they’re especially skillful in navigating interpersonal interactions and in forging positive connections with others.”

Sounds good to me. Perhaps we should call slow breathing “whole-life breathing” instead 😊

4. Nasal Breathing, Brain Oscillations, and Better Cognition

“A key implication of our data is that the nasal route of respiration offers an entry point to limbic brain areas for modulating cognitive function.”

- Zelano et al. (2016)

This study found that nasal breathing synchronizes oscillations in the piriform cortex, amygdala, and hippocampus (those last two regions are critical to emotions, memory, and behavior). This coherence leads to improved cognitive function compared to mouth breathing.

The take-home: Breathe through your nose as much as possible, especially when learning or in emotional situations, to improve brain coherence and cognitive functioning.

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P.S. This is one of many studies I’m drawing from for the Breathing for Better Brain Health Workshop I’m hosting this Saturday for just $50.

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1 Quote

“There is no single more powerful – or more simple – daily practice to further your health and wellbeing than breathwork.””

— Andrew Weil, MD

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1 Answer

Category: Brain Blood Flow

Answer: Every minute, this many liters of blood flow through the brain, which is about how much a standard wine bottle holds.

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(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

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Question: What is 750 ml?

P.S. I found this one in Breath by James Nestor.

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In good breath,

Nick Heath, T1D, PhD
“Breathing is the compound interest of health & wellness.”

P.S. ignorance is bliss

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* 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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How Breathing Helps You Get and Stay Frustrated (and why it’s a good thing)

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Listen Instead of Reading

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4 Thoughts

1. Why You Need to be Frustrated, and How Breathing Can Help

“Long-haul creativity, Robinson believes, requires a low-level, near-constant sense of frustration. … It’s a constant, itchy dissatisfaction, a deep sense of what-if, and can-I-make-it-better, and the like.”

- Steven Kotler, The Art of Impossible

A consistent breathing practice will improve your mental clarity and overall health. But it will also frustrate the hell out of you.

It’s so simple; why isn’t this taught everywhere? Wait, it’s free, and it literally helps everything?

Then, of course, your improved mental clarity will seep into everything you do, and you will get more frustrated with the world, in general. (Not that I’m speaking from personal experience or anything 😂)

But now we see it’s a good thing. We need a little frustration, a slight sense of dissatisfaction, a knowing that things could be better. It helps us sustain the creativity needed to deliver what the world needs.

And a regular breathing practice is the easiest way to get that itchy dissatisfaction.

So, please, go get a little more frustrated, and a little more creative, today : )

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P.S. Kotler shares nine different ways for achieving long-haul creativity in the book. This was #5, but its unexpected nature made it stand out the most.

2. A Few Stand-Out Passages on the Importance of the Ancient Nose

“As a general note, the teachings on wind energy training and Yantra yoga emphasize breathing through the nostrils during the entire practice session. Unless we are given specific, personal instruction by a master on how and when to breathe through the mouth, we should always breathe through the nose.”

- The Tibetan Yoga of Breath

“The nose is the heavenly door (while) the mouth is the earthly window. Therefore, inhale through your nose and use your mouth to exhale. Never do otherwise for breath would be in danger and illness would set in.”

- The Primordial Breath, Volume I

"Ancient Egyptian cultures also recognized the importance of the breath, the evidence of which we see today in the many ancient statues that had their noses broken off but otherwise were left untouched. This defacement was no accident, but a deliberate act by conquering groups to take the life, in this case the breath of life, away from these icons."

- Michael J. Stephen, MD, Breath Taking

3. Walking After a Meal: The Simplest Habit for Stable Blood Sugar

“The most important takeaway is simple: Whenever possible, move your body after eating. Doing this helps mobilize post-meal glucose to fuel physical activity and curb the spike you might experience if you were inactive.”

- Levels, Walking after a meal: the simplest habit for stable blood sugar

The folks at Levels put out some of the best blogs; they’re well-written and packed with practical information.

This one was so good it almost made me want to switch my post-meal breathing session for a walk. Who knows, maybe I’ll become The Walking Diabetic : )

Enjoy!

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Related: Diaphragmatic Breathing Reduces Postprandial Oxidative Stress

4. A Little Bit of Tape goes a Long Way

“I guess it goes to show that a little bit of tape can go a long way.”

- 411 Reader

When you tape your mouth at night, you reap the benefits of nasal breathing for 7+ hours a night. This includes things like better oxygenation, optimal breathing volume, harnessing nitric oxide, and brainwave synchronization.

Ultimately, this leads to deeper and more restorative sleep.

And if you’re a diabetic, your improved sleep might lead to noticeably better insulin sensitivity, which happened for this reader.

“I guess it goes to show that a little bit of tape can go a long way.” Perfectly said. 🙏

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1 QUOTE

“The air, we might say, is the soul of the visible landscape, the secret realm from which all things draw their nourishment.”

- David Abram, The Spell of the Sensuous

P.S. Thanks to 411 reader Davis for sharing this book, and specifically the chapter on breathing, with me. So much goodness to explore. 🙏

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1 Answer

Category: Brainwaves and Creativity

Answer: These brainwaves, which are between 8 and 12 Hz, are most associated with creative thinking.

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(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

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Question: What are alpha brainwaves?

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In good breath,

Nick Heath, T1D, PhD
“Breathing is the compound interest of health & wellness.”

P.S. Slipping the bouncer a $20

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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.

The Breathing 4.1.1. - Breathing That Makes You Smarter

Happy Monday and welcome to another edition of "The Breathing 4.1.1."

Below, I share 4 thoughts, 1 quote, and 1 answer (think "Jeopardy"). Enjoy!

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4 THOUGHTS

1. Why Increasing Your CO2 Tolerance Just Makes Sense

i. Carbon dioxide is your primary stimulus to breathe. When you feel breathless or air hunger, that is due to high levels of CO2, not low levels of oxygen.

ii. Carbon dioxide helps you use oxygen more efficiently via the Bohr effect.

Therefore, being able to tolerate more CO2 just makes sense. You’ll delay the onset of breathlessness while simultaneously improving oxygen delivery.

2. Should You Be Doing Breathing Exercises All Day?

Not in my opinion. The goal of all of this "breathing stuff" is to reset your breathing to healthy levels so you don’t have to think about it all the time.

3. Can Your Breathing Make You Smarter?

Nasal breathing synchronizes brainwave oscillations in the piriform cortex, amygdala, and hippocampus. This coherence improves cognitive function when compared to mouth breathing.

Read More: Nasal Breathing Synchronizes Brainwave Activity and Improves Cognitive Function

4. If You or Your Child Suffers from This Condition…

If you’re reading this, the adverse health effects of mouth breathing probably seem obvious to you by now. But maybe not everyone else.

That’s why it is always great to see an article about it in a more mainstream publication like ScienceDaily. The final paragraph is both wonderful and comical (without trying to be):

"At this time, many health care professionals are not aware of the health problems associated with mouth breathing. If you or your child suffers from this condition, speak with a health care professional who is knowledgeable about mouth breathing."

Read The Full Article on ScienceDaily:

"Mouth breathing can cause major health problems"

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1 QUOTE

"We can’t learn how to breathe, but we can learn how to stop not breathing."

- Richard Rosen, The Yoga of Breath

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1 ANSWER

Answer: The only human organs that can float in water.

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(Cue the Jeopardy music.)

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Question: What are the lungs?

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In good breath,
Nick

P.S. Nostalgia.

Nasal breathing synchronizes brain wave activity and improves cognitive function

Last week, we discussed century-old ideas about nasal breathing and mental function. I said that current science is beginning to catch up. Here’s how.

Modern Science Supports 100 Year-Old Observations

A study published in 2016 in The Journal of Neuroscience showed that nasal breathing is intimately connected to brainwave oscillations, emotional recognition, and memory retrieval.

Intracranial EEG measurements showed that nasal breathing synchronizes brainwave oscillations in the olfactory bulb, the hippocampus, and the amygdala. When breathing was switched to the mouth, this coherence disappeared.

In a follow-on experiment, they showed participants pictures of faces expressing fear or surprise. They had to pick which one it was as fast as they could.

Not only did the nasal breathers outperform the mouth breathers, but they also found that responses were quickest during inhalation versus exhalation. The participants also had more accurate memory retrieval during nasal inhalation.

Taken together, their results indicate that nasal breathing acts to organize brainwave oscillations and improve cognitive functioning.

These results also help explain Guye’s theory about nasal breathing and mental function. That is, they support the quote “Shut your mouth and save your brain.”

Breathing is More Than Just Gases

These results imply that breathing is about more than just about gases. Breathing acts to synchronize brain activity and enhance cognitive function…but only when performed through the nose.

In good breath,
Nick