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22 One-Sentence Breathing Ideas for 2022

Let’s continue the tradition this year. Here are 22 one-sentence breathing ideas to kick off 2022. Enjoy!

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Related: 21 One-Sentence Breathing Ideas for 2021

1. Demonstrations of breathing are small compared with the great thing that is hidden behind them. 

(Inspired by a Khalil Gibran Quote)

 

2. Breathing doesn’t heal you; it gives your body the environment it needs to heal itself.

 

3. We can be lost in breath, without knowing we have been breathing.

(Inspired by The Things You See Only When You Slow Down)

 

4. If you know only one breathing method, then you really know none; if you understand one breathing method, then you really know them all.

 

5. Breathing is the most direct path to practicing philosophy in our lives.

 

6. If breath is life, then optimal breathing is optimal living.

 

7. Science is timely; personal experience is timeless.

 

8. Every method works when used correctly, but no method works for everybody.

 

9. What one teacher says is essential, another will say is useless.

 

10. Breathing is a pair of leather shoes for life.

(Idea from The Tibetan Yoga of Breath)

 

11. The most practical tip for breathing is this: make it quiet and subtle. 

 

12. To breathe in a “quiet and subtle way” takes deliberate practice—effort leads to effortlessness.

 

13. Breathing may be my 70% solution but only your 20% solution.

 

14. Breathe less, sometimes more; breathe slow, sometimes fast.

 

15. We breathe through each nostril separately so they function better together as a whole.

 

16. Read about breathing but, most importantly, embody that education through practice.

 

17. Start by starting; one minute is always better than none-minutes.

 

18. A simple rule for getting started: 40% of your breath should be inhaling, 60% should be exhaling.

 

19. Holding implies tension and effort; pausing is natural and effortless.

 

20. Breath and mind are inseparable: This means you can use your breath, to change your mind, to change your breath for the better.

(A play on this line from Neurodharma: “Neurons that fire together, wire together. This means that you can use your mind, to change your brain, to change your mind for the better.”)

 

21. The goal of a breathing practice is better mindless breathing.

 

22. The joy of breathwork is breathing.

The Breathing 411 - Understand This, and You Will Understand Breathing

 

Happy Monday. I hope you enjoy this edition with a cup of coffee : )

Enjoy 4 thoughts, 1 quote, and 1 answer (like "Jeopardy") related to breathing.

 
 
 
 

4 THOUGHTS

1. Understand This, and You Will Understand Breathing

Breathing information is often contradictory:

  • Wim Hof tells you to breathe more oxygen.
    Patrick McKeown tells you to breathe less.

  • Oxygen is your body’s most important energy source.
    But the exhale is the most important part of the breath.

  • You need to teach yourself to tolerate higher levels of carbon dioxide.
    Carbon dioxide also causes fear in people who literally can’t feel fear.

  • Lung capacity determines longevity.
    But you also shouldn’t take big breaths.

  • And on & on

To understand breathing, you must accept that all of these are right, and all of them are wrong. It depends on the circumstance.

Despite its simplicity, breathing is one of the most complex functions in the human body. Blanket statements on "right or wrong" simply cannot be made without context. We must embrace the contradictions.

2. Should You Be Breathing Even Slower?

A study published in 2006 found that resonance frequency was inversely correlated with height. That is, the taller you are, the slower you need to breathe to synchronize your heart rate, breathing rate, and autonomic nervous system.

In their excellent book, The Healing Power of the Breath, Richard Brown and Patricia Gerbarg give this specific recommendation: "For people who are over six feet tall, the ideal resonant rate is three to three and a half breaths per minute."

So, if you’re over six feet tall, you might find that breathing slower than the typical recommendation of 5-6 breaths per minute works better for you. I fall into that category, and I’ve found 3 - 3.5 breaths per minute (currently 7 sec inhale, 11 sec exhale) to be my sweet spot.

3. What is Hyperventilation?

"Respiratory alkalosis is caused by hyperventilation or a respiratory rate in excess of that needed to maintain normal PCO2." - Essentials of Pathophysiology, pg. 205

"Hyperventilation is a term that describes breathing beyond that which is required to meet the metabolic needs of the body as reflected in the production of carbon dioxide." - Respiratory Physiology, pg. 128

Here are two different textbook definitions of hyperventilation. It’s actually pretty straightforward. And, as you can see, it doesn’t involve huffing and puffing. Thus, we can hyperventilate without even knowing it.

Two easy ways to check if you are overbreathing are the BOLT score and the CO2 Tolerance Test.

Two easy ways to fix it are to breathe through your nose and make your breathing quiet while at rest.

Thanks to 411 reader W.H. for inspiring this thought.

4. Is Breathing Woo-Woo?

It fascinates me that breathing, your body’s most important function, has kind of a "woo-woo" reputation. It shouldn’t. There is a mountain of scientific evidence showing its efficacy for health and wellness. For example, I have reviewed over 80 scientific papers, and HHPF seems to post a new one every day.

But you actually don’t need any of the science. Here is the quickest way to determine for yourself:

Hold your breath.

I think you will agree "breathing" isn’t woo-woo after only a few seconds.

Thanks to fellow breathing nerd R. vdC. for inspiring this thought.

 
 
 
 

1 QUOTE

"The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function."

- F. Scott Fitzgerald

 
 
 
 

1 ANSWER

Answer: The estimated prevalence of this condition is about 23% in women and 50% in men.

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(Cue the Jeopardy music.)

…

Question: What is sleep-disordered breathing?