breathing fundamentals

Become A World-Class Breather

 

Greetings,

Here are four thoughts, one quote, and one answer to start off February. Enjoy!

 
 
 
 

4 THOUGHTS

1. Become a World-Class Breather

"World-class performers are less about complexity and more about optimizing simplicity…It’s about the fundamentals. But small, daily improvements on the fundamentals every day done with ridiculous consistency creates insane revolutions over time."

- Robin Sharma, Optimize Interview

Becoming a world-class breather is actually quite simple: reduce the complexity, optimize the simplicity.

Of course, you can still utilize a variety of advanced techniques. Kobe Bryant didn’t only practice shooting free throws, and Tom Brady doesn’t only practice taking snaps. But it all starts with optimizing the fundamentals.

The best way to do that? Nose, belly, quiet, slow, repeat. Let those benefits compound into "insane revolutions over time."

P.S. Don’t forget James Clear’s advice: We have to start before we can optimize.

P.P.S. I condensed the quote, but I’ve never heard so many buzzwords stringed together so eloquently and with so much conviction : ) Enjoy listening.

2. What Optimal Breathing Can Do for Diabetes 

Although it’s not a panacea, improving our breathing might be the simplest thing we can do for our overall health. And for diabetes, in particular, optimal breathing has several direct and indirect benefits that are especially useful.

For example, it can improve cardio-autonomic function, reduce stress and anxiety (see next thought), improve blood flow, and improve sleep. These benefits can lead to better insulin sensitivity, more stable blood sugars, and less risk of long-term complications. Not bad for something as simple as breathing.

3. Harvard Business Review: Why Breathing Is So Effective at Reducing Stress

"So what makes breathing so effective? It’s very difficult to talk your way out of strong emotions like stress, anxiety, or anger…But with breathing techniques, it is possible to gain some mastery over your mind."

- Harvard Business Review,
Research: Why Breathing Is So Effective at Reducing Stress

So much goodness in this quick article. It’s a nice complement to last week’s thought on using breathing instead of thinking, and much more. Enjoy!

4. A Breathing Competition?

Compete: from Latin competere,

in its late sense 'strive or contend for (something)'

from com = 'together' + petere = 'aim at, seek'

- Apple Dictionary

So to "compete" literally means to strive for something together. In that case, we can consider this newsletter to be a breathing competition, with all of us striving to become world-class breathers together.

I hope you enjoy this competition as much as I do.

This thought was inspired by this Optimize +1

 
 
 
 

1 QUOTE

"The pattern of your breathing affects the pattern of your performance. When you are under stress, deep breathing helps bring your mind and body back into the present."

– Gary Mack, Mind Gym

 
 
 
 

1 ANSWER

Answer: This is the longest recorded breath-hold that didn’t use pure oxygen inhalation.

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(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

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Question: What is 11 min 35 sec?

 
 

The Breathing 411 - There Are No Quick Fixes, Except This One

 

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.

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(Cue the Jeopardy music.)

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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

P.S. The Ultimate COVID-19 Sport.