breathing ideas

An Unexpected Truth, 22 One-Sentence Ideas, and the Best Part of Breathing

 
 

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4 Thoughts


1. 22 One-Sentence Breathing Ideas for 2022

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

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

Keep going…

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

2. A Unexpected Truth: Use Your Heart to be More Objective

I feel like I process information more objectively. If there's a bad call, or a player does something unexpected on the court, I can inhibit my reaction and quickly determine what needs to happen next with less effort.

- Client of Leah Lagos, excerpt from Heart Breath Mind

This was the result of heart rate variability (HRV) training via slow breathing. As counterintuitive as it might sound, current science tells us that the more we train our hearts, the more objective we become.

It’s actually our pesky (albeit valuable, lol) brains that trick us into excess emotional reactivity, anxiety, stress, rumination, and on & on.

So to be more rational, use your heart, not your head : )

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Related: This 2-Minute Breathing Exercise Can Help You Make Better Decisions, According to a New Study

3. Why You Should Practice Abdominal Nose Breathing

However, when we breathe through the nostrils and into the abdomen, not only do we breathe less frequently, but our exhalations are prolonged. What this means is that abdominal nose breathing not only makes more oxygen available to our bodies in a more efficient manner, but it also stimulates the sympathetic nervous system less frequently.

- The Tibetan Yoga of Breath

That is all : )

4. The Best Part about Breathing

The best part about breathing is that we can satisfy our craving to read and learn while also applying that wisdom in our lives. There’s no abstraction. It’s as easy as “sit down and breathe like this for a few minutes and see how you feel.

Sure, I write to try to make it fun and philosophical. But when it comes down to it, you just sit there and breathe. No one can take it away from you, and you don’t need any special training. You just do it.

 
 

 
 

1 QUOTE

"There's nothing mystical or abstract about it. It's physical. Your breath is your life-force, right here, right now. It could not be any simpler. Just breathe and reclaim your soul."

- Wim Hof

 
 

 
 

1 ANSWER

Category: The Airways and Ancient Yoga

Answer: The trachea, a key component of breathing, is also referred to as this.

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

Question: What is the windpipe?

P.S. Yantra Yoga techniques were called “Wind Energy Training,” which sounds kind of woo-woo. But let’s not forget modern science refers to our main breathing tube as the “windpipe” : )


In good breath,

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

P.S. a workplace revolutionary tbh

 
 
 

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.

 
 

One-Sentence Ideas and Your Breathing Identity

 

Happy New Year!

Thanks for joining me for the first 411 of the year. Here are 4 thoughts, 1 quote, and 1 answer for you to consider this week.

 
 

 
 

4 THOUGHTS

1. 21 One-Sentence Breathing Ideas

"Weak is he who permits his thoughts to control his breath; strong is he who forces his breath to control his thoughts."

Breathing ideas are often long-winded, but they shouldn’t be.

Here are 21 one-sentence breathing ideas to kick off 2021. You’ll learn how breathing is the compound interest of health, the most effective way to breathe right now, and the best time to start a breathing practice. Enjoy!

P.S. Josh Spector’s excellent post on communication inspired this idea.

2. What Not to Focus On in 2021

"Just because you can measure something doesn’t mean it’s the most important thing." - James Clear, Atomic Habits

Focusing on any one outcome (e.g., CO2 tolerance or BOLT) is simplistic, even in breathing. The problem is, as James also states, "we optimize for what we measure." So, let’s avoid putting too much weight on any one measurement in 2021.

The alternative, James tells us, "is to build identity-based habits. With this approach, we start by focusing on who we wish to become." Measuring progress is important, but we don’t want our identity to be based on a measurement ("I have a high BOLT score"). Instead, we want the measurement to be an outcome of our identity ("I am someone who focuses on optimal breathing, so I have a high BOLT").

It’s a significant distinction.

3. "The Consequences of Sucking at Breathing"

"Without knowing it, you might be messing up your sleep, mood, digestion, heart, nervous system, muscles, brain, and even the development of your teeth and face structure." - Patrik Edblad, How to Breathe Properly – A (Surprisingly Important) Complete Guide

I love finding breathing articles from "non-breathing" people. It makes my heart (and lungs) happy. Even more so when they are excellently written, like this one.

My favorite part was that Patrik conveyed all the benefits of breathing without ever mentioning CO2. 👏 Enjoy the awesome read!

4. Harmonize the Butterflies in Your Stomach

"It's all right to have butterflies in your stomach. Just get them to fly in formation." - Dr. Rob Gilbert

Controlling your breathing is an easy way to help synchronize them.

 
 

 
 

1 QUOTE

"A hundred objective measurements didn't sum the worth of a garden; only the delight of its users did that. Only the use made it mean something."

- Lois McMaster Bujold

 
 

 
 

1 ANSWER

Answer: Approximately 2/3 of the mass of the human body is made up of this.

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

Question: What is oxygen?


In good breath,
Nick

P.S. A new reason to be upset