August 26, 2024

Breath and Wine, Simplest Movement, and 4 Reminders on Connection

August 26, 2024

Announcement

I am excited to be giving a 1-hr virtual workshop tomorrow, August 27th, at 5:30 p.m. Eastern for the nonprofit BeWell in School. It’s donation-based, and all proceeds go to support their mission. They are truly and incredible organization, and I am honored whenever I get to support them. Get signed up here.

On to the newsletter…

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I hope the next 24’ish breaths are the most nourishing of your day.

4 THOUGHTS

1. Simplest and Most Unobtrusive of Movements

“Despite centuries of reports from followers of Eastern traditions that slow breathing can improve focus, bring a sense of calm when we might otherwise lose it and even whisk us away to an altered state of consciousness, most of us still don’t take time out from our busy lives to prioritize this simplest and most unobtrusive of body movements.”
– Caroline Williams, Move

If you feel “moved” by this, here is an excellent reminder to take time this week to prioritize the simplest and most unobtrusive movement of all: slow breathing 👏

2. The Only Practice that Matters

“The only practice that matters is the one you consistently do, not the practice of any other artist.”
– Rick Rubin, The Creative Act

A perfect reminder (which also applies to breathing) to follow what’s right for you, not what’s right for someone else. It brings to mind another wonderful quote attributed to Zen Shin: “A flower does not think of competing with the flower next to it. It just blooms.”

3. Four Reminders that Breath is Connection

1. “To breathe is to absorb ourselves in what surrounds us, to take in little bits of life, understand them, and give pieces of ourselves back out. Respiration is, at its core, reciprocation.” - James Nestor

2. “Living beings differ in appearance and behavior…But all living beings breathe…When we focus on the breath, we become mindful of the universal nature of all beings.” – Bhante Gunaratana

3. “The air I inhale enters my body and becomes part of me. The air that I exhale moves into someone else and becomes part of her. Just by looking at how the air moves, we realize we are all connected to one another, not just figuratively but also literally.” - Haemin Sunim

4. “Each new breath creates a unity of life as all people share the nourishment that the earth’s atmosphere freely offers.” - Barbara Fredrickson, Ph.D.

4. The Best of Both Worlds

“The breathing will seamlessly bring you back to the natural mental and emotional flexibility you had as a child, but with the direction and purpose you have as an adult.”
— Richard Brown, MD, and Patricia Gerbarg, MD

Here’s to using our breath to develop child-like mental flexibility alongside adult-like purpose a little more this week 🙏

1 Quote

“Like the joy of the sea coming home to shore, may the relief of laughter rinse through your soul.””

— John O’Donohue

1 Answer

Category: Breath, Brain, and Wine

Answer: The cluster of neurons that generate breathing rhythm is named this after a German bottle of wine.

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(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

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Question: What is the pre-Bötzinger Complex?

Wiser than Before Podcast

I was recently a guest on the Wiser than Before Podcast. It was an awesome chat with Josh. If you love breathing, I think you’ll love the show!

Listen: Spotify or Apple,

Watch: YouTube

In good breath,

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

P.S. the ultimate out of body experience

A Path to Lasting Change

The Breath Learning Center integrates ancient wisdom with modern science to help us make lasting change.

You enjoy daily wisdom meditations, science and book reviews, workshops, and guided practices, all at your own pace.

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The Breathing App for Diabetes

This is the first program specifically made for people with diabetes to help manage their stress through breathing and mindfulness practices. In addition to the amazing program inside the app, we have some really neat things coming up, so sign up now!

Learn more here.

Amazon Associate Disclosure

I’ve been recommending books for almost 6 years. Yet somehow, I just discovered that I could be an Amazon affiliate [face-palm]. In any case better late than never. Now, any Amazon link you click is an affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. So, if you’d like to support my work, buying books through these links is helpful : )

* 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.

Nicholas Heath

May 6, 2024

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See the World, Deep Rest, and a Simple Step for Profound Effects

Nicholas Heath

May 6, 2024

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I hope the next 27’ish breaths are the most nourishing of your day.

4 THOUGHTS

1. A Lens Through Which We See the World

“How do emotions guide our actions?
The first is this: emotions transform how we perceive the world. … Each emotion is a lens through which we see the world.”
– Dacher Keltner, Awe: The New Science of…

“Each emotion is a lens through which we see the world.” This unintentionally yet beautifully explains the power of breathing. By giving us access to our emotions, breathing exercises can quite literally put a new lens on life, providing more clarity, focus, and joy.

Be sure to take advantage of this power this week 🙏

2. How All Contemplative Practices Work (deep rest)

“In conclusion, contemplative practices are a powerful tool for enhancing health. Routinely practicing a contemplative technique may reduce harmful stress-related threat arousal, promote cellular-level healing and restoration, and ultimately promote positive mental and physical health.”
- Deep Rest: An Integrative Model of How Contemplative Practices Combat Stress…

This paper could be the “science mascot” of my life 😂

It’s unique because it doesn’t favor one approach; instead, it offers a unifying framework—called deep rest—explaining the benefits of all contemplative practices (but slow breathing does play a crucial role).

If you feel so inspired, go give it a read. Or, read my 2 min 49 sec review (or listen to the podcast version) for as little as $5.

3. A Tiny Thought on Breathing Methods

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

4. Two Ideas to Contemplate on Breathing & Connection

“The heaven, the earth and I share one breath, but each manages it individually.” – Lao-Tzu

“It is quite a striking example of evolutionary balance and beauty that the trees around us that give off oxygen and the trees in our lungs that absorb it share a similar structure.” - Patrick McKeown

1 Quote

“The pace you set first thing in the morning is likely to stay with you through the day. If you get up early and set a calm, unhurried pace, it is much easier to resist getting speeded up later on as the pressures of the day close in on you. This simple step has profound effects.””

— Eknath Easwaran

1 Answer

Category: Emotions

Answer: Across different people, these show similar patterns for different emotions and may be one way to distinguish states of joy, anger, fear, and sadness.

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(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

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Question: What are breathing patterns?

In good breath,

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

P.S. how to send emails

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The Breathing App for Diabetes

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Nicholas Heath

December 6, 2021

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Effortless Inhales, Deepak on Smiling, and Maybe Loud Breathing is OK?

Nicholas Heath

December 6, 2021

weekly email

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4 Thoughts

1. The Breath Should Enter Very Subtly

“‘Very subtly’ means that when the nose draws in the outside air, it should draw it very subtly so that the ear should not hear it. Being subtle and fine is the gate to life. … The inhalation should, therefore, be done in a subtle and fine way.”
- The Primordial Breath, Volume I

This is always my #1 tip for breathing: make it quiet and subtle. Remember, “Being subtle and fine is the gate to life…”

***

Related: How Breathing Boosts Creativity, Why We Sigh, and Where Rumi’s Soul Lives (see #4 and the 1 quote)

2. Effort Leads to Effortless

“It takes a lot of effort for our fitness to appear natural and effortless. But just because it appears effortless does not mean that no effort was made.”
- Haemin Sunim, The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down

The same is true for breathing. To breathe in a “subtle and fine way” takes deliberate practice and effort. I’m still working on it. I hope you are too : )

3. Maybe Loud Breathing is OK in Modern Yoga Classes?

I’m clearly a big fan of quiet breathing : ) Traditional yoga practices are too.

However, if you go to a modern group yoga class, you’ll hear a lot of loud breathing. Physiologically, I’ve always thought it was wrong…

But maybe there’s more to that loud breathing than just physiology?

In The Joy of Movement, Kelly McGonigal tells us that loud breathing during yoga is a critical component of social bonding and group flow:

“Studies show that yoga, like dancing, can create social bonds. … The breath becomes the beat that drives the flow of poses, and the sound of the group inhaling and exhaling in unison provides a satisfying sensory feedback.”

Of course, you’re not going to hear me breathing loudly in class now (I’m an introvert, anyways 😂). But let’s not overlook the social and emotional bonding that it might bring. Perhaps they are most critical in today’s world.

***

P.S. Maybe we even naturally began loud breathing during group yoga classes out of a deep yearning for more social connection? Just a thought…

4. Smiling and Breathing, Part II

“Stop. Take three deep breaths and smile everywhere in your body, observing what’s happening in your body. Proceed now with kindness and understanding.”
- Deepak Chopra

To complement last week’s thought on smiling, I was searching for info on the Buddha’s half-smile, when I stumbled across this quote.

At first, it might seem cliché. But, like most great teachers, Deepak simply distilled the science of smiling and breathing into a practical exercise.

Remember what we learned last week:

The act of smiling makes you happier.

Slow deep breathing makes you happier.

So set your breathing timer, put a slight smile on your face (Buddha-style), and “proceed with kindness and understanding.”

1 QUOTE

“Can it really be so simple? Just breathing deeply? Is that it? The answer, friends, is yes.”
- Wim Hof

1 ANSWER

Category: Breathing 101

Answer: This is the volume of air remaining in the lungs after a maximum forceful exhale.

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(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

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Question: What is residual volume?

In good breath,

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

P.S. which I’m about to elaborate on

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