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4 Thoughts
1. A Perfect Quote on Breathing from Dr. Andrew Weil
“Breath work—learning how to change breathing habits and practicing specific breathing techniques—has remarkable effects on physiology. It cannot cause harm, requires no equipment, and costs nothing. It can correct some cardiac arrhythmias and gastrointestinal problems, for example, and is the most effective treatment I know for anxiety, as well as the simplest method of stress reduction.”
- Andrew Weil, MD, Mind Over Meds
That is all 🤯
2. One Key Reason Breathing is So Powerful Actually Has Nothing to do with Breathing
Have you heard of learned helplessness? When we’re subjected to adversity we can’t control, we give up. Then later on, we give up in situations we can control.
However, I recently learned in Transcend that helplessness isn’t actually “learned” per se; it’s actually our default reaction to prolonged adversity.
To overcome that default, we need what Kaufman calls “learned hope:”
“the perception that [we] can control and harness the unpredictability in [our] environment.”
In my opinion, this is why breathing is so powerful. It’s not that there’s some magical breathing method out there. It’s that once we see our ability to control our body and emotions through the breath, we develop learned hope.
We believe we can retake control again. And then we do.
3. Who’s Breath Are You Focusing On? Suffering vs. Peace
When you first learn about breathing, it’s natural to notice how poorly everyone else does it. And it’s natural to want to fix them.
But let’s remember that trying to change others will lead to suffering.
Focusing on what you can control—your breath—will lead to peace.
***
P.S. This was inspired by this excellent Optimize +1.
4. What to Do If You Don’t have a Teacher
“In absence of a teacher, one is to rely on a thorough, repeated study of as many texts as available and on constant self-observation and introspection.”
- Michael Wurmbrand, The Primordial Breath, Volume II
Although there’s no substitute for a teacher, I hope this newsletter helps you in one of these three areas with your breath 🙏
1 QUOTE
“[B]reath understood as metonym for life itself, rather than as a discrete physiological process, has often acted as a philosophical first principle.”
1 ANSWER
Category: Diaphragm
Answer: According to one review, the diaphragm is completely made out of this type of tissue.
…
(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)
…
Question: What is fascia?
In good breath,
Nick Heath, T1D, PhD
“Breathing is the compound interest of health & wellness.”
Breathing for Diabetes:
If you love learning about breathing, or just want to live an overall healthier life, I think you’ll really enjoy this class (diabetes or not).
* 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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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.