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4 Thoughts
1. Yoga Breathing Helps Cancer Chemotherapy Symptoms (+ free science 411)
“Pranayama may be helpful for improving sleep disturbance, anxiety, and mental QOL [quality of life] among patients undergoing chemotherapy.”
This is an inspiring pilot RCT that found that a simple breathing practice can help reduce the harmful side effects of chemotherapy.
The study wasn’t perfect and pranayama didn’t magically solve all their problems. But it helped. That’s all we can hope for.
I’ve also made the Science 411 on this paper free for everyone 🙏
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P.S. Some of you may know that I lost my sister to cancer. I remember how hard chemo was for her. So—even as someone obsessed with breathing—it’s difficult to review a study suggesting that patients should “just breathe,” and it will help. But this study was done over 1 year, and the classes had almost 100% attendance, making me believe the patients found it valuable, which matters the most.
2. Breathing is the Heart of All Life
“In addition, the mental component of breath is a sense of rhythmic expansion and contraction, and I think that connects us to every other living thing because all living organisms breathe. So that same rhythm is at the center of the heart of all life.”
- Andrew Weil, MD, Breathing: The Master Key to Self Healing
Just an elegant reminder that breathing connects us to all living things. It’s the heart of all life 🌎
3. Optimal Mouth Posture at Rest
“The correct oral posture, the one that appears most conducive to jaw development, is (when not speaking or eating) holding the mouth closed with teeth in light contact and the tongue resting on the roof of the mouth.”
- Sandra Kahn and Paul Erhlich, Jaws
I struggle following these guidelines all day, but here is the most succinct description I’ve found on optimal mouth posture at rest.
Maybe it will inspire you to notice your mouth posture more today 🙏
4. It’s Not the Highs; It’s Who You Become
“It's not the highs along the way that matter. It's who you become.”
- Daniel Goleman & Richard Davidson, Altered Traits
That’s a perfect rule of thumb for any contemplative practice (like breathing). Experiencing highs & improving biomarkers of health and wellness is meaningful, but it’s who you become that matters most.
Free 5-Day Email Course on Becoming a Breathing Generalist
Day 1: The Four Paths of a Generalist
Day 2: How to Read Books Efficiently
Day 3: How to Find Science Papers Worth Reading
Day 4: How to Decide Which Books and Papers to Read
Day 5: Become More You, Become Irreplaceable
1 Quote
“If you would foster a calm spirit, first regulate your breathing; for when that is under control, the heart will be at peace; but when breathing is spasmodic, then it will be troubled.””
1 Answer
Category: Breathing and Brain
Answer: This neural network is critical to generating breathing rhythm.
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(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)
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Question: What is the Pre-Bötzinger complex?
In good breath,
Nick Heath, T1D, PhD
“Breathing is the compound interest of health & wellness.”
* 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.