Listen Instead of Reading
4 Thoughts
1. A 5-10 Second Boost for Any Breathing Practice
Here’s a quick way to improve any breathing practice you do: Take 5-10 seconds to notice how you feel afterward.
Sounds pretty freakin obvious, right? But as someone who’s always in a rush to get to the “next thing,” this has truly worked wonders for me. Here’s what I do:
Give it a try and see how you feel—pun intended : )
2. Why Mindless Breathing is a Good Thing
“The autonomic nervous system regulates our survival functions. These happen within us automatically without our having to think about them. … If not for this amazing system, we could not live.”
- Eddie Stern, One Simple Thing
When we start talking about all of the amazing, automatic things our bodies do to keep us alive, I immediately think of mindless breathing.
In fact, I think the goal of breathwork is better mindless breathing.
We consciously use our nose, slow down our exhales, and so on so that it comes naturally when we’re not thinking about it. That’s when the magic happens.
So let’s use this gift of breath control and train ferociously so that we optimize the other 20,000+ unmindful breaths we take each day.
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Related: Pilot Your Breathing: The Unexpected Goal of a Breathing Practice
P.S. Speaking of breath training, last week I took 3 days of Eddie’s Pranayama Week. It was a nice blend of slow, fast, and alternate nostril breathing, along with breath holds. Highly recommend it.
3. Personality Doesn’t Scale, but Breathing Does
“Personality doesn’t scale. Biology, on the other hand, scales. It is the very thing designed by evolution to work for everyone.”
- Steven Kotler, The Art of Impossible
This is why breathing helps everyone. Breathing is biology. It’s “the very thing designed by evolution to work for everyone.”
So don’t let personality (that is, individual methods) get in the way. Use principles, and do what breathing method is suitable for you, where you are.
Personality doesn’t scale. Breathing does.
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Related Quote: “What we mean is, in the field of peak performance, too often, someone figures out what works for them and then assumes it will work for others. It rarely does. More often, it backfires.” - Steven Kotler, The Art of Impossible
4. How to Resist Old Age
“To resist the frigidity of old age one must combine the body, the mind and the heart - and to keep them in parallel vigor one must exercise, study and love.”
- Karl von Bonstetten
And breathe slow, sometimes fast : )
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Related: How to Breathe to Live Longer
1 QUOTE
“Be devoted to the breath and renounce everything else.”
- Eugene Cash, quote from Neurodharma
1 ANSWER
Category: The First Day of Nosevember
Answer: The roof of the mouth is actually the floor of this.
…
(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)
…
Question: What is the nasal cavity?
Extras and Free Breathing This Week
I haven’t had a bonus section in a while, so there’s lots to share : )
I. Free Breathwrk for 6 Months 🙏
The genuinely awesome people at Breathwrk are sharing 6 months of the Pro version of their app with 411 readers for free. I use the app habitually, so it’s crazy that they’re willing to give it away here 🤯
Here are the breaths I use regularly:
High Altitude - The 1:28 or 3:40 setting, and I do it walking.
No Worries - The 4:32 setting, post-lunch.
Deep Relaxation - The 5:00 setting, before bed.
If you don’t have a regular breathing practice, now you have no excuses : )
Get 6 Free Months of Breathwrk Here
II. Performance Through Health Podcast
Martin is an inspiration to me and a true mixed breathing artist (check out his shared case study a while back). Honored to be a guest on his show.
Episode 54 – Talking Breathwork, Biohacking and Health Tracking Tools with The Breathing Diabetic
III. Unspoken Nutrition
Neeyaz and Sami are warm people you immediately bond with. I love Neeyaz’s holistic approach to wellness and I am honored they had me as a guest.
Respiratory Health & Importance of the Breath with Nicholas Heath
In good breath,
Nick Heath, T1D, PhD
“Breathing is the compound interest of health & wellness.”
P.S. Literally my dream job… — no jokes with this one : )
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.