humming

Why We Suffer, Power of Humming, and a Celebration of Life


Listen Instead of Reading

If you enjoy listening, you can subscribe to the audio version on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Audible so you don’t even have to look at the email 😊


Enjoy These Posts?

Donate to support my research.


Reading Time: 1 min 49 sec

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



4 THOUGHTS

1. Why We Suffer from Pain

In The Mindfulness Solution, Ronald Siegel, Psy.D., presents a conceptual equation for suffering:

Suffering = Pain x Resistance

This symbolic relationship means, for any given amount of pain:

  • If our resistance to it is zero, we won’t suffer.

  • If our resistance to it is high, we’ll suffer a lot.

Of course, if you’re a normal human like me, it’s impossible to have zero resistance. But this is an excellent reminder that much of our suffering comes from resisting the pain, not the pain itself.

2. Give Your Practice an Energetic Charge

Here is Rick Rubin discussing having an intention for art:

“It is not an exercise of thought, a goal to be set, or a means of commodification. It is a truth that lives inside you. Through your living it, that truth becomes embedded in the work. If the work doesn’t represent who you are and what you’re living, how can it hold an energetic charge?”

Similarly, this is why having an overarching intention for your contemplative practice(s) is so powerful. It allows your practice to “represent who you are and what you’re living,” giving it an enormous energetic charge in your life 🙏

3. The Power of Humming

“Humming induces brainwave entrainment, and since the sound of a hum is long and sustained, it has calming effect on the brain. It also helps us to naturally extend our exhalation without making much of an effort to do so…Humming is also a spontaneous sound of joy, like after we’ve eaten a delicious tasting food…We hum in agreement with people, or things we read, and children naturally hum when they are happy. Humming is both good for you and we vocalize a hum when we experience good things.”

- Eddie Stern, Healing Through Breathing

That’s an excellent reminder to hum a little more this week 🙏

4. Why I Love Mindful Slow Breathing So Much

Here’s why I think adding mindfulness to slow breathing (‘mindful slow breathing’) is one of the best practices:

Combined, they give you two of the most validated mind-body exercises in one simple practice. Give it a try and see how you feel 🙏


1 Quote

The greatest of all miracles is to be alive, and when you breathe in, you touch that miracle. Therefore, your breathing can be a celebration of life.”
— Thich Nhat Hanh

1 Answer

Category: Blood Pressure

Answer: The systolic pressure of this system is about 18-25 mmHg, about 1/5th or less of the body’s blood pressure.

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

Question: What is the pulmonary circulation?


In good breath,

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

P.S. welcome to breathing competition

Breath Learning Center

The Breath Learning Center offers a unique approach to health, wholeness, and personal flourishing through the breath. Immerse yourself in timeless wisdom, modern science, and breath-focused practices to improve your physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.

Learn more here.

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.


 

One Minute Stress Relief, Taste the Soup, and Positive Feelings


Listen Instead of Reading

If you enjoy listening, you can subscribe to the audio version on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Audible so you don’t even have to look at the email 😊



 

4 Thoughts



1. Wim Hof’s 1-Minute Stress Relief (no hyperventilation needed)

What I do for stress is one minute of humming and breathing. This always works for me. It taps into your parasympathetic nervous system—where the peace is inside—and calms down your hectic sympathetic nervous system.

- Wim Hof, The Wim Hof Method

It’s not all big breathing for Wim. He says to deal with stress, we can simply set a timer for one minute, breathe in deeply, and hum in any way we’d like during the exhalation. Repeat until the timer goes off. Easy and highly effective 👏

2. Moving from Self-Explanation to Self-Expression

In learning, self-explanation is a powerful tool. Explaining a topic in your own words makes you think deeply and discover what you really understand about it.

In breathing, self-expression is paramount. It’s less about words, and more about expressing concepts through you, in your unique way, to feel beyond the words.

So here’s to less explanation, and more expression, this week 🙏

3. Taste the Soup: Breathing as a Can-Opener for the Life Force

So how do you access the Life Force? You need tools. Imagine a can of soup. If you want to know what the soup tastes like, reading the side of the can won't help; you need to actually taste it. Unless you have the hand strength of a superhero, this is impossible without a can opener.

- Barry Michels and Phil Stutz, Coming Alive

Breathing exercises are like can openers for the life force all around us.

It’s fun to read the ingredients, but tasting the soup is even better 😊 🍲

4. The Most Valuable Resource to Our Species (plus a gratitude breathing meditation)

Oxygen, in fact, is the most valuable resource to our species. … Consider the last time you thought to yourself while taking a breath, ‘This is great! I have an abundance of the most valuable resource known to our species, and I don't even have to work that hard to get it.’”*

- Drs Jason Selk and Ellen Reed, Relentless Solution Focus

Try using that phrase next time you start a breathing practice, or anytime you need a break from all the negative mental chatter: “I have an abundance of the most valuable resource known to our species, and I don’t even have to work that hard to get it.” <— 👏👏👏


1 Quote

The breath is also our life force. No organ in the body can function without the supply of oxygen we get from the cycle of breathing in and breathing out.
— Bhante Henepola Gunarantana
 

1 Answer

Category: Positive Feelings

Answer: Positive feelings (such as awe & gratitude) occur more frequently and easily when this is higher, providing a physiological reason why slow breathing helps us have more positive emotions.

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

Question: What is respiratory sinus arrhythmia?


In good breath,

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

P.S. I have a headache

Breathing for Diabetes Online Course ($99):

If you love learning about breathing, want to live a healthier life, or just want to support my work, 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.


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.

 
 

The 5 Exhales, Spirit, and How One Word Makes Breath Holds Easier

 
 

Listen Instead of Reading


 
 
 

4 Thoughts


1. The 5 Exhales of Slow Breathing

Here are 5 different exhales you can try during your slow breathing practice. Give them a shot and see which one brings you the most relaxation.

  1. Nasal exhale

  2. Audible pursed-lips (like blowing out birthday candles)

  3. Barely audible pursed-lips (like blowing on hot soup)

  4. Ujjayi

  5. Humming

I do a mix of these depending on how I’m feeling, but my defaults are 1 and 3.

2. How Changing One Word Makes Breath Holds Easier

Instead of saying “hold” your breath, use (or think) the word “pause.”

Holding implies tension and effort. Pausing is natural and effortless.

It’s a subtle change, but it can make a significant difference.

***

P.S. This idea was inspired by Eddie Stern’s Pranayama Week. He used the word “pause” instead of hold several times, and I found it brilliant.

3. Why Mindless Breathing is Good, Part II

We now know that somewhere between 40% and 80% of what we do is done automatically … This is the exact strategy the brain uses to conserve energy, but especially if we've got the wrong habits, it can wreak havoc on our lives.

- Steven Kotler, The Art of Impossible

Coming back to last week’s thought on mindless breathing, here’s another way of looking at it: 40-80%(!) of what we do is automatic. And with breathing, it’s probably 96-99%, depending on how much you practice.

But this isn’t a bad thing—it’s actually a blessing we can put to good use.

If we’re diligent and consistent with our precious gift of breath control, a mindful 1-4% investment can pay dividends on the other unmindful 96+%.

Which comes back to the main point: The goal of mindful breathing is to improve our mindless breathing.

4. A Beautiful Message and NOSEvember

Breathwork is life changing. Whether reducing stress, controlling or eliminating disease symptoms, improving sleep, or even being a better person at work and at home. I truly believe that the breath is the key to unlocking our bodies abilities to heal themselves and perform at optimal capacity.

- Dr. Tanya Bentley, HHPF Co-Founder & CEO

A beautiful message from a beautiful human being. Check out NOSEvember and consider supporting HHPF’s phenomenal mission. 🙏

 
 

Extra Thought (minus the bi-annual rant)

We just had another time change. I’ll spare you my normal rant on how almost every sleep scientist on the planet thinks it’s awful to change the time twice a year. But alas, we still do it : )

And if you’ve read this a while, you know I decided to ignore the time change when we “sprung forward” in March (be the change you want to see style). I loved it, and I plan on doing the same again with this one, if life allows…


 
 

1 QUOTE

“It means that breath is the root of the essence and of the soul, the life source and the ruler of the spirit.”

- The Primordial Breath, Volume I

 
 

 
 

1 ANSWER

Category: Exhalation and Nasal Nitric Oxide

Answer: This exhalation technique can increase nasal nitric oxide by as much as 15-fold.

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

Question: What is humming?


In good breath,

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

P.S. The true test of longevity

 
 
 

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.

 
 

Breathing and COVID-19 (Plus 4.5 Ways to Increase Nitric Oxide)

 
Ordinary_Days.png
 
 

I’ve stated previously that nitric oxide (NO) is my favorite gas. Recently, the breathing community has jumped on it for its antiviral effects. The thought is that nasal NO could serve as our first line of defense against COVID-19.

While I see how that argument makes sense, I don’t think anyone really believes nasal breathing alone will stop COVID-19. Yes, it might help, but to think it will stop it completely is rather naive. So, please, wash your hands AND breathe through your nose :)

But none of that is the point of this week’s post. We know nitric oxide has amazing benefits (it’s still my favorite!). But what if your blood sugars are stopping you from realizing its full potential?

Vasorelaxation by Red Blood Cells and Impairment in Diabetes. Reduced Nitric Oxide and Oxygen Delivery by Glycated Hemoglobin

(Click Here to Read the Full Summary)

I uploaded this paper to The Breathing Diabetic on December 11, 2018! I knew it was important, but re-reading my notes emphasized just how meaningful this research is.

Here are the important points:

  • Diabetics suffer from a lack of bioavailable nitric oxide. Because bioavailable NO is critical for whole-body oxygenation, this could play a major role in diabetic complications.

  • High blood sugar changes the configuration and binding properties of blood proteins. This changes how they store NO, explaining the lack of bioavailable NO stated above.

The net outcome is that sustained high blood sugar reduces oxygen delivery to the tissues.

I think you can immediately see the importance of this finding. Luckily, there are things we can do to increase our nitric oxide and oxygenation.

1. Control Your Blood Sugars

No surprise here, but you need to get your blood sugars in range. Breathing can help (I might be a little biased…).

There is also a positive feedback loop that speeds up the process. Better blood sugars will increase bioavailable NO and enhance blood flow, which will lead to better oxygenation, which will improve insulin sensitivity, and so on.

2. Breathe Through Your Nose 24/7

The second thing you can do is start breathing through your nose 24/7. The paranasal sinuses continuously release NO into the airways. That NO travels into your lungs, redistributes blood flow, and improves oxygen uptake. Nasal breathing is an easy and proven way to increase NO and whole-body oxygenation.

3. Start Humming

Humming can significantly increase nitric oxide. I haven’t dug into the papers yet (they’re on my list), but people I trust, like Patrick McKeown, have.

I now do 7-8 minutes of humming before bed every night. I set my breathing app to 4 breaths/min and hum on the exhale. Despite making me feel silly, humming has a mind-calming effect that I enjoy before falling asleep.

4. Supplement with Beetroot Powder

Finally, you can supplement to increase NO. I am a novice here, but I have tried BeetElite by Human after hearing Tim Ferriss recommend it. It seemed to give me a slight boost of energy while I was sitting in the sauna (which is another way [#4.5] to increase nitric oxide, but I’ll leave that science to Rhonda Patrick). As with any supplement, make sure you have no contraindications before taking it.

In good breath,
Nick

P.S. If you want to learn more about breathing, nitric oxide, and COVID-19, Patrick McKeown is holding a free 20-minute Zoom meeting to discuss the topic.

Here are the details:

Topic: Breathing Exercises to help defend against CoVid19
Time: Mar 26, 2020 05:00 PM Dublin (1:00 PM EDT)
https://zoom.us/j/542438957
Meeting ID: 542 438 957

Learn more here: https://www.instagram.com/p/B-ANbRfgE_v/