methods

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4 Tiny Thoughts, 3 Ways to Success, and What the Buddha Lost

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Reading Time: 1 min 49 sec

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


4 THOUGHTS

1. One Reason Your Breathing Changes when You Observe It

“You might notice that as soon as you begin to observe your breath, it changes a little. Perhaps it gets a little longer, or fuller. That’s ok. It’s the nature of the observer and the observed, that whatever you observe responds to you, changes, or lets you know what it needs.”

– Eddie Stern, Healing Through Breathing

I’ve never been able to “observe my breath without changing it.” This is one of the best passages I’ve found on why that happens 🙏

2. Don’t Fake a Smile, Activate One

“I don’t like to think of this exercise as faking or forcing a smile, but rather as activating a smile. When we activate a smile, a neurological reaction takes place that lifts our mood and makes everything seem less foreboding.”

– Annabel Streets, 52 Ways to Walk

I love this reframing of ‘activating’ over ‘faking,’ which we can use across domains:

  • Activate a smile; don’t fake it.

  • Activate some slow breathing; don’t fake it.

  • Activate gratitude; don’t fake it.

It reminds us that these are natural states, literally hardwired into our bodies and minds for growth and restoration. We shouldn’t fake them; we should activate them.

3. The Buddha Gained ‘Nothing at All’ through Meditation

“Someone once asked the Buddha skeptically, ‘What have you gained through meditation?’

The Buddha replied, ‘Nothing at all.’

‘Then, Blessed One, what good is it?’

‘Let me tell you what I lost through meditation: sickness, anger, depression, insecurity, the burden of old age, the fear of death. That is the good of meditation…”

– Eknath Easwaran, The Dhammapada​

​

This is one of the biggest paradoxes of breathing and meditation practices. While we often focus on what we’ll get, the things we lose are usually most important. 🙏

4. Four Tiny Thoughts

1. Breathing exercises are like brain-canceling headphones.

2. By practicing mindfulness, you become a thought meteorologist.

3. Laughter is the only breathing exercise transcending age and cultural boundaries, present everywhere, appreciated by everyone.

4. It may sound paradoxical, but the point of a breathing practice is to no longer need a breathing practice.

1 Quote

“There are three ways to ultimate success:
The first way is to be kind.
The second way is to be kind.
The third way is to be kind.””
— Fred Rogers

1 Answer

Category: Nasal Breathing and Speech

Answer: This muscular organ helps maintain nasal breathing while also being critical to speech.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is the tongue?

In good breath,

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

P.S. me neither

Breath Practices and Wisdom Meditations for a Better Life

Timeless Wisdom and Modern Science to Help You Align What You Think, Say, and Do with the Person You Want to Become.

Get started today.

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.

 
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How Breathing Heals, Life’s Storms, and the Power of Love

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Reading Time: 1 min 38 sec

I hope the next 25’ish breaths are the most nourishing of your day.


4 THOUGHTS

1. Openings and Limitations

“Any framework, method, or label you impose on yourself is just as likely to be a limitation as an opening.”

– Rick Rubin, The Creative Act

Here’s an excellent idea to contemplate: Are you using any methods (with breathing or elsewhere) that may actually be serving as a limitation? Or, are there any areas of your life where adopting a new method might serve as an opening?

2. Weathering Life’s Storms Gracefully

“We can learn to say to life, ‘It doesn’t matter what you bring today. If you bring something pleasant, I will flourish; if you bring something unpleasant, I will still flourish.’…We can face whatever comes to us calmly and courageously, knowing we have the flexibility to weather any storm gracefully. This is living in freedom, the ultimate goal of training the mind.

– Eknath Easwaran, Conquest of Mind

And I’d say it’s also the ultimate goal of training the breath. By using our breath to increase the adaptability of our nervous system and mind, we learn to weather all of life’s storms more gracefully 🙏

3. How Slow, Conscious Breathing Heals

“What conscious breathing can do is…help shift our nervous system into what is called the healing response…Conscious breathing can enhance levels of sensitivity in our nervous system to handle and manage stress, and to support the restoration of balance. Conscious breathing can create enduring states of focus, presence, and mindful observation, so that life’s challenging situations do not completely highjack us, allowing a greater degree of control. While we cannot control life, we can learn to shape our response to it; conscious breathing is a valuable tool to support that.”

– Eddie Stern, Healing Through Breathing​

That sums it up nicely (and goes perfectly with Thought #2 above) 👏

4. A Good Laugh

As I like to say, laughter is the most therapeutic breathing exercise. Scroll through these breathing memes (sound on) to get your daily dose of healing 😊

1 Quote

“Laughter without love is cold and cruel. Laughter with love is joy and happiness.

Labour without love is drudgery. Labour with love is bliss.

Listening without love is empty sound. With love, it’s understanding.””
— Gladys McGarey, MD (103 years old)

1 Answer

Category: Spontaneous Breath Exercise

Answer: Although adults, babies, and animals do this spontaneously, we still don’t know precisely why we do it.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is yawn?

In good breath,

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

P.S. same tattoo, only bigger

How to Train (and change) Your Mind

Breathing exercises train your mind.

Wisdom meditations change your mind.

Used together, they help you discover who you are and become the person you want to be.

Get started today.

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.

 
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A Smile, Perfect Advice on Methods, and I Was Happy Until this Moment

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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 😊

Reading Time: 2 min 1 sec

I hope the next 30ish breaths are the most nourishing of your day.


4 THOUGHTS

1. Science of Breath: A Practical Guide

“There is no such thing as an involuntary system if the student learns to regulate the motion of the lungs. For by doing so, a vast portion of that system is brought under his voluntary control.”

– Swami Rama, Science of Breath

That is, in a nutshell, the science of breath. By controlling the breath, we gain control of involuntary processes (via our autonomic nervous system), giving us access to better physical, mental, and spiritual health 👏

***

P.S. Of course, there’s a lot more to the science of breathing. So, if you’re interested, I can’t recommend this book enough (I’m ashamed it’s taken me this long to read it). If you don’t have time to read all day, you can also sign up at BreathLearning.com to get my 6-page and 21-minute podcast summary of this one (and many others).

2. That’s a Smile of Enlightenment

“The moment you wake up, right away, you can smile. That’s a smile of enlightenment. You are aware that a new day is beginning, that life is offering you twenty-four brand-new hours to live, and that that’s the most precious of gifts.”

– Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace is Every Breath

I began doing this after reading the book, and it’s genuinely life-changing (even if it’s an awkward smile with my mouth tape, lol).

Try it tomorrow morning (or anytime, really) and see how you feel 🙏

3. Perfect Advice on Methods and Teachers

“While you practice a particular method, it can be helpful to believe that your technique—or your teacher or lineage or meditation center—is the best. You feel fortunate. This mobilizes energy and often inspires strong practice. But as you grow on the path, more ingenuity is called for. You have to become self-reliant and see what you need from moment to moment.”

- Larry Rosenberg, Three Steps to Awakening

This is so good. I love how Rosenberg acknowledges the power of believing your approach is the best…“This mobilizes energy and often inspires strong practice”…while simultaneously recognizing that it will eventually change 👏

I hope it helps you wherever you are on your path, too.

4. Our Intrinsic Wholeness is Still Here

“Wholeness and connectedness are what are most fundamental in our nature as living beings. No matter how many scars we carry from what we have gone through and suffered in the past, our intrinsic wholeness is still here…”

- Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D, Full Catastrophe Living

That is all 🙏

1 Quote

“It’s a mistake to think too much about the goal and to ask too often about it. I was happy on those hikes with my parents. ... Happy until the moment when I started asking how much farther it was.””
— Erling Kagge

1 Answer

Category: Cellular Respiration

Answer: This is defined as the volume of CO2 produced divided by the volume of O2 absorbed during cellular respiration.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is the respiratory quotient?

In good breath,

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


P.S. I will not be awkward today

Get Calm & Focused w/o Meditating

I take 1/2 a bottle of iCalm every morning, just before my first sip of coffee. It’s amazing.

In fact, although I don’t have much disposable income right now, I prioritize these each month because they’re so helpful.

If you’d like to try them, use the code NICK20 to get 20% off 🙏

Get the iCalm Relaxation Shot

 
 

* 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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How to Be Irreplaceable, Coffee or Breath, and the Most Important Study Yet

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4 Thoughts



1. Breathwork for Stress: The Most Important Paper To Date

“Research on breathwork could be likened to that of meditation, which received an unprecedented surge in scientific exploration two decades ago. We may be at a similar cusp with breathwork and anticipate considerable growth in the field.”

 - Nature Scientific Reports (2023)

 

IMHO, this is the most important breathing publication to date. Nothing is perfect, but this is a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials—basically the best scientific analysis that can be performed.

It’s a mind-blower…here are a few key takeaways:

  • Breathwork is as effective as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), meditation, mindfulness, and acceptance of emotions for reducing stress.

  • Breathwork is as effective as physical exercise for reducing anxiety and depression symptoms.

  • Whether breathwork is self-learned remotely, taught 1-on-1, or taught to a group doesn’t impact the above results.

I have a new Science 411 with all the details, if you’re interested. If you sign up, I highly recommend the 17-min podcast version because I add a lot of context, which is too much for written form.

2. A Humble Reminder for Thought 1

“Many ancient practices and rituals have been rejected by modern science, only to be resurrected from the grave by that same science!”

- Herbert Benson, MD, Relaxation Revolution

Let’s not forget that, although modern science is powerful, breathing exercises have something even more potent behind them: thousands of years of practice.

3. Coffee or Breathwork? Here’s My Lighthearted Take On It

“By replacing your morning coffee with breathwork, you can lose up to 87% of what little joy you still have left in your life.”

I’m late with this joke, but I recently saw that sentence (with green tea instead of breathwork), and I thought it was amazing.

Personally, I don’t plan on replacing my coffee with breathing. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with doing that; I just love coffee.

Instead, I think of my morning breathing as a no-sugar coffee creamer. It makes my coffee that much better, with no blood sugar spikes : )

4. A Tiny Thought On Methods (a play on a Thich Nhat Hanh quote)

Breathing methods come and go like clouds in the sky. Principles are my anchor.

Want to Become a Unique and Irreplaceable Breath Coach?

It takes just 30 minutes a week.

Here’s exactly how.

1 Quote

“Here, the need for healing was not synonymous with brokenness. It was part of life.””
— Lisa Miller, Ph.D.

1 Answer

Category: Alveoli

Answer: These holes allow communication between two adjacent alveoli.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What are the Pores of Kohn?

In good breath,

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


P.S. SECRETS TO SUCCESS

How Focus Words and Breathing Can Help You Relax and Heal

I recently wrote a guest blog for ResBiotic on focus words and breathing. It includes 7 steps for using the relaxation response in your life. Enjoy!

* 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.

 
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Diverse Tactics (part 2), Less Relaxation, and How to Feel Confident

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4 Thoughts



1. Less Relaxation, More Self-Regulation

“Many people believe that biofeedback is a way to learn to relax. While it is true that you can learn to relax using biofeedback, relaxation is not the main goal. The main goal is self-regulation, which means being able to activate your nervous system most optimally for action and being able to relax and recover after the action is complete.”

- Inna Khazan, Ph.D.

Biofeedback and Mindfulness in Everyday Life

The same is true for breathing without biofeedback. Of course, there are methods for relaxing (those are some of my favorites).

But, we’re ultimately learning to regulate our nervous systems so they work optimally for action, for real life. Then, we relax and recover afterward : )

2. “Rule 1: The actions of confidence come first; the feelings of confidence come later.”

“This is a key point. If we want to do anything with confidence—speak, paint, make love, play tennis, or socialize—then we have to do the work. We have to practice the necessary skills over and over, until they come naturally. If we don’t have adequate skills to do the things we want to do, we can’t expect to feel confident.”

- Dr. Russ Harris, The Confidence Gap

And if we want to feel confident we can breathe to self-regulate in any situation, we have to practice these skills over and over. Until they come naturally.

We could say: The action of breathing comes first; the good feelings and self-regulation come later.

***

P.S. We can also apply this concept to being consistent. There are plenty of days when I don’t feel like doing my breathing practice (yes, even The Breathing Diabetic has days where he doesn’t want to breathe 😂). But, I always just start. The action comes first; the motivation comes later.

3. Diverse Tactics Part 2: Breathing Hammers and Nails

“The integration of a wide variety of perspectives is necessary for a more complete understanding of the full depths of human potential, as too much focus on a single perspective runs the risk of giving a distorted view of human nature. As Maslow said, ‘I suppose it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail.’”

- Scott Barry Kaufman, Ph.D., Transcend

Building off last week, here’s another excellent reminder that we need a wide range of methods, in breathing and life, to become the best version of ourselves.

But specifically for the breath, if we only have one breathing hammer, we’ll assume every problem is a nail. Let’s be mixed-breathing artists instead : )

4. Our Lungs and the Possibilities of the World

“Our lungs developed to utilize oxygen and efficiently drive our metabolic reactions. We are aerobic creatures, and if the lungs are our most important organ, then oxygen is the most important gas in the atmosphere. […] With oxygen, the possibilities of the world opened up.”

- Michael J Stephen, MD, Breath Taking

Just an elegant reminder of how vital our lungs and oxygen are—they literally open the possibilities of the world to us 🙏


1 QUOTE

“The lung changes the breath…into food for the vital spirit.”

- Alessandro Benedetti (1497)

1 ANSWER

Category: Energy Production

Answer: Oxygen is vital because of its ability to generate ~18x more of these “energy molecules” than anaerobic fermentation.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What are adenosine triphosphate (ATP) molecules?

In good breath,

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

P.S how self-help authors get ideas for their next book

 
 

* 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.

 
 
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Values and Goals, Diverse Tactics, and 3 Shared Benefits of 15 Studies

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4 Thoughts



1. Presto, Instant Success: Breathing (and life) Values vs. Goals

“Values are ‘desired qualities of ongoing action.’ In other words, your values describe how you want to behave as a human being: how you want to act on an ongoing basis,

[…]

Goals are ‘desired outcomes.’ In other words, goals are what you want to get, complete, possess, or achieve. Goals are not ongoing. The moment you achieve a goal, you can tick it off the list;”

- Russ Harris, The Confidence Gap

This is a beautiful distinction between values and goals. And it highlights why we should focus on breathing values (nasal, quiet, deep, etc.) over goals.

Goals come and go, but values are always there. As Harris says, “in any moment, we can act on our values—yes, even if we’ve neglected them for years. Presto, instant success!”

Thus, anytime we act on our breathing values, no matter how long we’ve neglected them, we are instantly successful. So let’s do that, right now : )

2. Slow Breathing and Better Psychological Outcomes: 3 Shared Benefits of 15 Studies

After analyzing 15 studies, this systematic review found 3 common effects of slow breathing that were associated with positive mental outcomes:

  1. Improved heart rate variability

  2. Increased respiratory sinus arrhythmia

  3. Enhanced alpha and decreased theta brainwave activity

The Take-Home Message: Breathe slowly, enhance HRV & RSA, modify brainwave activity, and feel better.

3. Diverse Tactics: The Benefits of Learning Many Methods

“So why learn to breathe other ways? Well, imagine just strolling. You can get most places and enjoy the outdoors with that stroll. But what if you want to cover ground quickly? Then you run. Or you want to reach a high tree branch. Then you jump. … For special purposes we need to learn special patterns of breathing…that fit the challenge of the moment.” (my emphasis)

- Gurucharan Singh Khalsa, Ph.D., and Yogi Bhajan, Ph.D.,

Breathwalk

We don’t need any fancy breathing to optimize our health (quiet & nasal will do most of the work). But, as we’re reminded here, there are many ways we can use our breath for various tasks and to reach different states.

Remember, “For special purposes we need to learn special patterns of breathing…that fit the challenge of the moment.”

So here’s to keeping an open mind and learning a diverse set of methods so we can always match our breath to our challenge, mixed-breathing artist style.

4. Two More Tiny (but hopefully useful) Thoughts on Methods

  1. If you know only one breathing method, then you really know none; if you understand one breathing method, then you really know them all.

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


1 QUOTE

“No one can build you the bridge on which you, and only you, must cross the river of life. … There is one path in the world that none can walk but you. Where does it lead? Don’t ask, walk!”

- Friedrich Nietzsche

1 ANSWER

Category: Evolution

Answer: These are our most recent structure evolutionarily, developing roughly 350-400 million years ago.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What are the lungs?

In good breath,

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

P.S. & I think that’s where my anxiety started

 
 

* 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.

 
 

Wim Hof vs. Slow Breathing, and How to Start Something Meaningful

 
 

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4 Thoughts


1. How to Start Something Meaningful (hint: exhale)

“If you watch anyone on the verge of starting something that matters, you'll see them settle into the moment by taking a deep breath in and exhaling….It's the body rolling up its metaphorical sleeves and saying, ‘Okay.  It’s time. Let’s do this thing.’”*

- Michael Bungay Stanier, How to Begin

Starting something meaningful this year? Or just sending an important email or text? Roll up those metaphorical sleeves by taking a deep and relaxed breath in, and a relaxed and slightly longer breath out. “Let’s do this thing.”

2. Build Your Best Breathwork Practice

“You don’t have to build the habits everyone tells you to build. Choose the habit that best suits you, not the one that is most popular.”

- James Clear, Atomic Habits

Similarly:

You don’t have to use a breathing technique everyone tells you to use. Choose a method that best suits you, not the one that is most popular.

***

P.S. The next thought shows you why—two different methods, similar results.

3. Wim Hof “vs.” Slow Breathing, Part I: Indirect Comparison for Chronic Inflammation

A 2019 study looked at the full Wim Hof Method (breathing, cold, and meditation) in people with axial spondyloarthritis. They found that it reduced chronic inflammation, concluding:

“…our results are indicative that voluntary modulation of the immune response may not only be possible in acute inflammatory response due to microbial stimulation but also in chronic inflammation related to immune-mediated inflammatory diseases.”

A 2021 systematic review examined HRVB (aka slow breathing) in people with various chronic illnesses. They found evidence that there is an inverse relationship between inflammation and vagal nerve activity:

“…an increase in efferent vagal activity could suppress pro-inflammatory factors suggesting possible anti-inflammatory effects of HRVB.”

The point? Two wildly different approaches, two somewhat similar outcomes. It brings to mind the Chinese proverb, “There are many paths to the top of the mountain, but the view is always the same.” Choose which path is right for you.

***

P.S. I put quotations around “vs” because there’s no competition in breathing 😊Also, the word “indirect” in the title is critical. I’m being simplistic here and comparing apples to oranges, but I think the overall message is still helpful.

4. Operationalize Your Breathing Practice

“To make operational. To make ready for ‘live’ or ‘kinetic’ action.”

- Steven Pressfield

That’s Pressfield’s definition of “operationalize,” and it’s exactly what we need to do with our breathing. Make it ready for live action—for real life.

Of course, let’s use our practice as an escape into calmness, but let’s also remember to operationalize it so it’s useful in our everyday lives.

***

P.S. Everyday examples of how I operationalize breathing in my life:

  • Slow breathing while walking the dog.

  • Various slow and fast methods when I’m out surfing.

  • Slow, long exhales when my daughter throws a tantrum.

  • I’m not always successful with these, especially the last one : )

 
 
 
 

1 QUOTE

“Along the way of life, someone must have sense enough and morality enough to cut off the chain of hate. This can only be done by projecting the ethic of love to the center of our lives.”

- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

 
 
 
 

1 ANSWER

Category: Nose and Smell

Answer: Cells responsible for scent regenerate this frequently.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is 30-60 days?

In good breath,

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

P.S. when your only friend is busy

 
 
 

* 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.

 
 

22 One-Sentence Breathing Ideas for 2022

Let’s continue the tradition this year. Here are 22 one-sentence breathing ideas to kick off 2022. Enjoy!

***

Related: 21 One-Sentence Breathing Ideas for 2021

1. Demonstrations of breathing are small compared with the great thing that is hidden behind them. 

(Inspired by a Khalil Gibran Quote)

 

2. Breathing doesn’t heal you; it gives your body the environment it needs to heal itself.

 

3. We can be lost in breath, without knowing we have been breathing.

(Inspired by The Things You See Only When You Slow Down)

 

4. If you know only one breathing method, then you really know none; if you understand one breathing method, then you really know them all.

 

5. Breathing is the most direct path to practicing philosophy in our lives.

 

6. If breath is life, then optimal breathing is optimal living.

 

7. Science is timely; personal experience is timeless.

 

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

 

9. What one teacher says is essential, another will say is useless.

 

10. Breathing is a pair of leather shoes for life.

(Idea from The Tibetan Yoga of Breath)

 

11. The most practical tip for breathing is this: make it quiet and subtle. 

 

12. To breathe in a “quiet and subtle way” takes deliberate practice—effort leads to effortlessness.

 

13. Breathing may be my 70% solution but only your 20% solution.

 

14. Breathe less, sometimes more; breathe slow, sometimes fast.

 

15. We breathe through each nostril separately so they function better together as a whole.

 

16. Read about breathing but, most importantly, embody that education through practice.

 

17. Start by starting; one minute is always better than none-minutes.

 

18. A simple rule for getting started: 40% of your breath should be inhaling, 60% should be exhaling.

 

19. Holding implies tension and effort; pausing is natural and effortless.

 

20. Breath and mind are inseparable: This means you can use your breath, to change your mind, to change your breath for the better.

(A play on this line from Neurodharma: “Neurons that fire together, wire together. This means that you can use your mind, to change your brain, to change your mind for the better.”)

 

21. The goal of a breathing practice is better mindless breathing.

 

22. The joy of breathwork is breathing.

How Bruce Lee Sees Methods, Full Lotus, and the Beauty of Red Blood Cells

 
 

Listen Instead of Reading

 

This week, you'll learn how to become a mixed breathing artist, learn a decade-old idea still relevant today, and take a look into Wim Hof’s mirror.

Enjoy!

 
 
 
 

4 Thoughts


1. On Bruce Lee, “Methods,” and Becoming Mixed Breathing Artists

“The individual is of first importance, not the system. Remember that man created method and not that method created man, and do not strain yourself in twisting into someone’s preconceived pattern, which unquestionably would be appropriate for him, but not necessarily for you.”

- Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts

I think we can safely say Bruce Lee would be against using any one breathing “method.” He didn’t even believe there were different forms of fighting.

In fact, many consider Lee to be the original Mixed Martial Artist. Let’s follow his lead and become the first Mixed Breathing Artists.

That means we become both methodical and flexible. We focus on science and self-expression. We don’t strain ourselves to fit into a specific method; instead, we use what’s appropriate for a given situation.

Here’s to using the mixed breathing arts to conquer life’s challenges, today.

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Related Quote: “Any technique, however worthy and desirable, becomes a disease when the mind is obsessed with it.” - Bruce Lee

Another: “The more complicated and restricted the method, the lesser the opportunity for the expression of one’s original sense of freedom.” - Bruce Lee

2. What Full Lotus Can Teach Us About Breathing

“Years after I had mastered the full Lotus, another teacher walked by while I was sitting, tapped on my shoulder, and gestured toward my full Lotus: ‘That is the whole problem for you.’ ”

- Larry Rosenberg, Breath by Breath

This is one of my new favorite stories. Larry Rosenberg had a teacher who thought sitting in full Lotus was essential. So, he practiced diligently and deliberately for 10 years. Finally, he could sit comfortably in it.

Then, a few years later, a different teacher saw him sitting in Lotus and told him, “That is the whole problem for you.” What one teacher said was essential, another said was his problem. His Lotus was perfect; that wasn’t the issue. It was his obvious attachment to it.

The lesson for us is that we cannot attach ourselves to any one approach to breathing (just like Bruce Lee didn’t attach himself to any single martial art).

Of course, we need to be grounded in science-based principles. But remember to be open. The method you’ve perfected might be the one that’s holding you back the most.

3. From NPR: “Just Breathe: Body Has A Built-In Stress Reliever”

“The breath isn't something Western medicine should blow off. It's a powerful tool for influencing individual health and well-being. And the best part is all the ingredients are free and literally right under your nose.”

- NPR, Just Breathe: Body Has a Built-In Stress Reliever

NPR published this article over a decade ago, but it’s still relevant today. Check it out to learn how we can use slow and fast breathing to stimulate the nervous system, and how slow breathing might change gene expression.

Enjoy the quick read!

4. The Beauty of Red Blood Cells

“These experiments revealed a novel activity of the RBC [red blood cell]: the RBC regulates its own principal function—that is, O2 delivery.”

- Extrapulmonary Effects of Inhaled Nitric Oxide

There are about 1 billion oxygen molecules on each of the trillions of red blood cells in your body. That’s a lot of oxygen. As the red blood cells circulate, they deliver this oxygen where it is needed most.

And as it turns out, the red blood cells themselves help regulate this process. Specifically, when they sense areas of low oxygen, they release a bioactive form of nitric oxide. This expands the vessels, which allows more blood flow and, ultimately, more oxygen delivery. It’s quite complex, and quite beautiful.

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Related: Nitric oxide carried by the red blood cells is essential for blood flow regulation and whole-body oxygenation

 
 
 
 

1 Quote

“In this way, the breath is like a mirror that shows you the state you are in.”

- Wim Hof

 
 
 
 

1 Answer

Category: Oxygen in Your Body

Answer: In terms of atoms, oxygen makes up this percent of total body mass.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is 65%?

In good breath,

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

P.S. we should do this more often!

 
 
 

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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.