Listen Instead of Reading
4 Thoughts
1. Demonstrations of Breathing & Love
“Demonstrations of love are small, compared with the great thing that is hidden behind them.”
Call it what you’d like, prana, qi, & so on, but the same is true: Demonstrations of breathing are small compared with the great thing that is hidden behind them.
2. Breathing for Diabetes: 4 Years in 4 Bullet Points
Based on about 4 years of research and self-practice, the 4 key ways that regular breathing practices help diabetes are by:
Improving autonomic balance and reversing autonomic dysfunction
Reducing blood pressure and improving cardiovascular function
3. Breathing for (non) Diabetics: “Raising Our Heads Above the Clouds”
“But many of the same interventions that can help us get our heads above water can just as effectively be devoted to raising our heads above the clouds.”
- Steven Kotler and Jamie Wheal, Stealing Fire
This is unquestionably true for breathing. Although everything I read, practice, and share is focused on keeping my “head above the water” as a diabetic, they can also “raise your head above the clouds” if you’re not diabetic.
Interesting side note: it’s typically broken people that find supplemental modalities like breathing—I guess because we need them the most : ) But if you’re not broken, all the benefits of breathing will be even more helpful.
So here’s to using our breathing to stay afloat, or rise above the clouds, today.
4. The Buddha, 20 Years after Enlightenment
Did you know that the Buddha was still meditating 20 years after his enlightenment? (I guess it never ends, folks 😄)
What kind of meditation, you might wonder? “Mindfulness of breathing.”
Extra Thought: Take High Altitude Yoga Alongside Me One Last Time
My wife is moving on to a new yoga adventure 🎉. But, she’ll be teaching the High Altitude Yoga class we designed together one last time.
The class incorporates slow breathing, breath holds, and yoga into a challenging but fun 45-min flow.
It’s $8 and happening tomorrow morning (Tuesday, Dec 14) at 6:15 a.m. EST. I’ll be there, and I hope you’ll join me in taking it!
1 QUOTE
“Relaxing the breath, breathe in. Relaxing the breath, breathe out. Then joy arises naturally.”
- Bhante Gunarantana
1 ANSWER
Category: The Diaphragm
Answer: This organ rests on the top of the diaphragm.
…
(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)
…
Question: What is the heart?
P.S. This was inspired by Jill Miller’s amazing line: “Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Which is of course, my diaphragm.” (Makes me laugh every time.)
In good breath,
Nick Heath, T1D, PhD
“Breathing is the compound interest of health & wellness.”
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.