Batch 9

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Laugh More, Buddha’s Breathwork, and How to Find Inner Silence

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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 😊

Reading Time: 1 min 51 sec

I hope the next 28ish breaths are the most nourishing of your day.


4 THOUGHTS

1. Laugh More: Laughing Reduces Cortisol by More than 30%

“These analyses demonstrated the potential therapeutic role of laughter-inducing interventions as a complementary strategy to improve everyone’s well-being and highlight the need for further research aiming to improve our collective sense of humor.”

– Kramer and Leitao (2023)

How’s that for the best quote ever published in a science article?

This recent meta-analysis analyzed 8 studies and found that spontaneous laughter reduced cortisol by 31.9%, making it a potentially powerful tool for improving wellness.

It certainly corroborates our saying: The best and most therapeutic form of mouth breathing is laughter 😊

***

P.S. Sign up at BreathLearning.com to get my 4-page and 12 min 39 sec podcast summary of this one, which includes three ways to incorporate more laughter into your day using Spotify, funny videos, and Instagram.

2. Did the Buddha Do Breathwork?

Yes he did, apparently. But then he gave it up:

“After his enlightenment, the Buddha described how he had previously practiced extreme self-discipline by manipulating his breath in arcane and special ways. But he discovered that he could not get rid of impurities by holding his breath or altering his breathing. So he gave up breath-control exercises and followed his own middle way.” - Bhante Gunaratana

And what was that middle way? Mindfulness of breathing. It’s what ultimately led the Buddha to enlightenment.

It gives me hope that one day I’ll give up breathing exercises and reach enlightenment, too 😂 😂 😂

3. How to Find Your Inner Silence

“I believe it’s possible for everyone to discover this silence within themselves. It is there all the time, even when we are surrounded by constant noise. Deep down in the ocean, below the waves and ripples, you can find your internal silence.”

– Erling Kagge, Silence in the Age of Noise

One way to find that silence is to breathe deep down into your belly, below the restlessness of your noisy mind. There, you’ll discover your ever-present and always accessible internal silence.

***

P.S. Thanks to Dr. M. for recommending this incredible book 🙏

4. The Gravity of Breathing

With consistent practice, the breath creates its own gravity, naturally pulling your attention toward it in every situation.

1 Quote

“To control the breathing is to control the mind. With different patterns of breathing, you can fall in love, you can hate someone, you can feel the whole spectrum of feelings just by changing your breathing.””
— Marina Abramovic

1 Answer

Category: Lung Measurement

Answer: This is generally a measure of the lungs’ ability to expand due to changes in their pressure.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is pulmonary compliance?

In good breath,

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


P.S. what makes us human

Work with Me

Or, create your own relaxation with iCalm (use discount code NICK20).

* 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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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 😊

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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Is this Amazing or Dangerous, Longevity, and How to Create More Time

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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. Yoga Breathing, Meditation, and Longevity

“By inducing stress resilience, breath work enables us to rapidly and compassionately relieve many forms of suffering.”

– Brown and Gerbarg (2009)

Here’s my take-home from this excellent narrative review 👏

Yogic breathing and meditation are complementary practices that may enhance longevity by improving nervous system health and stress resiliency, boosting emotional health, enhancing brain health, and reducing suffering associated with disasters.

***

P.S. Sign up at BreathLearning.com to get the PDF & podcast summaries for this one, and tons of other science articles & books.

2. Amazing or Dangerous? Mindful Breathing Preserves Focus After Multitasking

I’m not sure if this finding is (1) just amazing or (2) potentially dangerous, lol. But it’s too neat not to share 😊

“For instance, research at Stanford University found that if you are focused on an important project and then stop to answer a text or email, and end up browsing the web, when you finally return to your important project your focus has dimmed. It takes you some time to ramp up your concentration to the previous level. Unless you did ten minutes of mindfulness of your breath a couple of times that day—then you have little or no loss of concentration after ‘multitasking.’”

– Daniel Goleman, Ph.D., Why We Meditate

3. Affecting Deep Physical and Psychological Changes

“As the breath is the link between the body and mind, it can intervene in the activities of either level. With increased awareness and control of the subtle aspects of breathing, these interventions can affect deep physical and psychological changes.”

- John Clarke, MD, Science of Breath

Just a compelling reminder of how powerful breathing exercises and simple mindful breath awareness are. Because the breath literally and metaphorically links the body and mind, such interventions “can affect deep physical and psychological changes.” 👏

4. Don’t Have Time to Breathe or Meditate? (maybe this passage will be inspiring)

“It is a truth universally acknowledged that one saves time travelling only two hours from one point to another instead of spending eight hours on the same journey. While this holds up mathematically, my experience is the opposite: time passes more quickly when I increase the speed of travel. My speed and time accelerate in parallel. It is as if the duration of a single hour becomes less than a clock-hour. When I am in a rush, I hardly pay attention to anything at all.”

- Erling Kagge, Walking: One Step at a Time

Although this passage is about travel and walking, it applies perfectly to breathing or meditation.

By taking time out of your already busy morning to meditate or breathe, you actually create more time because you slow things down.

So, instead of thinking, “I don’t have time to do this,” think, “I create time by doing this.”

1 Quote

“Sometimes, you get lucky in life, when the most important thing you need to do turns out to also be the simplest. One example is breathing. Breathing is the most important thing we need to do in our lives, and for most of us, it is also the easiest thing we ever do. If you belong to the population of people who can breathe effortlessly, you are so lucky!””
— Chade-Meng Tan

1 Answer

Category: Nasal Drainage

Answer: These eventually go down the nasolacrimal duct, draining into your nose, often causing people to need a tissue.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What are tears?

In good breath,

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


P.S. so true

I Take 1/2 Bottle Every Morning

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

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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HIIB?, a Trick for Being Present, and Becoming More Joyous

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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. High-Intensity Interval…Breathing?

Here’s why we should add intensity of intention to mindful breathing:

“[T]he more intensely you are attending to the present moment, the more temporary freedom you gain from regrets about the past and worries about the future. Furthermore, the more intensely you practice, the longer the benefits linger after the practice.”

- Chade-Meng Tan, Joy On Demand

So, the more intensely you focus on the breath, the greater joy you experience, and the longer the benefits linger. Sounds good to me.

Practically, one way of doing this is through what we might jokingly call High-Intensity Interval Breathing: Instead of a continuous 20-minute mindful breathing session, break it into four “intense” 4-minute sessions, with a 1-minute break between each.

Give it a try and see if you like it 🙏

2. Make a Good First Impression

“You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”

– Will Rogers

Each morning, when we wake up, we meet a new day. We can make a good first impression by doing our breathing practice first thing.

The day will like you more (and treat you kinder).

***

P.S. Aim for consistency: Each day you meet is different, and today doesn’t remember yesterday’s introduction 😊

3. Picturing Trampolines: A Trick for Staying Present

Here’s a trick the staff psychologist for British Rowing offered in the 2003 World Championships to help the rowers focus on the process instead of the outcome:

“The rowers were instructed to picture a trampoline at the finish line, tipped onto its side so that any thought of theirs that jumped ahead to the outcome would bounce back to the present moment. They bought into it and it worked.”

– Matt Fitzgerald, The Comeback Quotient

That seems like it would be a helpful visualization in all of life 👏

4. Becoming More Present, Joyous, and Warm-Hearted

“The benefits of quieting the mind include becoming more calm and clear. But resting in pure awareness goes a step beyond this sense of quiet. Richard Davidson, who studied the brains of highly advanced yogis who had attained this level, tells me that he had never met any group of people so present, joyous, and warm-hearted.”

- Daniel Goleman, Why We Meditate

In my opinion, that last sentence answers the book title: We meditate (or do breathing, yoga, etc.) to become more present, joyous, and warm-hearted.

1 Quote

“I can only meditate when I am walking, when I stop I cease to think; my mind only works with my legs.””
— Jean-Jacques Rousseau

1 Answer

Category: Stress Hormones

Answer: This “breathing exercise” has been shown to significantly reduce cortisol, one of the primary stress hormones.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is laughter?

Don’t forget to get your dose today : )

In good breath,

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


P.S. Meditation in a nutshell

Try iCalm 20% Off

iCalm is a relaxation shot with just 4 ingredients: Taurine, L-Theanine, Lemon Balm Extract, and GABA. I absolutely love them.

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 Gratitude Works, Fast Breathing, and Coming Home in a Loving Way

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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. Mindful Breath Awareness Improves Impulsivity and Brain Dynamics

“In sum, we show that a relatively short period of mindfulness practice…significantly changes brain dynamics related to the internal monitoring of response conflicts and related errors.”

– Pozuelos et al. (2019)

Using cognitive tests and EEG, this study found that practicing mindful breath awareness for 17 minutes, five days a week, for three weeks improved impulse control and brain dynamics related to metacognition.

As the authors say, “These findings contribute to clarifying the mechanisms through which mindfulness meditation practice promotes positive outcomes.” 👏👏👏

2. That’s How Gratitude Works…

“That’s how gratitude works, transforming not reality itself but how reality is seen.”

– Matt Fitzgerald, The Comeback Quotient

If you’ve ever finished a mindful, slow breathing practice (or any contemplative practice) and noticed that everything around you seems more peaceful and beautiful, this is why.

These practices naturally cultivate gratitude, which doesn’t change reality, but how reality is seen.

3. Fast Walking as a Breathing Metaphor

Two questions for you:

  1. Have you ever walked really fast to catch a flight?

  2. Have you ever walked fast just as exercise?

The first creates stress and anxiety.

The second creates attainment and flow.

Same process, different outcome.

That’s what deliberate versus unconscious fast breathing is like.

If you’re doing it purposefully and safely as an exercise, it can be beneficial (and even life-changing for some).

But if you’re doing it unconsciously or to “get somewhere fast,” it’ll have the opposite effect.

4. The Only Thing that Works for Improving Attention

“You cannot simply decide to pay attention ‘better.’ No matter how much I tell you about how attention works and why, and no matter how motivated you are, the way your brain pays attention cannot be fundamentally altered by sheer force of will…Instead, we need to train our brains to work differently. And the exciting news is: at long last, we’ve actually figured out how.”

- Amishi Jha, Ph.D., Peak Mind

And what did they figure out works? Mindfulness of breathing. As she says, “mindfulness training was the only brain-training tool that consistently worked to strengthen attention across our studies.”

1 Quote

“Breath is your means of bringing yourself back home to your body in the most loving way, to tailor your connections to yourself so that you feel less fractured and fragmented and more solid and whole.””
— Jill Miller

P.S. This came from Jill’s new book, Body by Breath.

1 Answer

Category: Meta-Awareness

Answer: The ability to monitor your actions and progress toward a predefined goal is known as this metacognitive skill.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is response monitoring?

In good breath,

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


P.S. Can’t sleep. Let’s see if this works

Try iCalm 20% Off

iCalm is a relaxation shot with just 4 ingredients: Taurine, L-Theanine, Lemon Balm Extract, and GABA. I absolutely love them.

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.

 
,

Element of Choice, Less Effort, and Focus on Enjoyment for Better Results

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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. Focus On Enjoyment (but only if you want better results)

“Literally anything you can do to augment your enjoyment of training will facilitate a process focus and lead to better performance. If you will enjoy a given workout more in location A than in location B, you'll get more out of it in location A. If you will enjoy a workout more with training partner C than with training partner D, you'll get more out of it with training partner C. If you will enjoy a given workout more with music than without, you'll get more out of the workout with music. And so on.”

- Matt Fitzgerald, The Comeback Quotient

I think this applies to our breathing, mindfulness, or any contemplative training: focus on enjoyment, and you’ll get way more out of it.

2. Jimi Hendrix and Breath Awareness

I bet when Jimi Hendrix picked up his guitar, it changed his whole demeanor.  Just holding it likely put him in a different state.

That’s what breath awareness is like. 

Sure, we can breathe in specific ways to tune our minds for certain thoughts or our bodies for certain states.  But just noticing your breath immediately transforms you, like a musician holding their instrument.

So even if you don't change it, make sure you at least “pick up” your breathing several times today 🙏

3. Less Perceived Effort: Slow Breathing Helps with Both Layers

“Perceived effort actually has two layers. The first layer is how the athlete feels. The second layer is how the athlete feels about how she feels. The first layer is strictly physiological, whereas the second is emotional, or affective.”

- Matt Fitzgerald, How Bad Do You Want It?

This passage pertains to sports, but it applies perfectly to perceived effort in life in general. And slow breathing helps with both layers:

  • First Layer: Slow breathing improves how you feel by reducing physiological stress (cortisol, sympathetic activity, brain waves).

  • Second Layer: Slow breathing helps you feel better about how you feel by improving your emotional health.

So practice some mindful, slow breathing and watch your perceived effort in everyday tasks go down, allowing you to live a better life.

***

P.S. If you want to learn more about breathing for better emotional health, consider signing up for my 4-week course starting Aug 20th.

4. Element of Choice: Meditation’s Benefits for Your Whole Life

“If I had to say in one or two sentences what the benefits of meditation were for your whole life—for your emotional life in particular—it is that meditative practice helps introduce the element of choice. … We cannot necessarily control what the outside world offers us, but we can control how we respond to it. That is the element of choice, and choice creates freedom.”

- Erika Rosenberg, Ph.D., The Healing Power of Meditation

I have nothing to add but a few of these 👏👏👏

1 Quote

“It takes only two seconds, three seconds, to breathe in, to bring mind home to your body. And there, mind and body together, we are established in the here and the now, and you get in touch with the wonders of life, the Kingdom of God.””
— Thich Nhat Hanh

P.S. This was transcribed from this wonderful 58-sec clip.

1 Answer

Category: Meditation Retreat

Answer: Participating in a meditation retreat has been shown to positively impact this metric, representing an increase in well-being, mindfulness, empathy, and ego resiliency and a decrease in depression, anxiety, neuroticism, and difficulties in emotion regulation.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is adaptive functioning?

P.S. I found this in The Healing Power of Meditation.

In good breath,

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


P.S. POV: you’re a certified people pleaser

Try iCalm 20% Off

iCalm is a relaxation shot with just 4 ingredients: Taurine, L-Theanine, Lemon Balm Extract, and GABA. I absolutely love them.

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.

 
,

Finding Answers Within, Tree Tops, and How to Breathe for Joy

,

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. How to Breathe for Joy

“To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration that the alteration of respiration is sufficient to induce emotion.”

- Respiratory Feedback in the Generation of Emotion

This groundbreaking study (21 years ago 😊) was the first to find that breathing in specific ways can induce the corresponding emotional state. Meaning we can change our breath to change how we feel.

For example, to elicit joy, they told participants to “Breathe and exhale slowly and deeply through the nose; your breathing is very regular and your ribcage relaxed.”

Try it for ~2 minutes and see how you feel 🙏

***

P.S. If you want to learn more about breathing & emotions, sign up for my upcoming 4-week course, Breathing for Better Mental & Emotional Health: Click Here to Learn More

2. Finding Answers to Life’s Most Pressing Questions

“An athlete gets herself into trouble when, instead of listening to her body and its intuitions, she begins to worry about what her competitors are doing and tries to “outwork” them. The answers to the most pressing questions that athletes face in their day-to-day quest for improvement (“Should I push? Should I back off?”) lie within them.”

– Matt Fitzgerald, How Bad Do You Want It?

I believe this idea applies to all of life, not just athletics: Nine times out of ten, the answers to the most pressing questions we face in our quest for continuous improvement lie within us.

3. How to Deal with Life’s Storms (according to Thich Nhat Hanh)

“When a storm comes up in you, get out of the treetop and go down to the trunk for safety. Your roots start down at your abdomen, slightly below the navel…Put all your attention on that part of your belly, and breathe deeply. Don’t think about anything, and you’ll be safe while the storm of emotions is blowing. Practice this every day for just five minutes, and after three weeks, you’ll be able to handle your emotions successfully whenever they rise up.”

- Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace is Every Breath

I love this analogy. The next time we’re dealing with an emotional storm, we’ll be wise to remember to “get out of the treetop and go down to the trunk for safety.” 👏👏👏

4. Your Breathing Style Determines Your Stability in All of Life

“The larger point is that someone’s breathing style gives us insight into their broader stability strategy, the set of patterns that they have evolved over the years to help them get by in the physical world. All of us have these strategies and 95% of the time…they work fine. But once you add different stressors…those strategies, those instinctive physical reactions, can create problems. And if our respiration is also taxed, those other problems will be magnified.”*

– Peter Attia, MD, Outlive

Although Dr. Attia is discussing the role of breathing for physical stability, isn’t it amazing that this idea is equally applicable to mental, emotional, and spiritual steadiness too?

Our breathing style determines our stability in all of life.

1 Quote

“By consciously slowing down the breath and making it rhythmic so that consciousness is not disturbed by it, we can achieve corresponding tranquility.””
— Hiroshi Motoyama

P.S. I found that great quote here.

1 Answer

Category: Breathing & Emotions

Answer: Nasal breathing stimulates this part of the brain, which communicates with emotional areas like the amygdala and hippocampus.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is the olfactory bulb?

In good breath,

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


P.S. here’s my go to lazy meal

Get iCalm 20% Off

Try out the iCalm Relaxation Shot. It’s a perfect modern complement to our contemplative practices 🙏

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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Better Mental Health, Letting Go with Gratitude, and Is This Healing?

,

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. Breathing for Better Mental and Emotional Health


“The information presented is interesting and inspiring. The power of conscious breathing can't be overstated. I've benefited physically, mentally and spiritually from taking this course.”

– Tina Gilbertson (May 2023 Class)


A reminder that I’ll be running a 4-week Breathing for Better Mental & Emotional Health Course starting August 20th (session recordings available for those who can’t attend live).

In addition to the positive anecdotal feedback I received, the May 2023 class achieved a 35% reduction in stress:

 
 


The Three Skills You’ll Learn:

  1. Mindful Breath Awareness (Week 1)

  2. Mindful Slow Breathing (Weeks 2 & 3; Week 3 is my favorite)

  3. Remembered Wellness & Wholeness (Week 4)

You can sign up for just $195 before 11:59 p.m. EST on August 4th.

I hope you’ll consider joining 🙏

Click Here to Learn More and Enroll

(Use discount code EARLY100 if it’s not already applied.)

2. Mindfulness and The Everlasting Audience Effect

The Audience Effect: ‘The effect of passive onlookers or spectators on an individual's task performance.’

I think we could argue that mindfulness creates an everlasting audience effect of one. And it always changes your behavior for the best, because the one onlooker is the most important of all: you.

3. Your Seatbelt for Everyday Life

“It’s like when you’re flying in an airplane. Whenever severe turbulence comes along, the seatbelt keeps you from getting thrown around the cabin. Mindful breathing is your seatbelt in everyday life—it keeps you safe here in the present moment.”

- Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace is Every Breath

Experiencing any turbulence in your life?

(Of course you are, you’re human 😊)

Just remember: “Mindful breathing is your seatbelt in everyday life—it keeps you safe here in the present moment.” < — 👏👏👏

4. Something That Helped Me Tremendously This Week

What Helped: Letting go while cultivating gratitude.

This was inspired by How Bad Do You Want It?, which I read and immediately re-read because it was so good.

A lesson I took from it was that the greatest athletes learn to let go of winning and instead experience gratitude for being able to compete in their chosen sport. (Paradoxically, this is how they end up winning.)

Of course, we’re all endurance athletes in the sport of life, so we can use this approach as well. I’ve consciously adopted it in two practices:

  1. While doing my morning walks

  2. While doing my morning breathing

If you feel so inspired, try it out in any activity you do:

  1. Let go of winning or any desired outcome you have.

  2. Cultivate gratitude that you’re able to perform the action.

1 Quote

“What if learning how to inhabit silence and stillness and awareness—especially when you do so with kindness, with patience, and with self-compassion—is itself healing?””
— Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D.

1 Answer

Category: Stress Hormones

Answer: Consistent practice of diaphragmatic breathing has been shown to reduce levels of this primary stress hormone.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is cortisol?

In good breath,

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


P.S. Since I didn’t win the Mega Millions…

Get iCalm 20% Off

Try out the iCalm Relaxation Shot. It’s a perfect modern complement to our contemplative practices 🙏

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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Two Simple Things, a Better Brain, and You Already Knew This, But…

,

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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 😊

4 THOUGHTS


1. A Better Brain: Mindful Breathing Improves Cognition and Neural Efficiency

“It is intriguing that a mental exercise that ‘merely’ entails the voluntary focus on a simple object, such as the sensation of one’s own breath, combined with a non-reactive and accepting awareness of concurrently arising mental phenomena, can have far-reaching effects on cognitive functions.”

- Nature Scientific Reports (2018)

This study found that the brief (but consistent) practice of mindful breathing improves our attention, our ability to resist distractions, and the efficiency of neural networks responsible for these processes.

Those benefits are a superpower in today’s world 👏

***

P.S. Here are two videos you can use to try mindful breathing:

Breathing Meditation | UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center

Five Minute Mindful Breathing

2. How Much Should Your Mind Wander during Mindful Breathing?

Speaking of mindful breathing, I just read this Q&A in Light Watkins’ new book, Travel Light, and thought it was an amazing reframe of mind-wandering. I hope you find it helpful too:

“What percentage of time should my mind wander in meditation?

One hundred percent of the time. Trying to stop your mind from wandering in meditation is as futile as trying to stop your heart from beating by thinking, “Don't beat!" over and over. It's going to keep wandering, and therefore it's best to just shift your attitude about it from antagonistic to friendly. In other words, never chastise your mind for thinking. Instead, if you practice celebrating your wandering mind, it will become more settled more often.”

3. You Already Knew This, But…

Peter Attia, MD, discussing techniques he uses for his emotional health in Outlive:

“Another technique I have grown very fond of is slow, deep breathing: four seconds to inhale, six seconds to exhale. Repeat. As the breath goes, the nervous system follows.”

You already knew this by now, but I’m sharing it to highlight how breathing spans genres. Whether it’s MD science or deep spirituality, it all comes back to the same basics: 4 sec in, 6 sec out, repeat.

The breath leads, the nervous system follows.

4. Two Simple Things We Should Do Every Day for Our Heart & Mind

  1. Observe One Breath: This brings us back to the present, is relaxing, and cultivates “meta-awareness.”

  2. Change One Breath: Lengthen your inhale and exhale to feel the instantly calming power of slow breathing.

Extra: Nick the Skateboarder (plus meditation in a bottle part 2)

When I was a kid, all I did was skateboard. It consumed every inch of my life. I dreamed of being sponsored by the companies I loved.

Well, that never happened, lol. But today, I have a chance to do something kind of similar with breathing.

Two weeks ago, I mentioned that I love iCalm’s product and mission. I was given the opportunity to be an affiliate. Although it’s not the same as being sponsored, it’s the closest thing I can do in my current life to provide value to you (and to make younger Nick proud, lol).

So, if you want to try it out, use the code NICK20 to get 20% off.

Get the iCalm Relaxation Shot

1 Quote

“The breathing will seamlessly bring you back to the natural mental and emotional flexibility you had as a child, but with the direction and purpose you have as an adult.””
— Richard Brown, MD, and Patricia Gerbarg, MD

1 Answer

Category: Attention

Answer: This theory suggests that time in nature may be able to improve our ability to focus and concentrate.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is Attention Restoration Theory?

In good breath,

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


P.S. Where is my support group

* 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 Helpful Breathing Tip, Two Ways, and How to Build a Stronger Mind

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4 THOUGHTS


1. The Most Helpful Breathing Tip I’ve Found (it’s embarrassingly cliché & simple)

Don’t take ten breaths. Take one breath, ten times.

Don’t do 5 minutes of breathing. Consciously take one breath, over and over, until your 5-minute timer goes off.

Sounds silly, but it works 👏

2. How to Build a Stronger Mind

In Peak Mind, Dr. Jha describes a “mindfulness push-up” as the following:

  1. You shine your attention on your breath.

  2. Your mind wanders, and you notice it.

  3. You redirect your mind to your breath.

“This is what we might call the ‘push-up’ of a mindfulness breathing exercise.”

I love this analogy because it conveys the most crucial aspect of mindfulness: Just like repeated physical push-ups make our muscles stronger, repeated “mindfulness push-ups” make our minds stronger.

Meaning we need our minds to wander so we can notice it and come back to the breath. It’s how our minds get stronger.

3. Breathing Must Be Practiced Not Just in Solitude

“Spirituality must be practiced not just in solitude but also among people. Open up to people around you and feel connected. This is the true challenge of spiritual practice.”

- Haemin Sunim, The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down

The same is true for our breathing (or any contemplative) practice. It must be performed not only in solitude, but in real life:

  • How we do (or do not) reply to comments on social media is our practice.

  • How we do (or do not) reply to emails that provoke us is our practice.

  • How we do (or do not) interact with friends & family is our practice.

  • And on and on for every aspect of our lives…

So, this is the true challenge: To use our favorite contemplative practice to fundamentally change who we are and how we interact with the world for the better.

4. Two Ways to Keep Your Practice Interesting

  1. Switch up your routine or exercises every 15-30 days to continuously create novelty.

  2. Cultivate mindfulness so the same old boring exercises continuously create novelty.

P.S. There’s no right or wrong, and you can use both approaches simultaneously 😊

1 Quote

“Practicing to walk and breathe mindfully helps you dwell more in the real world, so you can get in touch with the wonders of life in the present moment, and nourish and heal your body and mind.””
— Thich Nhat Hanh

1 Answer

Category: Breathing Basics

Answer: The way your breathing responds to high carbon dioxide or low oxygen is generally referred to as this.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is chemoreflex sensitivity?

In good breath,

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


P.S. Every single morning

* 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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10 Fun Thoughts, Meditation in a Bottle, and Whole-Life Slow Breathing

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4 THOUGHTS


1. The Greatest Skill in Breathing (plus 9 more random thoughts)

The greatest skill in breathing (like in life) is knowing when to go with the flow, and when to deliberately change it.

Click here for 9 more random breathing thoughts and quotes.

2. “Meditation in a Bottle” (random product recommendation)

That’s a tagline of this relaxation shot by iCalm.

I stumbled upon it online, decided to buy some, and really loved them. I take one almost every afternoon now.

I have no affiliation with them…just thought it was a cool product and that maybe some of you would like it too 🙏

***

P.S. When I bought it, they sent an email questionnaire…I filled it out (it took less than a minute), and they sent me a few additional bottles for free. It might be random, but be on the lookout, just in case.

3. Whole-Life Slow Breathing

Regularly engaging in any kind of contemplative practice that slows down our breathing increases our vagal tone.

The best description I’ve read of why that’s important comes from Barbara Fredrickson, Ph.D., describing people with higher vagal tone:

“Physically, they regulate their internal bodily processes more efficiently, like their glucose levels and inflammation. Mentally, they’re better able to regulate their attention and emotions, even their behavior. Socially, they’re especially skillful in navigating interpersonal interactions and in forging positive connections with others.”

Sounds good to me. Perhaps we should call slow breathing “whole-life breathing” instead 😊

4. Nasal Breathing, Brain Oscillations, and Better Cognition

“A key implication of our data is that the nasal route of respiration offers an entry point to limbic brain areas for modulating cognitive function.”

- Zelano et al. (2016)

This study found that nasal breathing synchronizes oscillations in the piriform cortex, amygdala, and hippocampus (those last two regions are critical to emotions, memory, and behavior). This coherence leads to improved cognitive function compared to mouth breathing.

The take-home: Breathe through your nose as much as possible, especially when learning or in emotional situations, to improve brain coherence and cognitive functioning.

***

P.S. This is one of many studies I’m drawing from for the Breathing for Better Brain Health Workshop I’m hosting this Saturday for just $50.

1 Quote

“There is no single more powerful – or more simple – daily practice to further your health and wellbeing than breathwork.””
— Andrew Weil, MD

1 Answer

Category: Brain Blood Flow

Answer: Every minute, this many liters of blood flow through the brain, which is about how much a standard wine bottle holds.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is 750 ml?

P.S. I found this one in Breath by James Nestor.

In good breath,

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


P.S. ignorance is bliss

* 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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Better Learning, Life's Lifeline, and How We Breathe is Who We Are

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4 THOUGHTS


1. How We Breathe is Who We Are

“Breathing is about much more than simple gas exchange or even cardiorespiratory fitness. We exhale and inhale more than twenty thousand times per day, and the way in which we do so has tremendous influence on how we move our body, and even our mental state. How we breathe, as Beth puts it, is who we are.”

- Peter Attia, MD, Outlive

I have nothing useful to add here, except a few of these 👏👏👏

P.S. The Beth mentioned was one of his colleagues, Beth Lewis.

2. Science or Prayer, Medicine or Meditation

A profound aspect of breathing is that, depending on our disposition, we can treat it like science or prayer, like diet or exercise, like medicine or meditation.

And the best part: No approach is right or wrong.

3. Alternate Nostril Breathing Improves Learning & Retention

“Our findings indicated that a single 30-minute session of deep alternate-nostril breathing significantly facilitated the retention of a newly acquired motor skill. Better retention was evident immediately, as well as 24 hours after breathing practice, suggesting that such simple practices can be exploited as an effective tool to enhance both short term and somewhat longer term retention of skilled movements.”

– Deep Breathing Practice Facilitates Retention of Newly Learned Motor Skills

I’ve shared this one before. However, I revisited it recently and thought I’d share it again.

The take-home is that we can use slow alternate nostril breathing immediately after learning a motor skill to improve that skill’s short and long-term retention.

Check out these 9 slides that describe the study with images.

4. It’s Made Simple by Simplified Controls

This is a genuinely mind-blowing analogy for all breathing practices:

“For example, consider a car. We hardly give it a second thought when we climb into a car and drive off to an appointment. … All we have to do is press on the gas pedal and hold the steering wheel, and away we go. Simple, yes? No, not simple at all, but it has been made simple by virtue of the simplified controls that enable us to effortlessly transform a volatile substance, gasoline, into a speedy and safe ride to our appointment.

Pranayama is like that. In fact, all effective spiritual practice is like that. We can take complex principles of transformation found in the human nervous system and, with a series of simple procedures, apply these for great spiritual benefit.”

- Yogani, Spinal Breathing Pranayama

1 Quote

“By developing the simple profound practice of mindful breathing, you have a lifeline that ties you to every dimension of your life.””
— Al Lee and Don Campbell

1 Answer

Category: Breathing 101

Answer: The amount of air left after a maximum exhalation, known as this, helps to ensure the alveoli do not collapse.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is residual volume?

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In good breath,

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


P.S. This is everything I hoped for

* 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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4 Thoughts, Reaching Blissful States, and Breathing and Brain Health

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4 THOUGHTS


1. In my Brain: 4 Random One-Sentence Breathing Thoughts

  1. Slow breathing is air appreciation.

  2. Fast breathing is air intoxication.

  3. Breath holding is air imagination.

  4. And all breathing is air medicine.

P.S. Here are 10 more random thoughts people seemed to enjoy.

2. Reaching Blissful States

Discussing advanced yogis that reach elated states during meditation:

“Their remarkable meditation skills bespeak what’s technically known as a “state by trait interaction,” suggesting the brain changes that underlie the trait also give rise to special abilities that activate during meditative states.”

– Daniel Goleman, Ph.D. & Richard Davidson, Ph.D., Altered Traits

These findings mean: the longer you practice, the more your brain changes, and the more likely you are to be physiologically capable of having profound meditations. They’re a “state by trait” effect, and they’re available to all of us—we just have to keep practicing 🙏

3. Slow Yogic Breathing and Brain Health

“To our knowledge, our study is the first report demonstrating the impact of a mind–body approach such as yogic breathing to modulate CSF dynamics”

– Immediate impact of yogic breathing on pulsatile cerebrospinal fluid dynamics

This study found that slow, deep, yogic breathing increased cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow toward the brain by 16-28%.

CSF plays crucial roles in cushioning the brain & spine, delivering nutrients & hormones to the brain, and removing waste from the brain.

Thus, CSF dynamics may be one way slow breathing techniques improve brain health 👏

4. The Power of Belly Breathing

The power of belly breathing is not in making your belly move with each breath. It’s in relaxing the belly, so it naturally rises & falls with the movement of the diaphragm.

1 Quote

“That’s life: starting over, one breath at a time.””
— Sharon Salzberg

1 Answer

Category: Respiratory Pressure Changes

Answer: During inhalation, the diaphragm contracts down and increases this pressure, which may play a role in modulating CSF flow up the spine.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is intra-abdominal pressure?

This week’s newsletter is brought to you by BreathLearning.com

If you like this newsletter, you’ll love BreathLearning.com.

Click Here to Learn More

In good breath,

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


P.S. I need to adopt this practice

* 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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Breath Learning, More Joy, and How to Change Our Reality

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4 THOUGHTS


1. Introducing…

www.breathlearning.com

Now open. Check it out.

2. Seeing More Joy

Doing a deliberate slow nasal breathing practice first thing every morning is like putting on joy contacts to start your day.

3. A Good Case for Doing Your Practice in the Morning

“We each have our unique starting baseline—the level of stress arousal that we usually hover around through any typical day … Regardless of where we start from, the lower we can get our baseline stress arousal, the better—it means we’ll be much more able to tolerate the peaks of stressful events.”

- Elissa Epel, Ph.D., The Stress Prescription

To me, this passage presents a good case for doing our slow breathing (or whichever practice you do) first thing in the morning. By starting at a lower baseline, we’ll tolerate the day’s stressors better 👏

***

P.S. And if you choose slow nasal breathing, you’ll get the added bonus of seeing more joy 😊 (see Thought #2).

4. The Power of Breath Awareness

Dr. Amishi Jha discussing breath awareness in Peak Mind:

“[W]e use the breath for a couple of important reasons: It anchors us in the body. It allows us to experience the body sensations that are unfolding in real time as we breathe, in the here and now. … And finally, our breath is always with us. It’s the most natural built-in target for our attention that we can always return to.”

Put simply: The breath is the best way to be present with what is happening now.

1 Quote

“The first step in changing reality is to recognize it as it is now.””
— David Reynolds

1 Answer

Category: A Funny Breathing Exercise

Answer: This breathing exercise causes the abdomen, chest, and diaphragm to tighten while also expanding alveoli, all of which may improve lung function.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is laughing?

In good breath,

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


P.S. I need to adopt this practice

* 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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Gratitude Brain Change, 2 Quotes, and You Can Bring Retreat to You

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4 THOUGHTS


1. The Passion Paradox

I love breathing and lose sleep thinking about it.

2. Two Unconnected (but highly related) Quotes to Contemplate

“To know that the mind is the root of everything is to realize that we are ultimately responsible for both our own happiness and our own suffering. It is in our hands.” – Sogyal Rinpoche

“By controlling your breathing, you can use a voluntary mechanical behavior to make a profound change on your state of mind.” - Emma Seppälä, Ph.D.

3. An Easy Way to Change Your Brain & How You Feel

“Every time you take in the good, you build a little bit of neural structure. Doing this a few times a day—for months and even years—will gradually change your brain, and how you feel and act, in far-reaching ways.”

– Rick Hanson, Ph.D., Buddha’s Brain

Here’s a simple way to put this idea into practice during your day: Take a couple of breaths and think to yourself, “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!”

***

P.S. I use this a lot.  Sometimes it feels too forced, and I don’t notice much of anything.  But sometimes, it profoundly shifts my mindset, making it worth it every time 🙏

4. Nasal Breathing Counteracts the Effects of Gravity

“In this work, we have demonstrated that nasal breathing counteracts the effects of gravity on pulmonary blood flow in the upright position by redistribution of blood to the nondependent lung regions.”

– Sánchez Crespo et al. (2010)

I re-read this excellent paper and wanted to re-share this remarkable finding: Due to nitric oxide, nasal breathing redistributes blood flow from the bottom to the top of the lungs, countering gravity’s effects.

This *might* mean that nasal nitric oxide was an evolutionary adaption to lessen gravity’s effects, allowing us to walk upright 🤯

P.S. Check out the IG post for neat graphics.

1 Quote

“Breathing, it turns out, can be the quickest, most direct path to deep rest. When you can’t go to a retreat, you can bring the retreat to you. And all you need is your breath.””
— Elissa Epel, Ph.D.

1 Answer

Category: Nasal Nitric Oxide

Answer: Compared with mouth breathing, research shows that nasal breathing delivers about this much more nitric oxide to the lungs.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is six times more?

In good breath,

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


P.S. I personally have no problem with it

* 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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My Top 5 Breath Books, Unconditional Love, and a Life Changing Outro

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4 THOUGHTS


1. My 5 Favorite Breathing Books & the Order I’d Read Them if I Started Over

  1. Full Catastrophe Living: Teaches the power of mindful breathing, which is the starting point of all breathing practices.

  2. Breathing: The Master Key to Self Healing (audio only): One of the most accessible and practical intros to breathing.

  3. The Healing Power of the Breath: One of the best for learning how slow breathing techniques help all aspects of life.

  4. Breath: This is a must-read for anyone interested in breathing.

  5. The Oxygen Advantage: Now that you’re a true breath nerd, you’re ready to dive into all Patrick’a life-changing wisdom.

Major Caveat: This changes based on where I am in life and the new books I read 😊

2. Moving Toward Our Better Nature

“As we see it, the most compelling impacts of meditation are not better health or sharper business performance but, rather, a further reach toward our better nature.”

– Daniel Goleman, Ph.D. & Richard Davidson, Ph.D., Altered Traits

I think this is true of any contemplative practice: meditation, breathing, yoga, or even just reading.

So here’s to choosing our favorite one and inching closer toward our better nature, today 🙏

3. Life-Changing: How to End a Breathing, Meditation, or Really Any Contemplative Practice

Say this to yourself silently:

“even if I have been distracted, … is there something that has moved me, and that I would like to keep? Is there something that I would like to take with me and use to nourish myself?”

– Dr. Cathy Blanc, The Healing Power of Meditation

Then, silently wish that you can put whatever moved you into practice to bring more peace, humanity, and love to the world 🙏

P.S. If you feel so inspired, try it at the end of this email : )

4. Unconditional Love

The other day, I worked on breathing research all day. Yet come afternoon, I realized I’d barely actually checked in with my own breath (the irony, I know, lol).

But like a puppy waiting on its human to get home from work, the second I remembered, the breath was right there, holding no grudges or hard feelings, just simply grateful for my attention.

1 Quote

“If we can simply realize the fullness of this moment, of this breath, we can find stillness and peace right here.””
— Jon Kabat-Zinn

1 Answer

Category: Breathing 101

Answer: Like winds in the atmosphere, air flowing into and out of our lungs is driven by these.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What are pressure gradients?

In good breath,

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


P.S. I show affection for my pets by…

* 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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All 3 at Once, Laughing Monks, and Naturally Arising Compassion

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4 THOUGHTS


1. Breathing Does All Three at Once

A body scan focuses on your physical being.

Observing your thoughts focuses on your mental being.

Observing your beliefs focuses on your spiritual being.

But being with your breath does all three.

2. Maybe We Shouldn’t Be Surprised?

Imagine the power in your home goes out.

Would you walk into every room, try each electronic, and then act surprised every time they didn’t work? “The coffee maker won’t start!” “The internet won’t turn on!” “The TV isn’t working either!”

Of course not. But that’s sort of what we do with breathing studies: “Breathing helps our brain!” “It also helps our heart!” “It also helps us sleep better!”

But like the power lines feeding our homes, breathing is the power feeding our bodies. Without it, nothing else works; however, when it’s working correctly, everything inside works better, too.

So maybe we shouldn’t be surprised when breathing helps our bodies in some way. Maybe we should be surprised when it doesn’t…

3. Mindfulness plus Slow Breathing equals Amplified Benefits

“In both groups, meditation acutely decreased arterial and cerebral oxygen saturation, reduced chemoreflex sensitivity, and prolonged the RR interval, independently of respiration. Conversely, slow breathing improved heart rate variability, independently of concurrent meditation.”

- Bernardi et al. (2017), Psychophysiology

This study isolated the unique benefits of mantra-based mindfulness vs. slow breathing. As stated, they found that meditation alone reduced metabolism, whereas slow breathing alone increased HRV.

But in my opinion, the most practical finding was that combining them into one practice may provide the best of both techniques.

Here is a simple way to do it:

  1. Pick an emotionally meaningful word (“peace,” “love,” etc.)

  2. Focus on and silently repeat that word to yourself while exhaling during your slow breathing practice.

4. Laughing Monks: A Story to Contemplate

“For example, when Varela put on an EEG cap, which uses electrodes to measure electrical activity in the brain, monks from the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics in Dharamsala laughed and said, ‘How could we be measuring anything to do with the mind by putting a cap on the head? The mind is here!’—pointing to their hearts.”

– Clifford Saron, Ph.D., The Healing Power of Meditation

 

Reading that story (and its multiple implicit lessons) a few times is like a meditation in itself 😊

1 Quote

“It is not even logical, but it seems that when the human mind is open, compassion is the most natural thing to arise, and I think that is a key part of what we call mindfulness training.””
— Dr. Edel Maex

1 Answer

Category: Brain Changes

Answer: Meditation, like breath awareness, can increase the density of this brain tissue, which is where neurons talk to each other, and information processing happens.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is grey matter?

In good breath,

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


P.S. How to deal with stress

* 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.

 
,

Slow Gratitude, Breath Pole Vaulting, and Two Ways It Calms the Mind

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4 THOUGHTS


1. The Gratitude of Breathing

Slow breathing is to meditation what gratitude is to journaling.

2. A Benefit of Meditation: Slower Everyday Breathing

“Comparing each to a nonmeditator of the same age and sex, the meditators were breathing an average 1.6 breaths more slowly. And this was while they were just sitting still, waiting for a cognitive test to start.

…

As practice continues and breathing becomes progressively slower, the body adjusts its physiological set point for its respiratory rate accordingly. That’s a good thing. While chronic rapid breathing signifies ongoing anxiety, a slower breath rate indicates reduced autonomic activity, better mood, and salutary health.”

– Daniel Goleman, Ph.D. & Richard Davidson, Ph.D., Altered Traits

 

The more you meditate, the less you breathe, and the better mood and health you acquire 👏

P.S. A voluntary slow breathing practice by itself (which is a form of meditation, in my opinion 😊) can give similar results.

3. Two Ways Attending to the Breath Calms the Mind

“Physiologically, attending to the breath makes it slower and deeper and thereby stimulates the vagus nerve, which then launches the relaxation response. Psychologically, attending to the breath intensely brings the mind to the present, away from past and future, and so temporarily frees the mind from regret about the past and worry about the future.”*

- Chade-Meng Tan, Joy on Demand

That is all 👏

4. The Breathing Pole Vaulter: Letting Go at a Great Height

“Listening to them, one image that came to mind was that of the polevaulter. At first, the athlete needs a pole to propel him or herself to a great height. At a certain point, the athlete has to release the pole and just jump.”

– Larry Rosenberg, Three Steps to Awakening

 

This is an excellent analogy for any breath-focused contemplative practice (breathwork, meditation, yoga, etc.)

The breath is like the pole, boosting us to a great height where we can “let go” and discover our full potential.

A 9-Minute Podcast

I was honored to have a discussion with Tina Gilbertson, creator of the Reconnection Club and just an all-around amazing person. She condensed our conversation into a short & sweet 9-minute podcast.

I hope you enjoy it: Episode 146: Breathe

1 Quote

“Breathing, the common, everyday act of inhaling and exhaling a breath, has the ability to be something that benefits not just me or you, it can benefit every person we encounter.” ”
— Rev. Duffy Peet

1 Answer

Category: The Nostrils

Answer: Measurements reveal that the left-nostril breathing makes this branch of the autonomic nervous system more active, benefiting overall cardiovascular and autonomic health.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is the parasympathetic branch?

In good breath,

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


P.S. how I said “here”

The Garlic Breath of the Week

Here is the most-liked post this past week.

* 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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Alzheimer’s, Nose vs. Mouth, and How to Find the Perfect Practice

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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. The Smiling of Breathing

Slow breathing is to breath exercises what smiling is to facial expressions.

2. Slow Breathing Might Reduce the Risk of Alzheimer’s

“As far as we can tell from the published literature and ClinicalTrials.gov searches, this study provides the first evidence of a behavioral intervention that reduces Aβ levels (measured with plasma, CSF or PET) compared to a randomized control group.”

– Nature Sci Rep (2023)

 

This recently-published study found that 20-40 minutes of daily slow breathing reduces levels of amyloid-β, a key Alzheimer’s biomarker, in younger and older adults, suggesting that it may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s and promote healthy brain aging.

Pretty remarkable stuff 👏

3. How to Find the Perfect Practice

  • If you studied basketball in great detail, you could probably find a lot of health benefits.

  • If you studied surfing in great detail, you could probably find a lot of health benefits.

  • If you studied tennis in great detail, you could probably find a lot of health benefits.

Likewise:

  • If you study slow breathing in great detail, you’ll find a lot of health benefits.

  • If you study mindfulness in great detail, you’ll find a lot of health benefits.

  • If you study yoga in great detail, you’ll find a lot of health benefits.

The difference?

People choose sports based on joy and pleasure, but often choose a contemplative path just based on the science and health benefits. 

Let’s do our best to balance both, but emphasize joy.  If we focus on joy, the benefits of any practice will take care of themselves.

4. Nose vs Mouth: A Mindful Observation of Nature’s Design

You can have your mouth open or closed. But there’s no such thing as having your nose “opened or closed.” Your nose is always open, always ready to be breathed through.

There’s a lesson from nature in there…

***

P.S. Of course, this breaks down if you’re sick, have bad allergies, or have another medical condition blocking it. But you get the idea : )

1 Quote

“Mindfulness lets us see things in a new light and believe in the possibility of change.””
— Ellen Langer, Ph.D.

1 Answer

Category: Breathing & the Brain

Answer: Slow deep breathing impacts this fluid, which plays a critical role in “cushioning” the brain and spinal cord while also distributing nutrients and hormones.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)?

In good breath,

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


P.S. There are two types of people

The Garlic Breath of the Week

Here is the most-liked post this past week.

* 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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The Best Morning Breathing Exercise, Air Candy, and Greater Calmness

,

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. Air Candy

Gratitude turns an ordinary breath into air candy.

2. The Best Morning Breathing Exercise

The best morning breathing exercise is a good night’s sleep.

P.S. I had a few nights of poorer-than-normal sleep and noticed that my morning breathing was nowhere near as enjoyable or effective. Which inspired this purposefully playful sentence : )

3. Greater Calmness: How to Choose Effective Responses in Stressful Situations

“When we are mindful of our breathing, it automatically helps us to establish greater calmness in both the body and the mind. Then we are better able to be aware of our thoughts and feelings…And with this awareness comes a feeling of having more room to move, of having more options, of being free to choose effective and appropriate responses in stressful situations rather than losing our equilibrium and sense of self as a result of feeling overwhelmed, thrown off balance by our own knee-jerk reactions.”

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

Beautifully said 👏👏👏

So the next time we need to choose an effective & appropriate response in a stressful situation, let’s first tune into our breath to “establish greater calmness in both the body and the mind,” allowing us to move forward with clarity.

4. This Will Help You in Anything You Set Out to Do

“Working memory is where you hold a goal in mind so you can move toward it. By goal…I mean the micro-intentions and deliberate aim of having a desired outcome for each and every task you engage in—all the decisions, planning, thinking, actions, and behaviors you do over the course of a day: anything you set out to do.”

– Amishi P. Jha, Ph.D., Peak Mind

Based on this description, having good working memory is pretty crucial since it plays a role in “anything you set out to do.”

But it’s relevant here because a 2022 study found that slow breathing significantly improves working memory.

Putting it together: By improving working memory, slow breathing may potentially help you with anything you set out to do 👏

1 Quote

“At this very moment, whether you know it or not, each breath happens right here and right now. Little by little the question becomes, Are you intimate with this breath just as it is?””
— Larry Rosenberg

1 Answer

Category: Breath-Heart Connections

Answer: The heart is connected to this muscle via the pericardium, which is a fluid-filled sac surrounding the heart.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is the diaphragm?

In good breath,

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


P.S. It’s a common problem.

The Garlic Breath of the Week

Here is the most-liked post this past week.

* 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.