BY: EMMA SEPPÄLÄ, PH.D.

Additional Note:

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.

4 THOUGHTS

1. Calm & Energized: How to Achieve the Ideal Physiological State

“[Breathing] allows you to function at peak energy, yet without the physical and psychological costs of anxiety and adrenaline overload. In other words, being calm and energized is not only possible through the breath, but it is also the ideal state.”*

I’m a double espresso kind of person. I got through graduate school drinking 5-hour energies 🤦🏼‍♂️ But that’s not a sustainable way of living.

Enter the power of breathing practices (particularly slow breathing exercises). They optimally fuel your cells with energy (oxygen) and activate the calming parasympathetic nervous system.

You feel calm yet energized: “the ideal state.”

2. A Revolutionary Finding: The Two-Way Street of Breathing and Emotions

“Lo and behold, the participants started to feel the emotions that corresponded to the breathing patterns. In other words, when they took deep, slow breaths, the participants felt calm. And when they took rapid, shallow breaths, they felt anxious or angry. The finding that we can change how we feel by using our breath is revolutionary.”*

We know that how we feel affects our breathing. For instance, Dr. Seppälä tells us that research shows “When we experience anxiety, for example, we are likely to take rapid, shallow breaths. When we feel calm, we take deep, slow breaths. Laughter and sobbing are other examples of how the breath accompanies emotional states. When we come home from a long exhausting day, we slump down onto the sofa and sigh.”*

However, research now also tells us it’s a two-way street: We can change our breathing to change how we feel.

Why is this so critical? “Given that it is so difficult to change our emotions using thoughts (for instance, talking yourself out of intense anger or anxiety), learning to use the breath is a powerful and liberating tool for handling stress so we can perform at our best.”*

Quite revolutionary, indeed.

3. Compounding – The Long-Term Benefits of Breathing

“The long-term effects of a daily breathing practice, just like those of a daily exercise routine, are even more pronounced. Preliminary studies have found that regularly practicing breathing exercises normalizes your level of cortisol, the ‘stress hormone.’ As a regular practice breathing can recondition your body to a state of greater calm, helping it bounce back from stress more quickly and perhaps reducing reactivity in the face of challenges. Similarly to a marathon runner who trains her body regularly as a prelude to running longer stretches, you can use daily breathing exercises to prepare your nervous system to be resilient in the face of stressful events.”*

And this is where the real power of breathing lies, in my humble opinion. Long-term practice reconditions your nervous system to its optimal state.

Imagine consistently feeling calm and energized (Thought #1). Imagine regularly using the two-way street of breathing and emotions to control your reactivity and your moods (Thought #2).

Then, ultimately, imagine watching those benefits aggregate and compound over time.

As James Clear says, “Time magnifies the margin between success and failure. It will multiply whatever you feed it. Good habits make time your ally. Bad habits make time your enemy.”

So, let's make optimal breathing a habit, making time our ally for our overall health and wellness.

4. What Does All of this Mean in Real Life?

“So what does this mean for us? We can use our breath whenever we experience a stressful event. […] It's the most accessible tool you have, and it's invisible. You can practice breathing for well-being no matter where you are without anyone noticing.”*

That’s a perfect description of what all this breathing education means in real life. Of course, it won’t fix everything, but it’s the most accessible tool we have.

Let’s use it wisely.

1 LIFE-CHANGING IDEA

Accomplish More Than You Every Thought Possible

“Athletes put their bodies under stress at each training session and competition, but they are only as successful as the speed at which they recover physiologically. Your daily stresses may be different from those of an athlete, but the concept is the same. Your success is determined by the speed of your recovery. By tapping into your natural resilience through breathing and other calming exercises that activate the rest and digest part of your nervous system, you can learn to reduce stress and accomplish more than you ever thought possible.”* (my emphasis)

When we apply all of these concepts consistently, we learn to “reduce stress and accomplish more than you ever thought possible.” Sounds good to me 😊.

1 STACK OF MEMORABLE QUOTES

“So what is the fastest way to achieve well-being? It is so close to you that it can easily be overlooked. Your breath. A rapid and reliable pathway into your nervous system, dedicated to helping you regain your optimal state.”

“Expressions like “live in the moment” or “carpe diem” sound like cliches, yet science backs them up robustly.”

“Another breathing exercise that research shows help strengthen your attention is breath counting. Count each breath you take and when you reach 10, start over. While this exercise may not sound very exciting, research shows that it increases your ability to pay attention and stay in the present moment.”

“Similarly, if you can bring greater relaxation and ease into your body, your mind will naturally be at its best and have the chance to reset from the stress.”

“Even if you have an intuitive understanding that the breath can regulate the mind and emotions (you probably have told someone who is stressed to take a deep breath), you might not be fully aware of its power.”

“Breathing is something we do every day, every moment. It's arguably the single most important action of our life. It is also the most neglected one because it mostly happens on its own and below the level of our awareness.”

“Your breath is with you all the time. It's the most accessible tool you have, and it's invisible. You can practice breathing for well-being no matter where you are without anyone noticing.”

“By tapping into your natural resilience through breathing and other calming exercises that activate the rest and digest part of your nervous system, you can learn to reduce stress and accomplish more than you ever thought possible.”