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Breathing Tips & Resources

Breathe Less for Optimal Health

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Did you know that while our bodies automatically breathe for us 24/7, most of us are probably not breathing for optimal health and performance? Research continues to validate how better breathing can help improve a myriad of health conditions (hypertension, sleep apnea, asthma, PTSD, chronic pain, and many more) as well as boost our energy, productivity, exercise performance, digestion, mood, and sleep. 

I'll admit that I used to think my breathing was great thanks to my daily yoga practices (asana, meditation and pranayama). However, after diving into the science of breathing and implementing a couple new habits, I quickly saw a marked improvement in both my sleep and exercise performance.


Here are the 3 biggest “breathing lessons” that I’ve learned from experts to optimize health and wellbeing:
   
  1. Always breathe through your nose, not your mouth! Your mouth was designed wholly for eating and drinking and only as an emergency backup system for breathing. To optimize your health, breathe through your nose 24/7 - during work, play, exercise and  sleep.
  2. Slow down your breath! Yes, this means that you should actually be breathing less. Based on the research cited in his book "Breath", James Nestor cites the “perfect breath” as a 5.5 second inhale and 5.5 second exhale. Nestor also promotes (and experts agree) extending your exhales to create more valuable nitric oxide in your body. I recommend not stressing out about achieving any specific metric. Simply begin bringing more awareness to your breath throughout the day, emphasizing slower and fuller breaths.
  3. Practice makes perfect! Spend a few minutes every day practicing different breathing techniques to strengthen your lungs and diaphragm and to improve your breathing style.​​


Breathing Resources:

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Why and how to breathe through your nose:
​
  • Clinical Review: The Health Benefits of Nose Breathing (Dr. Alan Ruth, Nursing in General Practice, 2015)
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  • James Nestor's book Breath: The Ancient Science of a Lost Art (2020) looks at the wisdom of ancient breathing practices and reveals the latest research on the benefits of proper breathing
    • Breath’s extended bibliography
    • An online book summary and highlights/excerpts
    • 12-minute video by the author: 5 Ways to Improve Your Breathing
    • NPR article and interview with the author
​
  • Patrick McKeown's book  The Oxygen Advantage: Simple, Scientifically Proven Breathing Techniques to Help You Become Healthier, Slimmer, Faster, and Fitter (2016) shares his scientifically validated techniques for more efficient, effective breathing
    • The author's 16-minute Tedx Talk “Shut Your Mouth and Change Your Life” (includes facial differences in mouth vs. nose breathers)
​
  • Dr. John Douillard's book Body, Mind, and Sport: The Mind-Body Guide to Lifelong Health, Fitness, and Your Personal Best (2001) provides a roadmap on how to integrate proper breathing in sports and athletics to improve your fitness and performance
    • The author's 15 benefits of breathing through your nose during exercise
​​

Breathing Practices:

Video:
  • Resonant Breathing (5.5 seconds each = 11 second breath cycle)
    • Music only (with typed cues)
    • Music only (black screen)
    • Music with simple geometric animation
  • 3-part breath 
  • Box Breathing (4-4-4-4)  
  • 4-7-8 Breathing 
  • Alternate Nostril Breathing (more pranayama links here)
  • Buteyko Breathing: Complete Set of Introductory Lessons (The Buteyko Method was developed for people with asthma but everyone can benefit from these techniques)
  • Buteyko Breathing Method For Reducing Anxiety & Calming Nervous System (3 minutes)
  • Buteyko: How To Get Rid Of A Blocked Nose (3 minutes)
  • Wim Hoff’s YouTube playlist of guided breathing exercises (these are more advanced, not suitable for everyone, and should be practiced with caution)
​
Audio: 
  • Breathing apps:
    • Breathe: Relax & Focus (apple, android) has 3 default breathing exercises and allows you to create your own custom breathing patterns
    • My Cardiac Coherence (android)​
  • Mark Bunn’s Ancient Wisdom for Modern Health podcast, released 1/13/21, “Breath 3: The Simple Steps to Significantly Improve your Breathing (#55)” (apple, stitcher, audible)
​
If you prefer the written word, check out 
Mark Sisson’s 3 Breathing Exercises to Increase Vagal Tone and Reduce Stress which reviews diaphragmatic breathing, resonance breathing and the extended exhale.


Learn more about pranayama and its benefits here.
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