Breathing: The Missing Mainstay of Health A review of the book Breathing by James Nester

I wasn't expecting to get a lot of it He breathes. I thought (foolishly) that I knew what I needed to know about this topic. Listen to Nester on 10% Happier Podcast It interested me enough to invest in the book. I thought it would be a solid review, and reviews are vital…we all forget things along the way. I was pleasantly surprised. Not only did the book remind me of the basics of breathing, but it also taught me some key new things, like how important nose breathing is. My biggest piece of advice was “Shut your mouth; Breathe through your nose.” 🙂

The problem with trying to entice people into reading a book about breathing is that we actually breathe. If we weren't, we wouldn't be alive. The theme seems a bit 'been there, done that'.

To delve deeper into the book, one must first be convinced of Nester's thesis: Yes, we all breathe, but most of us don't breathe properly. Ninety percent of us breathe in a way that doesn't serve us, and that's a problem because it doesn't No matter what you eat or how much you exercise, you can't improve your health if you're not breathing properly. The missing pillar of health is breathing.

It all starts with how and how often we breathe; The quality of our breath affects everything from our athletic performance to the quality of our sleep. Making small adjustments to the way we breathe can stimulate athletic performance; Regeneration of internal organs. Stop snoring, allergies, asthma and some autoimmune diseases. And even straighten the spine.

We take about 25,000 breaths a day, which can be helpful. Those 25,000 souls provide almost endless opportunities to make a positive difference!

Now, most of us don't spend much time thinking about those 25,000 breaths. This is, for the most part, a good thing. Breathing should be automatic; Spontaneity allows us to breathe without having to divert our attention from daily activities. Automaticity only becomes negative when you have developed suboptimal breathing strategies; You are simply breathing poorly automatically. (Suboptimal breathing is obviously better than no breathing at all, but breathing optimally should be our goal.)

Before Nester wrote this book, he was one of the 90%. Nester admits that he didn't put any intentional thought into his breathing pattern. That changed by researching the book. Nester actively participated. At first, use a device that allows only mouth breathing. He then switched and used a device that ensured he only used his nose to breathe. The results were that breathing through his mouth led to increased snoring, blood pressure, sleep apnea, and decreased sleep performance. While breathing through his nose on the other hand reduced snoring, blood pressure and sleep apnea and increased his performance.

If you're part of the 90% of us who have never thought about breathing, now is a good time to start. With awareness comes choice; Once you know how to breathe, you can fine-tune your technique. Here are some key points from Nester's book. If you're interested in “actionable steps” versus “demonstration,” skip “Breathing 101” and go straight to “Let's Get Exercise.”

Breathing 101

Inhalation brings oxygen into the body, fuels movement, and fuels our brains. Sniffing out our amps. When we are in danger, we breathe faster. Think “fight or flight” or “mobilization” mode.

Exhaling engages our parasympathetic system. It calms us down. Think “rest and digest” or “start the fire” mode.

Many of us are “chest breathing”; We take a quick, shallow inhale. Many experts consulted by Nestor believe that frequent, manic-like sniffing is a symptom of a persistent state of stress. Anxious and distracted, with poor posture and laptops propped up on kitchen tables, we gasp for air as if we're drowning. This pattern of “panting” — breathing from the chest — can lead to chronic tightness in the chest and neck muscles, an expansion of the rib cage, and a general feeling of anxiety.

Your breathing style should perfectly match your goal at that moment. For example, if you are doing the modern equivalent of a tiger running, feel free to focus on the inhale. Inhaling charges reaches our nervous system. On the other hand, exhaling calms us down. When you're trying to calm your anxiety or sleep, take longer exhales. The calmer you want to be, the longer your exhale should be.

According to Nester, the key is to establish a basic breathing method that revolves around breathing through the nose and getting a full exhalation. Mouth breathing increases stress hormones, increases blood pressure, increases rates of sleep apnea and snoring, and negatively affects heart rate variability. The mouth should only serve as a “backup” ventilation system when the nose is stuffy, or when you need some extra oxygen at the end of a race or intense workout. Extending the exhale will move the diaphragm up and down, which will push the air out so you can let the air in.

The ideal breathing rate is about 5.5 breaths per minute: take 5.5 seconds to breathe in and 5.5 seconds to exhale. Seconds to breathe. This pattern allows for increased blood flow to the brain, and coordination between the heart and nervous system. Of course, if this is too intense, start by breathing in for 3 seconds and then out for 3 seconds. Always start where you are!!

Let's get physical! Time to create some embodied knowledge!

1. Find your nose

Your nose is your HVAC system; It cleans the air, heats the air, and humidifies the air for easy absorption. Breathing through the nose releases a series of hormones and chemicals that lower blood pressure and facilitate digestion.

Get comfortable breathing through both nostrils. Each offers slightly different benefits. Think of the right nostril like a gas pedal, it stimulates the sympathetic nervous system which increases circulation, body temperature, blood pressure, and heart rate. It feeds blood to the left side of the brain, our logical center. Think of the left nostril as a “break.” The left nostril is more associated with the parasympathetic side of our nervous system. The left nostril cools the body, lowers blood pressure and heart rate, and reduces blood circulation. It supplies blood to the right side of the brain.

Try it!

Alternate nasal breathing

Sit tall; No slouch. Place your right thumb on your right nostril. Press and hold and inhale through the left nostril. Then place one of your right fingers on your left nostril and continue. Stop. Hold your breath. Next, raise your right thumb and exhale through the right nostril. Finally, hold your right nostril with your right thumb and hold your breath. Repeats.

Box breathing

Sit tall; No slouch. Take 4 seconds to inhale. Hold your breath for 4 seconds. Take 4 seconds to exhale. Hold your breath for 4 seconds.

2. Find your diaphragm

Think of the diaphragm as your chest pump or “second heart.” When we inhale, the diaphragm descends, creating negative pressure in the thoracic cavity and drawing blood back to the heart. During exhalation, the positive pressure of the diaphragm allows blood to exit into the body. The diaphragm is like an umbrella that expands and contracts. Most of us only use a small range of motion of the diaphragm which places a burden on the heart.

Try it!

Start on your back, with your right hand on the side of your waist so that your fingers reach slightly toward your lower back, and your left hand on your upper chest and neck. breathing. Feel your diaphragm going down. Inhaling should cause pressure on your right hand and back. The left hand on your chest should not move. Exhale. The pressure on your right hand should decrease as the diaphragm rises.

Now practice this 3D abdominal breathing on all fours, standing, sitting and walking. Inhale into your back ribs, obliques and pelvis. Your chest should eventually rise, or not at all. Exhale with control as the pressure leaves your ribs, obliques, and pelvis.

Use TheraBand for additional haptic feedback. Sit on a hard chair. Tie the long TheraBand around the middle of your back, where your bra strap can be placed. Hold the ends of the band with your hands. As you inhale, feel the band expand backwards and pull the diaphragm down; You feel the weight in the pelvic floor and the bones sit. As you exhale, your ribs should become less attached to the band.

Test yourself. Stand in front of a mirror. Breathe and see what happens. Your torso should expand slightly. Your chest and neck should remain relaxed. If all the muscles come out of your neck as you inhale and your chest rises before your torso expands, you are probably chest breathing and/or breathing too forcefully. What happens during exhalation? Can you notice yourself exhaling?

3. Find your exhalation

Train your body to take a full exhale instead of a partial exhale. Think of this skill as a muscle, which you must consciously strengthen in order to become stronger. To strengthen it, consciously lengthen your exhalation.

Try it!

Inhale for 3 seconds. Then exhale for 6 seconds.

Final thoughts

You take your breath with you so you can literally work on your breathing at any time. Practice box breathing while waiting for an elevator or intentionally take long exhales to calm yourself when talking to a frustrated human being.

Remember that there is no single perfect way to breathe. Everything in life depends on context and intention. Learn how to breathe habitually – which is normal – and why and when to breathe in certain ways. Then match your breathing to your goal. Inhale to inflate you. Exhale to calm you down.

Be the “pilot” of your body versus simply the passenger.

It is easy to understand intellectually that the way we breathe matters; It's another thing to learn to breathe differently. Knowledge and action are two different things. Changing your habitual, automatic breathing pattern requires repetition; Repetition is the mother of all skills. Set an alarm or create a color cue to ensure you get your “reps.” When the alarm goes off, take 5 purposeful breaths. When you see your chosen color, take 5 purposeful breaths.

Be compassionate with yourself as you work through this process. You've taken millions of breaths throughout your life, and it will take time to change the pattern.

Patience is a grasshopper!!