In his book, Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, James Nestor gives an account of a woman who cured her scoliosis by changing how she was breathing and how she subsequently taught the technique to others. This grabbed my attention, as did other examples of illnesses being reversed with breathing.
For example, there is a huge difference between nose breathing and mouth breathing. Nose breathing results in many benefits, compared to mouth breathing, which can actually result in serious health problems.
The nose acts like a filter, cleaning the air before it goes into our lungs. It also heats it up and moistures it, ready for absorption. Nose breathing triggers a cascade of hormones and chemicals that lower blood pressure and ease digestion. According to Nestor, this has an unexpected role in problems like erectile dysfunction. Nose breathing also changes according to women’s menstrual cycle. It regulates heart rate and opens the vessels in our toes, and stores memories (!).
By changing how he breathed, Nestor was able to reduce blood pressure and increase heart rate variability (a strong indicator of health). On reading “Breath,” a client of mine adopted his technique and had similar results.
One of the main benefits of nose breathing is that the sinuses release nitric oxide. This plays a crucial role in increasing circulation and delivering oxygen into cells. Nitric oxide influences immune function, body fat composition, circulation, mood, and sexual function. Nasal breathing alone can boost nitric oxide sixfold, which is one of the reasons we can absorb about 18% more oxygen than by only breathing through the mouth. It’s become such an effective tool for so many health challenges that some are adopting mouth taping to ensure they are breathing through their nose while they sleep. Please be careful if you ever try this — there is a specific way to do this, with special material. It can be dangerous if not done properly.
Have you ever considered where body fat goes when it is burned off or “lost?” We lose more than 85% of our body fat through exhalation. The rest is via urine and sweat.
Inefficient exhalation can lead to disease, such as emphysema. This is a gradual deterioration of the lungs marked by coughing and chronic bronchitis. Eventually, the lungs become so damaged that they no longer absorb oxygen. Emphysema was found to be a disease of exhalation, in which people suffered not because they couldn’t get enough air into their lungs, but because they couldn’t expel stale air from their lungs. It makes you question the true effectiveness of masks to prevent respiratory viruses. A breathing technique was featured that provided for reversal of emphysema; a condition Western Medicine still calls “incurable.”
By slowing down our breathing, and taking deeper slower breaths when training, we actually absorb more oxygen.
So how to breathe effectively? Nestor recommends breathing through your nose as much as you can during the day, and while you sleep. Find a rhythm to inhale for 5.5 counts, and exhale for 5.5 counts. This adds up to about 5.5 times per minute. Getting close to this will likely truly help your body in all ways, shapes, and forms. I invite you to set an alarm every hour, to check in with your breath, and to become conscious of your breathing patterns.
You might want to do a very quick breathing exercise now. Check in with yourself and how you’re feeling at this moment. When an emotion or two comes to mind, take note. Try not to analyze it. Now, close your eyes and take three deep breaths, breathing deeply into your lower belly with five counts in, and five counts out. How do you feel? Our breath is the first way to change our autonomic nervous system.
Go to The Vitality Code for more a deeper understanding on The Power of Breath, and the Four Pillars of Vitality.
As you become more conscious of your breath, and improve how you breathe, you might notice health challenges lessen, weight to drop off, you’ll likely feel more calm, less stressed, and more grounded — and more.