Proper Breathing for Optimum Health

In my own encounters and while observing patients in realtime, it is evident that effectively managing or stopping physical anxiety is impossible without proper breathing. Therefore, understanding how you breathe, recognizing pauses, constriction and if it is too shallow is the first step in developing breathing awareness. This regular practice of awareness forms the essential foundation for addressing and alleviating the psychological and physical aspects of anxiety.

Having read James Nesters Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art about a year ago, I find Dan Harris’s podcast interviewing Nester even more illuminating as it clearly explains the profound health advantages of proper breathing. It adeptly encapsulates why proper breathing is integral to both your physical and mental health.

Nestor’s work explores historical breathing practices and modern lifestyle implications from scientific research. He highlights the significance of nasal breathing over mouth breathing, uncovering its role in filtration, humidification, and oxygen uptake. Furthermore, Nester explains the transformative effects of conscious breath work on various health aspects, from sleep quality and immune function to stress management. The book and podcast also sheds light on the consequences of modern habits, such as chronic mouth breathing and snoring, advocating for a return to ancestral breathing practices for optimal health.

~C. G. Cleveland

Listen to the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ten-percent-happier-with-dan-harris/id1087147821?i=1000642532128

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From The Podcast Notes:

You may be breathing wrong. Here’s how to fix it:
At times, self-improvement can seem like a never-ending hallway filled with limitless shame and insufficiency. So when something as simple as the breath falls into this category, it seems only natural to meet that news with some resistance. Our guest today, James Nestor, argues that many of us, of all things, are breathing incorrectly but that by fixing our breathing, it can help with both physical and psychological ailments.
Nestor is a science journalist who wrote a book called, Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, which spent 18 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and was translated into more than 35 languages.

In this episode we (Dan Harris & James Nester) talk about:
• How James got interested in breathing in the first place
• Why we are the worst breathers in the animal kingdom
• Importance of posture
• Deleterious effects of mouth breathing
• Why we need to chew more
• Relationship between breathing and anxiety
• Relationship between breathing and sleep
• We dive into a variety of breathing exercises

Breathing Technique Resources Mentioned:
• Daniel E. Lieberman
• Wim Hof Method
• Dr. Stanislav Grof and holotropic breathwork
• Dr. Richard P. Brown
• Matthew P. Walker
• Kundalini Yoga and Breathing
• Sudarshan Kriya
• Dr. Herbert Benson and tummo breathing technique