Body Magic We All Can Perform Pt.1

Breathing! How banal is that?

“In a single breath, more molecules of air will pass through your nose than all the grains of sand on all the world’s beaches—trillions and trillions of them. These little bits of air come from a few feet or several yards away. As they make their way toward you, they’ll twist and spool like the stars in a van Gogh sky, and they’ll keep twisting and spooling and scrolling as they pass into you, traveling at a clip of about five miles per hour.”

-James Nestor Author, "Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art"

Also from his book:

“Few of these scientists set out to study breathing. But, somehow, in some way, breathing kept finding them. They discovered that our capacity to breathe has changed through the long processes of human evolution, and that the way we breathe has gotten markedly worse since the dawn of the Industrial Age. They discovered that 90 percent of us—very likely me, you, and almost everyone you know—is breathing incorrectly and that this failure is either causing or aggravating a laundry list of chronic diseases....No matter what we eat, how much we exercise, how resilient our genes are, how skinny or young or wise we are—none of it will matter unless we’re breathing correctly. That’s what these researchers discovered. The missing pillar in health is breath. It all starts there.”

Could good physical and mental health come from something as seemingly simple as changing the way we breathe? The science says, "yes".

One of the premises of the book is that we are all "overbreathing". We breathe too shallowly, too quickly, and too often. Slowing down and allowing the diaphragm to expand fully and contract is key.

Try this. Breathe in for 5.5 seconds, then out for 5.5 seconds. In and out through the nose.

This specific rhythm—often called "coherent" or "resonant" breathing—allows for the intake of about 5.5 liters of air per minute, which maximizes blood flow, lowers heart rate, and harmonizes the nervous system. Nestor notes that while standard medical recommendations often define a "normal" resting rate between 12 to 20 breaths per minute, slowing down to this ideal 5.5 cadence is transformative for both physical and mental well-being.

Some actions that may help you become aware of and slow your breathing:

• Breath-focused meditation.

• Massage or bodywork that opens the diaphragm, allows you to slow down and relax into a slower rhythm.

• HeartMath™ coherence practices.

• Yoga, Tai Chi and Qigong

• Dr Weil's 4-7-8 breath practice.

• James Nestor joins Lee Holden for Qigong Breathwork-25 minutes GREAT CLASS!

There are many more ways...

If you would like to take a class on improving your breathing, please let me know in the comments, and I will organize a free community class. Soon I will be adding breathwork sessions to my bodywork offerings. Let me know in the comments if you would be interested!