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The Breath is Life's Teacher
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I am the flow of life between every single part and the Whole.
Your attitude to me, says the Breath, is your attitude to Life.
Welcome me… embrace me fully.
Let me nourish you completely, then set me free.
Move with me, dance with me, sing with me, sigh with me…
Love me. Trust me. Don’t try to control me.
I am the Breath.
Life is the Musician.
You are the flute.
And music – creativity – depends on all of us.
You are not the Creator… nor the Creation.
We are all a part of the process of Creativity…
You, Life, and me: the Breath.
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Donna Martin
http://www.donnamartin.net
The Breath is Life's Teacher
🌸
I am the flow of life between every single part and the Whole.
Your attitude to me, says the Breath, is your attitude to Life.
Welcome me… embrace me fully.
Let me nourish you completely, then set me free.
Move with me, dance with me, sing with me, sigh with me…
Love me. Trust me. Don’t try to control me.
I am the Breath.
Life is the Musician.
You are the flute.
And music – creativity – depends on all of us.
You are not the Creator… nor the Creation.
We are all a part of the process of Creativity…
You, Life, and me: the Breath.
🌸
Donna Martin
http://www.donnamartin.net
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Start TODAY
by Breathing Through the Nose
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No matter what you eat, how much you exercise,
how skinny or young or wise you are,
none of it matters if you’re not breathing properly.
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Start TODAY
by Breathing Through the Nose
🌸
No matter what you eat, how much you exercise,
how skinny or young or wise you are,
none of it matters if you’re not breathing properly.
🌸
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Mouth Breather's Face is Changing
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Like Crooked Nose
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Mouth Breather's Face is Changing
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Like Crooked Nose
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Are You a Mouth Breather?
Learn Why Breathing Through Your Nose Is Best
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Are You a Mouth Breather?
Learn Why Breathing Through Your Nose Is Best
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- It produces nitric oxide: Breathing through your nose, also called nasal breathing, releases nitric oxide (NO). That nitric oxide helps widen your blood vessels and makes it easier for nutrient-rich oxygenated blood to reach all of your body’s organs and tissues.
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・ Unfortunately, some of us begin unconsciously breathing through our mouths as we grow older, and that can lead to a host of health issues ranging from bad breath and dry mouth to asthma and sleep apnea.
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Posted on October 14, 2022 by Henry Ford Health Staff
Breath is the essence of life. We cannot survive without it. Yet, most of us are not breathing in a way that supports our health and well-being.
“How you breathe can make a big difference in how you feel, and it can have downstream consequences that affect other systems and tissues,” says Mathew Kulas, MA, LAc, an acupuncturist at Henry Ford Health. “How quickly and how deeply you breathe has a significant effect on the parasympathetic nervous system, which controls the body’s relaxation response.”
How You Breathe Matters
Most of us breathe in and out all day long without pausing to think about it. But it turns out that paying attention to your breath can produce big changes in both mind and body.
“When the rate of breathing is slow, our parasympathetic nervous system gets the message that everything is okay, that it’s safe to relax,” Kulas says. “Fast, shallow breathing, on the other hand, sends signals to the sympathetic nervous system that we’re in danger, and our fight, flight or freeze response kicks in.”
With time and practice, we can learn how to breathe more slowly and deliberately, which can help restore our body’s natural balance and promote wellness. In fact, studies show that lung capacity, which is developed through slow, deep breathing, is the single greatest predictor of longevity, above diet, exercise and other lifestyle factors.
Breathe Like A Baby
If you’ve ever watched a baby breathing, you’ve seen their belly rise and fall with their breath. There are plenty of reasons why newborn babies and young children default to breathing in and out through the nose, starting with survival.
Newborn babies’ throats are designed to allow them to breathe and suck at the same time, without choking. Our noses also process inhaled air differently than our mouths, and in ways that help keep us safe and healthy.
Unfortunately, some of us begin unconsciously breathing through our mouths as we grow older, and that can lead to a host of health issues ranging from bad breath and dry mouth to asthma and sleep apnea.
The Benefits Of Nose Breathing
Breathing through your nose acts as a sort of natural medical device filtering toxins, humidifying nasal passages and enhancing circulation. The only time mouth breathing is necessary is during intense exercise or when your nasal passages are blocked (from congestion, cold or allergies).
Here’s a closer look at some of the perks of nose breathing:
Breathing through your nose can also promote slower, deeper breathing. “This style of breathing recruits the vagus nerve, which regulates our fight or flight response and coaxes our bodies into a rest and digest state,” Kulas says. Practices such as qigong, acupuncture, Tai Chi and yoga achieve similar results.
Easy Breathing Strategies
Learning to breathe through your nose with targeted exercises can help increase your lung capacity, enhance respiratory function and relieve stress and anxiety.
If you find yourself mouth breathing more than you should, don’t worry. “Breathing is a foundational practice,” Kulas says. “There’s always room for improvement.” To that end, here are a few simple exercises that you can do on your own at home:
Breathing is one of those things we can all improve—and it doesn’t have to be time-consuming or difficult. “Just two to five minutes of slow, deep breathing signals the body to move out of a fight, flight or freeze state,” says Kulas. “Giving your nervous system that break once or twice each day can make a huge difference.”
https://www.henryford.com/blog
https://www.martinhigginsphysiotherapy.co.uk/how-to-stop-mouth-breathing-in-children/
Breath is the essence of life. We cannot survive without it. Yet, most of us are not breathing in a way that supports our health and well-being.
“How you breathe can make a big difference in how you feel, and it can have downstream consequences that affect other systems and tissues,” says Mathew Kulas, MA, LAc, an acupuncturist at Henry Ford Health. “How quickly and how deeply you breathe has a significant effect on the parasympathetic nervous system, which controls the body’s relaxation response.”
How You Breathe Matters
Most of us breathe in and out all day long without pausing to think about it. But it turns out that paying attention to your breath can produce big changes in both mind and body.
“When the rate of breathing is slow, our parasympathetic nervous system gets the message that everything is okay, that it’s safe to relax,” Kulas says. “Fast, shallow breathing, on the other hand, sends signals to the sympathetic nervous system that we’re in danger, and our fight, flight or freeze response kicks in.”
With time and practice, we can learn how to breathe more slowly and deliberately, which can help restore our body’s natural balance and promote wellness. In fact, studies show that lung capacity, which is developed through slow, deep breathing, is the single greatest predictor of longevity, above diet, exercise and other lifestyle factors.
Breathe Like A Baby
If you’ve ever watched a baby breathing, you’ve seen their belly rise and fall with their breath. There are plenty of reasons why newborn babies and young children default to breathing in and out through the nose, starting with survival.
Newborn babies’ throats are designed to allow them to breathe and suck at the same time, without choking. Our noses also process inhaled air differently than our mouths, and in ways that help keep us safe and healthy.
Unfortunately, some of us begin unconsciously breathing through our mouths as we grow older, and that can lead to a host of health issues ranging from bad breath and dry mouth to asthma and sleep apnea.
The Benefits Of Nose Breathing
Breathing through your nose acts as a sort of natural medical device filtering toxins, humidifying nasal passages and enhancing circulation. The only time mouth breathing is necessary is during intense exercise or when your nasal passages are blocked (from congestion, cold or allergies).
Here’s a closer look at some of the perks of nose breathing:
- It filters toxins: The hairs inside your nose (cilia), act as a natural filtration system, preventing allergens, dust and pollen from entering the lungs. With mouth breathing, everything you inhale goes straight to your lungs.
- It humidifies the air: Your nasal passages moisturize and warm the air you inhale. When the air that comes in is closer to body temperature, it’s easier for your lungs to use.
- It produces nitric oxide: Breathing through your nose, also called nasal breathing, releases nitric oxide (NO). That nitric oxide helps widen your blood vessels and makes it easier for nutrient-rich oxygenated blood to reach all of your body’s organs and tissues.
Breathing through your nose can also promote slower, deeper breathing. “This style of breathing recruits the vagus nerve, which regulates our fight or flight response and coaxes our bodies into a rest and digest state,” Kulas says. Practices such as qigong, acupuncture, Tai Chi and yoga achieve similar results.
Easy Breathing Strategies
Learning to breathe through your nose with targeted exercises can help increase your lung capacity, enhance respiratory function and relieve stress and anxiety.
If you find yourself mouth breathing more than you should, don’t worry. “Breathing is a foundational practice,” Kulas says. “There’s always room for improvement.” To that end, here are a few simple exercises that you can do on your own at home:
- Alternate nostril breathing: Just as the name implies, with alternate nostril breathing you hold one nostril closed with your finger while breathing through the other. Since you’re focused on your breathing, alternate nostril breathing can also be a meditative experience.
- Belly breathing: Also called diaphragmatic breathing or abdominal breathing, belly breathing involves taking slow, deep breaths through your nose. Inhale through your nose and feel your belly rise and fill with air. Then exhale slowly through pursed lips.
- Counting: Many religious and yogic traditions cite four to six breaths per minute as the ideal rhythm for health and wellness. “Some people breathe in for seven seconds, pause and breathe out for another seven seconds,” Kulas says. “Others do variations where they inhale for four seconds, pause for six seconds and then exhale for eight.” No matter which rhythm you choose, focus on your belly moving out in front of you on the inhale, as if someone is pulling your belly button with a string.
Breathing is one of those things we can all improve—and it doesn’t have to be time-consuming or difficult. “Just two to five minutes of slow, deep breathing signals the body to move out of a fight, flight or freeze state,” says Kulas. “Giving your nervous system that break once or twice each day can make a huge difference.”
https://www.henryford.com/blog
https://www.martinhigginsphysiotherapy.co.uk/how-to-stop-mouth-breathing-in-children/
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Seven Important Reasons
Why You Must Breathe
Through Your Nose
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Why You Must Breathe
Through Your Nose
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The nose was specially designed to breathe through. Since it was created for optimal breathing, the nose should be used for doing just that, rather than breathing through the mouth.
At least seven reasons exist for why a person should consciously breathe through their nose rather than through their mouth. In the first place, breathing through the nose just looks more attractive than breathing through the mouth. But there are also several health reasons why a person
should remember to breathe through their nose rather than through their mouth.
1. Air inhaled through the nose is both warmed and made moist at the same time. The nasal passages’ delicate tissues are prevented from drying out and kept warm at the same time, which protects the nose’s sensitive tissues.
2. Air which is exhaled through the nostrils becomes moisturized. This extra moisture reduces dehydration of the entire body, especially nasal tissues.
3. Air that is breathed directly into the lungs is not filtered. Breathing through the nose filters the air before it enters the body. Allergens, bacteria, viruses, etc. are filtered out of the body through the turbinates and other parts of the inside of the nose. The mucus of the airway linings collects potential contaminants where they are destroyed by nasal enzymes before they can enter the body and cause harm or make the body sick.
4. Breathing through the nose protects an individual’s oral health. When an individual inhales through their mouth, the gums, tongue, and oral cavity become dried out, which causes excess acids in the mouth. Extraoral acids cause the gums and teeth to decay faster. A moisturized mouth remains healthier for the long term.
5. Breathing through a person’s nose helps the facial muscles and bones develop correctly and helps develop straight teeth. When the mouth is closed, the tongue is in the proper position to help the jaw grow correctly, and teeth emerge in the right places.
6. Breathing through the nose lessens the chance of snoring, reduces the chance of sleep apnea by keeping the tongue in the correct place in the mouth, and helps give the individual a good night sleep. Sleep apnea and diabetes are associated with mouth breathing, as is heart disease.
Breathing through the nose gives the body the correct amount of filtered air that it needs to keep people sleeping peacefully through the night.
7. Nose breathing regulates the amount of air that comes into the body. Breathing through the nose allows the body to take in the proper amount of oxygen for the body’s needs.
If you routinely discover yourself breathing through your mouth, or feel like you can’t breathe through your nose, check with a specialist.
A nasal breathing specialist, such as Dr. Kapil Saigal, can determine the cause of a person’s mouth breathing and correct any problems found. Once the nasal disorder has been discovered, a person can breathe through their nose and reap the benefits.
At least seven reasons exist for why a person should consciously breathe through their nose rather than through their mouth. In the first place, breathing through the nose just looks more attractive than breathing through the mouth. But there are also several health reasons why a person
should remember to breathe through their nose rather than through their mouth.
1. Air inhaled through the nose is both warmed and made moist at the same time. The nasal passages’ delicate tissues are prevented from drying out and kept warm at the same time, which protects the nose’s sensitive tissues.
2. Air which is exhaled through the nostrils becomes moisturized. This extra moisture reduces dehydration of the entire body, especially nasal tissues.
3. Air that is breathed directly into the lungs is not filtered. Breathing through the nose filters the air before it enters the body. Allergens, bacteria, viruses, etc. are filtered out of the body through the turbinates and other parts of the inside of the nose. The mucus of the airway linings collects potential contaminants where they are destroyed by nasal enzymes before they can enter the body and cause harm or make the body sick.
4. Breathing through the nose protects an individual’s oral health. When an individual inhales through their mouth, the gums, tongue, and oral cavity become dried out, which causes excess acids in the mouth. Extraoral acids cause the gums and teeth to decay faster. A moisturized mouth remains healthier for the long term.
5. Breathing through a person’s nose helps the facial muscles and bones develop correctly and helps develop straight teeth. When the mouth is closed, the tongue is in the proper position to help the jaw grow correctly, and teeth emerge in the right places.
6. Breathing through the nose lessens the chance of snoring, reduces the chance of sleep apnea by keeping the tongue in the correct place in the mouth, and helps give the individual a good night sleep. Sleep apnea and diabetes are associated with mouth breathing, as is heart disease.
Breathing through the nose gives the body the correct amount of filtered air that it needs to keep people sleeping peacefully through the night.
7. Nose breathing regulates the amount of air that comes into the body. Breathing through the nose allows the body to take in the proper amount of oxygen for the body’s needs.
If you routinely discover yourself breathing through your mouth, or feel like you can’t breathe through your nose, check with a specialist.
A nasal breathing specialist, such as Dr. Kapil Saigal, can determine the cause of a person’s mouth breathing and correct any problems found. Once the nasal disorder has been discovered, a person can breathe through their nose and reap the benefits.
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What Happens If You Breathe
Through Your Mouth Instead of Your Nose
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Your Face Changes
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What Happens If You Breathe
Through Your Mouth Instead of Your Nose
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Your Face Changes
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The Astonishing Science and
Benefits of Nasal Breathing
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The Astonishing Science and
Benefits of Nasal Breathing
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In stressful situations, it’s always helpful to remind yourself to just breathe. That being said, if you really want to enjoy the full benefits of deep breathing, why not try a new technique?
Nasal breathing may sound like a simple method, but the technique itself is slightly complex. This is known as the nasal inspiratory technique, which can be highly beneficial to your everyday life. It takes some time and practice to execute nasal breathing properly, so we’re here to break down all of the information you need.
What is Nasal Breathing?
As we function throughout the day, we breathe as an unconscious act. Since breathing is something we’re so comfortable with, we rarely give our breathing technique a second thought.
If you begin to consider the way you breathe, you might notice the difference between nasal breathing and breathing through the mouth. Is there any benefit in doing one over the other?
The truth is, our bodies are designed to breathe nasally. When we breathe through the nose, we are essentially filtering the oxygen before it enters the lungs. Those nose hairs you might be trimming actually act to filter out dust, allergens, and other foreign particles from reaching your lungs.
Mouth breathing is sometimes an essential method when our bodies are preventing us from nose breathing. This may be due to congestion, nasal blockages, or even small nostrils. However, when you are breathing through the mouth, it does not filter the air as with your nose.
Bestselling author & fitness guru Ben Greenfield notes in his 2020 book, Boundless, that our nose hairs (otherwise known as cilia) are estimated to protect our bodies from about 20 billion particles of foreign matter each day. In addition to this effective filtration system, nasal breathing also humidifies the air you breathe in, allowing it to adjust to your body temperature (this helps the lungs be more productive).
You breathe in through your nose, and it becomes filtered and humidified, but when you release the nasal breath, it releases nitric oxide. The release of nitric oxide is beneficial for the circulation of oxygen in your body and helps expand blood vessels.
Mouth breathing on the other hand comes with unwanted side effects such as bad breath, tooth decay, snoring, and more.
So as you can see, nasal breathing is a much more natural and healthy breathing technique in comparison.
Benefits & Science Behind Nasal Breathing.
Scientists have studied nasal breathing for years, and plenty of this research shows that nasal breathing provides multiple benefits. Among these benefits, we found the most notable to be (1) improved oxygen quality, (2) improved athletic performance, (3) decreased stress/anxiety, and (4) better sleep.
1. Improved Oxygen Quality
When you breathe through your nose, the oxygen you bring into your lungs is of better quality than the oxygen you breathe in through your mouth.
As we previously mentioned, the hairs in your nose act as a filter that sterilizes incoming air before reaching your lungs. Nasal breathing also leads to nitric oxide production, which helps to open up airways and enhance the uptake of oxygen in your bloodstream.
2. Improved Athletic Performance
Many athletes are familiar with the power of nasal breathing techniques. When you’ve been exercising for a certain amount of time, it can cause you to lose your breath, leading to the need for a break or drop in performance abilities. When you breathe through your nose, it allows you to breathe slower.
This article explains the science behind slower/nose breathing for enhanced performance, noting that it “allows CO2 levels to rise before the CO2 is exhaled.” This results in a higher tolerance of CO2 when exercising, so your body is learning to perform longer with less breath.
This technique is also helpful to prevent side pain due to mouth breathing while running or exercising.
3. Decreased Stress/Anxiety
If you’ve ever experienced severe anxiety, you were likely advised to take some deep breaths. This is good advice, but it deserves a slight modification. When you’re in a stressful situation, it’s better to breathe deeply through your nose rather than your mouth. This is because mouth breathing can result in rapid, shallow breaths that may lead to hyperventilating.
However, when you breathe through your nose, it allows you to breathe slowly. This technique helps to calm your mind and fight through feelings of anxiety.
4. Better Sleep
Breathing through your nose can improve your sleep in multiple ways (it may even get rid of your snoring). Nasal breathing while asleep helps you wake up more refreshed, as it allows you to avoid dry mouth & sore throats. But overall, it can provide an improved quality of breathing that may help people with sleep disorders.
This research study from 2000 showed that improved nasal breathing could even have promising results for obstructive sleep apnea patients.
Different Nasal Breathing Techniques
While nasal breathing comes naturally to some people, it’s not as easy for everyone. If you are accustomed to breathing through your mouth and would like to transition to nasal breathing, there are a few techniques that can help.
Some of the most useful & effective techniques for nasal breathing are (1) alternate nostril breathing, (2) diaphragmatic breathing, and (3) the “breath of fire” technique.
1. Alternate Nostril Breathing
This technique is commonly used when practicing mindfulness meditation, as well as yoga. The method is pretty simple, but it requires focus to get the full benefits. To practice alternate nostril breathing, start by positioning yourself in a seated position with your back straight/tall.
Once you’re seated, relax your shoulders, place your left hand on your left knee, and press your right thumb onto your right nostril. Inhale through your left nostril, hold your breath, and then move your right finger to your left nostril.
Exhale your breath through the right nostril, then inhale through your right nostril to repeat the exercise.
2. Diaphragmatic Breathing
This breathing technique is also known as belly breathing or abdominal breathing. This technique can provide benefits like slowing your heart rate, reducing stress levels, and helping to clear your mind. The method is simple, so here’s how it works.
Start by positioning yourself in a seated, upright position (or you can lay down) with relaxed shoulders. Ensure your mouth is closed to avoid any mouth breathing and place one hand on your stomach, then place your other hand on your chest. Inhale slowly through your nose, focusing the breath towards your stomach.
You can be sure you’re doing it correctly if you feel the sensation of your belly rising as it fills with air and your chest remains in place. Exhale, then repeat as needed.
3. Breath of Fire
This technique may take some practice, but it’s a helpful method to improve concentration and respiratory function. Begin this exercise by sitting up straight with relaxed shoulders.
Take both of your hands and place them on your stomach with your palms facing upward. Close your mouth and take a deep breath through your nose, allowing your stomach to expand as it fills with air. Then quickly exhale through your nose with force, allowing your stomach to move back in.
Continue this cycle without stopping, and try to find a nice rhythm with your breathing. Once you’ve achieved a rhythm, increase your intensity. It is recommended that once you speed up your rhythm, repeat for 30 seconds.
4. BONUS: Triangle Breathe
Our good friend Dan Brulé introduces a basic breathwork exercise in the video below called triangle breathe.
Since 1970, Dan Brulé has personally trained over 250,000 people in 67 countries to use breath and breathing for self-improvement, self-healing, and spiritual awakening. He has trained Olympic athletes, elite warriors and martial artists. He coaches leading medical experts, corporate executives, and peak performers including Tony Robbins.
Exercises like these can provide numerous benefits including: increasing energy, enhancing mental clarity, boosting mood, detoxifying the body and more!
How Essential Oils Can Improve Nasal Breathing & Airflow
While some people find it easy to adjust to nasal breathing, it’s different for every person. People with respiratory conditions or occasional breathing issues may benefit from the use of essential oils.
Essential oils have been studied for years, and research shows that they can provide therapeutic benefits for people who struggle with nasal breathing or have other breathing issues. While you may be used to common medications used to treat congestion, essential oils provide a natural alternative that can be very effective.
Over-the-counter medications may work, but they can also come with unwanted side effects such as drowsiness, high blood pressure, or rapid heart rate. To avoid these side effects, many people prefer natural solutions like essential oils to help improve their nasal breathing and airflow.
Certain essential oils such as peppermint, frankincense, and tea tree oil can improve your breathing & airflow. These oils work by providing anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and allergy-fighting properties to help relieve symptoms of congestion & open your airflow. They are commonly used through aromatherapy, which allows you to inhale the aroma of the essential oil to open up your airways and offer immediate relief.
Nasal breathing is a helpful skill that can improve your daily life in multiple ways. If you aren’t comfortable with nasal breathing just yet, you can practice using the exercises we shared.
Also, if you want to try essential oils to help improve your airflow and clear your sinuses with nasal breathing, be sure to check out our collection of Nasal Inhalers here.
https://boomboomnaturals.com/blogs/news/nasal-breathing
Nasal breathing may sound like a simple method, but the technique itself is slightly complex. This is known as the nasal inspiratory technique, which can be highly beneficial to your everyday life. It takes some time and practice to execute nasal breathing properly, so we’re here to break down all of the information you need.
What is Nasal Breathing?
As we function throughout the day, we breathe as an unconscious act. Since breathing is something we’re so comfortable with, we rarely give our breathing technique a second thought.
If you begin to consider the way you breathe, you might notice the difference between nasal breathing and breathing through the mouth. Is there any benefit in doing one over the other?
The truth is, our bodies are designed to breathe nasally. When we breathe through the nose, we are essentially filtering the oxygen before it enters the lungs. Those nose hairs you might be trimming actually act to filter out dust, allergens, and other foreign particles from reaching your lungs.
Mouth breathing is sometimes an essential method when our bodies are preventing us from nose breathing. This may be due to congestion, nasal blockages, or even small nostrils. However, when you are breathing through the mouth, it does not filter the air as with your nose.
Bestselling author & fitness guru Ben Greenfield notes in his 2020 book, Boundless, that our nose hairs (otherwise known as cilia) are estimated to protect our bodies from about 20 billion particles of foreign matter each day. In addition to this effective filtration system, nasal breathing also humidifies the air you breathe in, allowing it to adjust to your body temperature (this helps the lungs be more productive).
You breathe in through your nose, and it becomes filtered and humidified, but when you release the nasal breath, it releases nitric oxide. The release of nitric oxide is beneficial for the circulation of oxygen in your body and helps expand blood vessels.
Mouth breathing on the other hand comes with unwanted side effects such as bad breath, tooth decay, snoring, and more.
So as you can see, nasal breathing is a much more natural and healthy breathing technique in comparison.
Benefits & Science Behind Nasal Breathing.
Scientists have studied nasal breathing for years, and plenty of this research shows that nasal breathing provides multiple benefits. Among these benefits, we found the most notable to be (1) improved oxygen quality, (2) improved athletic performance, (3) decreased stress/anxiety, and (4) better sleep.
1. Improved Oxygen Quality
When you breathe through your nose, the oxygen you bring into your lungs is of better quality than the oxygen you breathe in through your mouth.
As we previously mentioned, the hairs in your nose act as a filter that sterilizes incoming air before reaching your lungs. Nasal breathing also leads to nitric oxide production, which helps to open up airways and enhance the uptake of oxygen in your bloodstream.
2. Improved Athletic Performance
Many athletes are familiar with the power of nasal breathing techniques. When you’ve been exercising for a certain amount of time, it can cause you to lose your breath, leading to the need for a break or drop in performance abilities. When you breathe through your nose, it allows you to breathe slower.
This article explains the science behind slower/nose breathing for enhanced performance, noting that it “allows CO2 levels to rise before the CO2 is exhaled.” This results in a higher tolerance of CO2 when exercising, so your body is learning to perform longer with less breath.
This technique is also helpful to prevent side pain due to mouth breathing while running or exercising.
3. Decreased Stress/Anxiety
If you’ve ever experienced severe anxiety, you were likely advised to take some deep breaths. This is good advice, but it deserves a slight modification. When you’re in a stressful situation, it’s better to breathe deeply through your nose rather than your mouth. This is because mouth breathing can result in rapid, shallow breaths that may lead to hyperventilating.
However, when you breathe through your nose, it allows you to breathe slowly. This technique helps to calm your mind and fight through feelings of anxiety.
4. Better Sleep
Breathing through your nose can improve your sleep in multiple ways (it may even get rid of your snoring). Nasal breathing while asleep helps you wake up more refreshed, as it allows you to avoid dry mouth & sore throats. But overall, it can provide an improved quality of breathing that may help people with sleep disorders.
This research study from 2000 showed that improved nasal breathing could even have promising results for obstructive sleep apnea patients.
Different Nasal Breathing Techniques
While nasal breathing comes naturally to some people, it’s not as easy for everyone. If you are accustomed to breathing through your mouth and would like to transition to nasal breathing, there are a few techniques that can help.
Some of the most useful & effective techniques for nasal breathing are (1) alternate nostril breathing, (2) diaphragmatic breathing, and (3) the “breath of fire” technique.
1. Alternate Nostril Breathing
This technique is commonly used when practicing mindfulness meditation, as well as yoga. The method is pretty simple, but it requires focus to get the full benefits. To practice alternate nostril breathing, start by positioning yourself in a seated position with your back straight/tall.
Once you’re seated, relax your shoulders, place your left hand on your left knee, and press your right thumb onto your right nostril. Inhale through your left nostril, hold your breath, and then move your right finger to your left nostril.
Exhale your breath through the right nostril, then inhale through your right nostril to repeat the exercise.
2. Diaphragmatic Breathing
This breathing technique is also known as belly breathing or abdominal breathing. This technique can provide benefits like slowing your heart rate, reducing stress levels, and helping to clear your mind. The method is simple, so here’s how it works.
Start by positioning yourself in a seated, upright position (or you can lay down) with relaxed shoulders. Ensure your mouth is closed to avoid any mouth breathing and place one hand on your stomach, then place your other hand on your chest. Inhale slowly through your nose, focusing the breath towards your stomach.
You can be sure you’re doing it correctly if you feel the sensation of your belly rising as it fills with air and your chest remains in place. Exhale, then repeat as needed.
3. Breath of Fire
This technique may take some practice, but it’s a helpful method to improve concentration and respiratory function. Begin this exercise by sitting up straight with relaxed shoulders.
Take both of your hands and place them on your stomach with your palms facing upward. Close your mouth and take a deep breath through your nose, allowing your stomach to expand as it fills with air. Then quickly exhale through your nose with force, allowing your stomach to move back in.
Continue this cycle without stopping, and try to find a nice rhythm with your breathing. Once you’ve achieved a rhythm, increase your intensity. It is recommended that once you speed up your rhythm, repeat for 30 seconds.
4. BONUS: Triangle Breathe
Our good friend Dan Brulé introduces a basic breathwork exercise in the video below called triangle breathe.
Since 1970, Dan Brulé has personally trained over 250,000 people in 67 countries to use breath and breathing for self-improvement, self-healing, and spiritual awakening. He has trained Olympic athletes, elite warriors and martial artists. He coaches leading medical experts, corporate executives, and peak performers including Tony Robbins.
Exercises like these can provide numerous benefits including: increasing energy, enhancing mental clarity, boosting mood, detoxifying the body and more!
How Essential Oils Can Improve Nasal Breathing & Airflow
While some people find it easy to adjust to nasal breathing, it’s different for every person. People with respiratory conditions or occasional breathing issues may benefit from the use of essential oils.
Essential oils have been studied for years, and research shows that they can provide therapeutic benefits for people who struggle with nasal breathing or have other breathing issues. While you may be used to common medications used to treat congestion, essential oils provide a natural alternative that can be very effective.
Over-the-counter medications may work, but they can also come with unwanted side effects such as drowsiness, high blood pressure, or rapid heart rate. To avoid these side effects, many people prefer natural solutions like essential oils to help improve their nasal breathing and airflow.
Certain essential oils such as peppermint, frankincense, and tea tree oil can improve your breathing & airflow. These oils work by providing anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and allergy-fighting properties to help relieve symptoms of congestion & open your airflow. They are commonly used through aromatherapy, which allows you to inhale the aroma of the essential oil to open up your airways and offer immediate relief.
Nasal breathing is a helpful skill that can improve your daily life in multiple ways. If you aren’t comfortable with nasal breathing just yet, you can practice using the exercises we shared.
Also, if you want to try essential oils to help improve your airflow and clear your sinuses with nasal breathing, be sure to check out our collection of Nasal Inhalers here.
https://boomboomnaturals.com/blogs/news/nasal-breathing
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James Nestor
Breath:
The New Science of a Lost Art
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“A fascinating scientific, cultural, spiritual and evolutionary history of the way humans breathe - and how we’ve all been doing it wrong for a long, long time.”
(Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Big Magic and Eat Pray Love)
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No matter what you eat, how much you exercise,
how skinny or young or wise you are,
none of it matters if you’re not breathing properly.
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There is nothing more essential to our health and well-being than breathing: Take air in, let it out, repeat 25,000 times a day. Yet, as a species, humans have lost the ability to breathe correctly, with grave consequences.
Journalist James Nestor travels the world to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it.
The answers aren’t found in pulmonology labs, as we might expect, but in the muddy digs of ancient burial sites, secret Soviet facilities, New Jersey choir schools, and the smoggy streets of São Paulo.
Nestor tracks down men and women exploring the hidden science behind ancient breathing practices like Pranayama, Sudarshan Kriya, and Tummo and teams up with pulmonary tinkerers to scientifically test long-held beliefs about how we breathe.
Modern research is showing us that making even slight adjustments to the way we inhale and exhale can jump-start athletic performance; rejuvenate internal organs; halt snoring, asthma, and autoimmune disease; and even straighten scoliotic spines.
None of this should be possible, and yet it is.
Drawing on thousands of years of medical texts and recent cutting-edge studies in pulmonology, psychology, biochemistry, and human physiology, Breath turns the conventional wisdom of what we thought we knew about our most basic biological function on its head.
You will never breathe the same again.
🌸
Breath:
The New Science of a Lost Art
🌸
“A fascinating scientific, cultural, spiritual and evolutionary history of the way humans breathe - and how we’ve all been doing it wrong for a long, long time.”
(Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Big Magic and Eat Pray Love)
🌸
No matter what you eat, how much you exercise,
how skinny or young or wise you are,
none of it matters if you’re not breathing properly.
🌸
There is nothing more essential to our health and well-being than breathing: Take air in, let it out, repeat 25,000 times a day. Yet, as a species, humans have lost the ability to breathe correctly, with grave consequences.
Journalist James Nestor travels the world to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it.
The answers aren’t found in pulmonology labs, as we might expect, but in the muddy digs of ancient burial sites, secret Soviet facilities, New Jersey choir schools, and the smoggy streets of São Paulo.
Nestor tracks down men and women exploring the hidden science behind ancient breathing practices like Pranayama, Sudarshan Kriya, and Tummo and teams up with pulmonary tinkerers to scientifically test long-held beliefs about how we breathe.
Modern research is showing us that making even slight adjustments to the way we inhale and exhale can jump-start athletic performance; rejuvenate internal organs; halt snoring, asthma, and autoimmune disease; and even straighten scoliotic spines.
None of this should be possible, and yet it is.
Drawing on thousands of years of medical texts and recent cutting-edge studies in pulmonology, psychology, biochemistry, and human physiology, Breath turns the conventional wisdom of what we thought we knew about our most basic biological function on its head.
You will never breathe the same again.
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The Book to Order
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James Nestor
Breath:
The New Science of a Lost Art
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https://www.thriftbooks.com/browse/?
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James Nestor
Breath:
The New Science of a Lost Art
🌸
https://www.thriftbooks.com/browse/?
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