⭐ Key notes

1. Breathe through your nose.
2. Breathe less – limit inhales and extend exhales.
3. Increase lung capacity.
4. Chew more.

👃🏽 Nose vs Mouth

Benefits of nose breathing

• More oxygen.
• Better sleep and less snoring.
• Less nasal congestion.
• Lower blood pressure.
• Increased focus, energy and well-being.
• Increased mental clarity.
• Increased athletic performance.
• Better aligned jaw and facial structure.

Why the nose

• The nose purifies, heats, moistens, and pressurises the air.
• These changes increase oxygen absorption by 10-15%.
• Nasal breathing increases nitric oxid levels by 6x. More nitric oxide leads to bette blood circulation and energy.
• Hum while exhaling to increase nitric oxide levels even further.

Reduce nasal congestion

1. Exhale through your nose.
2. Pinch nose shut and hold your breath.
3. Shake your head from left to right (to keep mind off holding your breath).
4. Once you have an intense sensation that you have to breathe – take a slow, controlled breath through your nose.
5. Repeat until you can easily breathe through your nose.

🔄 Optimal Breathing Pattern

Breathe less, not more

• Fewer breaths result in more carbon dioxide.
• Higher levels of carbon dioxide is associated with greater oxygen absorption.
• To build up carbon dioxide, breathe lighter and less frequently.

Perfect breath: 5.5 seconds in, 5.5 seconds out

• The optimum amount of air at rest is 5.5 litres.
• The optimum breathing rate is 5.5 breaths per minute – 5.5 second inhales and 5.5 second exhales.

Exhale to relax

• The heart speeds up when inhaling and slows down when exhaling.
• During exhalation, blood flows back through the body and calms your mental state.

Increase lung capactity

• Lungs can be strengthened like a muscle.
• Moderate and consistent exercise – walking and cycling.
• Breathe deeply.
• Increased lung capacity has been cited as an indicator of life span.

🔀 Nostril Breathing

Left nostril: rest, relaxation, creativity

• Breathe through left nostril before meals.
• Left nostril breaks the system.
• Relaxation and reduced anxiety.
• Cools body.
• Lowers blood pressure.
• Creativity.

Right nostril: alertness, logic, fight or flight

• Breathe through right nostril before meals to heat body and aid digestion.
• Triggers fight or flight response.
• Increased alertness, logic and computing.

💨 Breathing Exercises

Navy Seal Box Breathing

1. Inhale for 4 seconds.
2. Hold breath for 4 sencds.
3. Exhale for 4 seconds.
4. Hold breath for 4 seconds.
5. Repeat.

Surya bhedana pranayama – focus and balance

1. Inhale through right nostril.
2. Hold for a few seconds.
3. Exhale through left nostril

Wim Hof Method

1. Inhale deeply through nose.
2. Exhale deeply.
3. Repeat for 30 continous breaths.
4. Fully exhale as much as possible.
5. Hold exhaled breath for as long as possible.
6. Inhale fully and hold for 15 seconds.
7. Repeat.

Tummo breathing technique – reset immune system

1. Sit with good posture, closed eyes, and hands resting over stomach.
2. Relax the mind.
3. Visualise a fire in your stomach.
4. Inhale deeply through nose, expanding the torso and chest. Imagine the oxygen is fuelling the fire.
5. Exhale strongly through mouth, as if blowing through a straw.
6. Repeat for five breaths.
7. Swallow gently, to push breath down with the diaphragm.
8. Exhale after holding breath as long as possible.
9. Repeat for a few rounds.

Holotropic breathwork – rewire the mind

1. Lie down in a safe environment.
2. Close eyes and release tension in muscles.
3. Take a fwe relaxing breaths.
4. Deepen breathing by inhaling through nose and pushing stomach out as far as possible.
5. Speed up breath.
6. Countinue breathing in a rhythm.

Hypoventilation – underbreathing

1. Run as fast as possible whilst holding breath.
2. Take a few huffs.
3. Repeat.

👄 Chewing

• Soft food and lack of chewing is making our mouths smaller.
• More chewing releases stem cells and leads to stronger bones.