Ben Coomber Radio 599: Less Oxygen is Better with Patrick McKeown
The Genius Life 154: Changing How You Breathe Can Change Your Life with James Nestor
Breathing is something we do unconsciously and give very little forethought to. But according to recent studies and long anecdotal reports, it is something we should give more conscious thought to in order to help us reach more relaxed states of the body and mind.
I first learned about the power of the breath when reading Scott Carneys book What Doesn’t Kill Us, about the Dutch iceman Wim Hof and his astounding achievements which he ascribes to his breathing techniques. These techniques can be learned, and there is a huge amount of value in them. I would recommend to dig deeper into these techniques and try some out for yourself.
But for the every day person in the street, there are simpler applications to follow for extremely important reasons in todays virus feared climate.
There are two airway paths to the lungs. Through the mouth or the nose. When we are born, automatic natural breathing occurs through the nasal passage. But as we age, we somehow become lazy with our breathing, and many people change to become mouth breathers. This is often because it’s easier to breath that way due to a more open pathway.
It’s easy to return to nasal breathing with training and a little knowledge which can be learned from these podcasts.
Here are a few relevant facts to know about nasal breathing.:
- The nasal cavity is the only airway which filters air going into the lungs.
- Improved aerobic capacity and muscular strength.
- Reduced oxidative stress.
- Increased oxygen capacity.
- Reduced lactic acid and fatigue.
- Improved and deeper sleep.
If you want to know more about this natural and free pathway to increased health, you can listen to the podcasts, or research the work of Patrick Mckeown, James Nestor, or the great Iceman himself, Wim Hof.