The New Science of Breathing

It seems like hardly a week goes by that there is not some breaking news regarding new discoveries regarding the breath and the impact that it has on the different dimensions of our lives.

The world's oldest cultures did not concern themselves with the "how" behind breathing, but clearly understood the power and potential that it holds with regards to our health, performance, and emotional/spiritual well-being. Our skeptical western minds however have been busily trying to understand the "how" of breathing and its remarkable impact on nearly everything that we do.

This week there has been a new discovery. Scientists in England discovered that brain cells called astrocytes are able to "taste" arterial blood as it enter the brain and determine the relative levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide. The astrocytes then secrete a chemical messenger called ATP which then signals the brain to regulate the breathing process. The astrocytes are apparently able to adjust and adapt to different situations and environments.

Researchers are hopeful that this new breakthrough will lead to better understanding and treatments for respiratory malfunctions such as Sudden Infant Death syndrome and others.

The good news is that as each new piece of the puzzle falls into place, more and more people are awakening to this powerful resource that is readily available to them every minute of every day.

How to Improve Your Memory (hint: Breathe!)

I have to say that for as much of a flag-waving proponent of the amazing effects of conscious breathing techniques (CBTs) as I am, I've always been a bit skeptical of some of the techniques and claims.

Alternate nostril breathing techniques fall into that category. I've never seen the kind of convincing studies that have proven many of the other claims around CBTs. But now we have the YOU docs - Drs. Mehmet Oz and Mike Roizen making some pretty bold claims around improving memory using left nostril breathing in the ezine "healthzone.ca."

According to healthzone.ca "undergraduates who did left-nostril breathing before a memory test scored 16 per cent higher than those who didn't. And left-nostril breathing improved spatial memory scores in kids by 43 per cent." What is really quite fascinating is that right nostril breathing had no effect (on those tests). We'll have to wait for the sequel to find out if right nostril breathing can help me write that hit song!

You might want to read the whole article. Now where are those car keys...

Healthier Living & Better Breathing with Health Txts

Our good friend Fred Muench over at Mobile Health Interventions just let us know about a great new service they have just recently launched called Health Txts. This handy new service allows you to have specialized messages sent to your mobile device to help you change behaviors and reach your goals more quickly. Message categories span the spectrum - everything from healthy eating and exercise, reducing drinking and drug use, gambling and smoking cessation, to stress management and dental hygiene. Health Care professionals can even create customized programs for their own clients!

This type of messaging has been shown to be a powerful way of behavior modification as it is constantly available and can help guide you through your weakest moments. Best of all, it is free during their launch.

Fred has a lot of experience in this area. He was one of the brains behind the Stress Eraser, a cool biofeedback device for triggering the body's natural relaxation response through guided breathing. He was also one of the key contributors to the Breath Pacer mobile application, which also helps to develop the habit of slow deep breathing.

These are great products that we highly recommend. If you are serious about improving your health, performance, and emotional well-being, learn to develop your most powerful asset - your breath. It can make a world of difference in every dimension of your life.

Please check out our website for more great product information.

New Perfect Breathing Workbook and Guided Relaxation CD NOW AVAILABLE!

Just in time for the holidays!

If you've been enjoying Perfect Breathing: Transform Your Life One Breath at a Time ($19.95), you'll want to pick up our new companion workbook, Perfect Breathing: A 28-Day Transformation to Better Living ($17.95), and our new Perfect Breathing Guided Relaxation CD ($12.95). Just head to the Products section of www.perfectbreath.com. We're now shopping-cart equipped!

Take advantage of our gift-pack specials: Get our hardbound Perfect Breathing book, the workbook and CD for only $39.95! If you already have the book, get the workbook and CD for only $24.95. Order now! Click here for all the details!

Digital downloads of our Perfect Breathing Guided RelaxationCD will also available shortly at CDBaby.com. click to www.cdbaby.com/cd/perfectbreathing

health science

6 Lessons from a Month of Better Breathing

Joe Kita, a respected health fitness author, wrapped up his month-long exploration of mindful breathing, and his verdict is in. Joe has been blogging his findings on his Core Performance One Small Change site using core info from our book, "Perfect Breathing."

We're happy to report that he found great benefit in breath awareness. Over the course of the month of July, he used mindful breathing techniques for Sleep, Game-Day, Pressure, Performance and Healing. Though his results ranged from spectacular to mixed (in other words, for him the jury's still out), he arrived at one thought that we felt was particularly salient:

"A yoga teacher once told me that control of the breath leads to control of the body," he wrote,
"which eventually leads to control of the mind. This experiment helped me understand more fully what she meant. When I was regulating my breath, I could feel my heart rate slow and muscle tension depart, which, in turn, helped me relax and focus."

For that alone, developing breath awareness and learning some simple mindful breathing techniques is worth the minimal effort it requires. And no gym membership, new sneakers or special diet is required!

We are thrilled and grateful for Joe's interest in our work. We hope you'll do your own 30-day breathing experiment. We think you'll find the results dramatic, and will give you a valuable tool you can use in everyday life -- even if you've never set foot in a yoga studio or studied meditation. Mindful breathing is for everybody.

Read Joe's full breathing series here. And don't forget to visit www.perfectbreath.com

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Excess Belly Fat Inhibits Breathing

If you were waiting around for just one more reason to lose those extra pounds, the wait (weight?) is over! We already know that if you are a woman with a waist size greater than 35 inches, or if you are man with a waist greater than 40 inches, you have a higher probability of diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and a host of other health issues that are collectively known as metabolic syndrome. But now French researchers have shown that abdominal obesity is strongly linked to decreased lung function as well.

Why an over-abundant belly impairs breathing is not fully understood, but researcher speculate that the additional fat increases inflammation in the body while decreasing the body's ability to deal with it. It may also change the way the diaphragm and chest function. Everyone agrees that the relationship needs to be better understood.

The good news is that that battle of the bulge can be won through exercise and proper diet - and now is the perfect time to start shaping up for summer and the rest of your life!

To get the full story, you can read Sara Dun's post in the Phoenix Health News Examiner.

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Breathing and Weight Loss

Here is something new. Through the miracle of modern technology, it is now possible to very accurately determine how many calories you can burn every day based on your breath. The breath is the fuel that your body burns to create energy. By precisely measuring your breath, you can calculate how much food you can safely eat and still lose or maintain your weight. Read the full story here.

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Mindfullness and Breathing Ease Work Stress

We've been saying it for years, but it bears repeating in these especially stressful times: Your breath is the most powerful weapon you have to counteract the host of negative effects that chronic stress has on your mind, body, and emotions. Anxiety, depression, exhaustion, high blood pressure, cholesterol problems, as well as decreased immune function are just a few of the common maladies related to chronic stress.

A recent study at West Virginia University aimed at learning how to best handle stress in the workplace found that participants who learned and practiced mindfulness techniques like breathing, yoga, and meditation improved their health after just 3 months.

"They had significantly less daily hassles, psychological distress and significantly fewer medical symptoms," says lead investigator Kimberly Williams.

Read the full story here.

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Neckties & Breathing

We had to laugh at a recent post by writer James Protsman in Manitowoc, Wisconsin's Scene magazine. The title of his piece, "It's Time For A Fashion Necktie Party," railed against the wearing of neckties. Of late, we've had several inquiries about the sartorial effect of some clothing on breathing (i.e., belts and neckties).

Turns out, there are legitimate reasons you're asked to wear loose-fitting clothing in yoga and other workout classes. Rants Mr. Protsman, a university instructor for the University of Wisconsin:

"During the years I wore a tie and wanted to relax after a hard day of work, the first thing I instinctively did was remove my tie. This has a relaxing effect on body and mind that millions of tie-wearers will readily attest to.

"There is a reason for this relaxing effect: better breathing. Long ago animal researchers interested in testing the complex nerve pathways that control breathing discovered that if you touch the larynx of some animals (including dogs) it inhibits breathing. One reason physiologists study dogs is because their physiology in many ways is similar to that of humans.

"The discovery about the larynx and breathing was published but nobody checked to see if this breathing reaction was true for humans.

"Verbal breathing, the special kind of breathing we do when we produce word sounds, suffered a lot. When I checked how many words I could read in a single inhalation, which is a simple measure of reading prowess, it was far less than when the larynx was untouched. Singing and speaking were worse because of poor breath support.

"It is harder to produce word sounds when anything touches the larynx. Because of this, the operational speed and quality of every word-based cognitive process declines. It is actually not necessary to touch the larynx to get these grossly depressing effects. A touch anywhere on the neck does the same thing, especially when the area over the windpipe is touched.

"You need to prove this yourself. With neck bare, untouched by anything, sing a song or read out loud or silently, then touch your neck anywhere and try these activities again. You should notice touching the neck makes word production more difficult. When something touches the neck, the pressure, no matter how slight, causes neck muscles to reflectively tense.

"This is a pressure reflex. It seems to be a defense mechanism to protect the windpipe and arteries in the neck from attack. Neck muscles stay tensed until the pressure is removed. A tensed neck makes it harder to move the air formation of word sounds when speaking, reading, thinking, etc. Because of this pressure reflex, the necktie has to go whenever a male wants to be at his mental and vocal best."

We'd like to add our vote to the ban-the-necktie movement! Tell your boss they're a health hazard!

For the full article click here

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Beat the heat with simple breathing exercises

It's getting to be that season when temperatures warm up. The Times of India (where they know hot...) offers some simple remedies to beat the heat by simply using your breath.

The simplest and easiest is:

Sheetkari pranayam

Breathe in through the mouth and out through the nose.

To breathe in, open the lips as wide as you can, exposing the teeth and gums. Touch the teeth together. As you breathe in air will go through the teeth, instantly cooled by your saliva. Then close your mouth and breath out through the nose. If you are doing it right you will immediately feel the coolness go right down your body.

It also strengthens weak teeth and gums. (Go figure...)

This one also works, but takes some visualization:

Visualization and breathing

This is a fun way to cool down in the worst heat. Visualize yourself in a lovely cool place like walking in the snow, or a cool wind blowing. Visualize every detail of the place, making the visualization as clear as possible. Focus on feeling the coolness of the wind or snow.

Breathing normally, imagine that with every breath you are breathing in the chill of the air and it is filling you with coolness. In just a few minutes you should be relaxed and comfortable, and very cool no matter how hot the summer.

For the full article click here

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