The lost art of breathing The Documentary Podcast
After recovering from pneumonia for the third time, journalist James Nestor took decisive action to improve his lungs. He questioned why so many humans – and only humans – have to contend with stuffy noses, snoring, asthma, allergies, sinusitis, and sleep apnoea, to name but a few. James hears remarkable stories of others who have changed their lives through the power of breath. His deep dive into the unconscious and oft-ignored act of human respiration offers us all a way to breathe easier.
So now what I’d like you to do is to start walking with your mouths closed just walking with your mouths closed so you’re walking with your mouths closed so we’re gonna do one minute of walking as you’re walking I would like you to start slowing down your breathing. Nose Breathing – Walking With Mouth Closed – Oxygen Advantage
So I’d like you to bring your attention out of the brats out of your mind onto your breathing I’d like you to feel the slightly colder air as it comes into your nose the slightly warmer air as it leaves your nose and I’d like you to start softening your breaths as you breathe in that your tummy gently moves out and as you breathe out your tummy gently moves in.
I want you to take attention out of the mind onto your breathing not to hold your breath not to freeze your breathing but just take your attention out of the mind onto your breaths and to allow your breath to soften I want you to soften your bread to the point that you feel air hunger I want you to soften your breath to the point do you feel that you’re not getting enough air can you take your attention out of the mind follow your breathing slow down your breathing use your diaphragm and place your attention on your breaths it’s good for concentration and it’s good for breathing retraining.
Now what I would like you to do is to block one nostril and walk a little bit faster so with one nostril blocked you’re concentrating all of the airflows through one nostril this one makes it easier to feel your breathing this will make it easier to follow your breathing as you feel the airflow coming in out of one nostril gently slow down your breathing to the point that you feel AR hunger so the objective is that you’re taking less air into your body than what you feel you need taking less air into your body than what you feel you need so gently continue following your breath feeling your breathing sensing your breaths.
So we do this for about one to two minutes if your mind wanders off bring your attention back to your breathing so this is an exercise in concentration how long can you keep your mind focused on your brats modern life is causing a complete distraction distracted by mobile phones internet technology emails Facebook training the brain to be distracted how do you train the brain to be concentrated you follow you’re breathing the more you follow your breathing you’re paying attention to something exclusively without distraction for a period of time that trains the brain as your concentration improves your focus improves as your focus improves your ability to enter the zone improves so if the mind wanders off to bring your attention back on to the breath.
The more your mind wanders the more you should do meditation the more your mind is agitated the more you should do meditation is simply focusing and following the breathing this is doing two things you’re taking your attention out of the mind onto your breaths but also you’re building up co2 in the blood carbon dioxide has a calming effect on the brain carbon dioxide will open up blood vessels and carbon dioxide will cause the right shift of the oxyhemoglobin dissociation curve and more oxygen gets released to the cells slow breathing soft breathing Karen breathing gentle breathing and relaxed breathing so now I’d like you to let go of your nose and to breed using both nostrils
