Good Vibes - All about Breathing

2021 was a year of true grit and resilience.

For some it was a really challenging year. Some people lost a lot. Some people really fought hard to keep their heads above water. If this is you, trust that a blessing is around the corner. It’s the Law of the Universe and it’s infallible.

For some, it was a year of growth, new beginnings, pivots, clarity, simplicity. Maybe life got a little bit better for you. If this is you, go be a blessing to someone who needs it.

Or maybe you’re somewhere in-between. You took the punches and you also enjoyed the victories. You cried, you laughed, you won, you lost. In the end, you’re still standing, maybe even a little stronger.

However you experienced the past year, know in your heart that it set you up perfectly for what’s to come. May 2022 be your year to enjoy the fruits of your labour.

There is nothing new about the importance of breathing. Just a few minutes of oxygen deprivation is enough to destroy the brain’s ability to process incoming information forever. It is not just important THAT we breathe, but also HOW we breathe. If the way we breathe is just slightly out of balance, over time it will lead to severe negative consequences, since we breathe round the clock.

I have tried to provide many toolkits and articles on breathing and protocols in this issue.

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Stay strong, stay fit and stay healthy.

Thanks

In our last two issues, we shared about 100 Day Health Challenge 2.0 that starts on January 15. If you missed reading about it, visit www.sandeepmall.com/about-the-challenge 

In first three days of the registration, nearly 700 people have signed up. We are super excited about a tribe of 1000 of us taking this journey together to fitter self. Have you signed up yet? 

To register, visit www.sandeepmall.com/health_challenge

Supported by Paytm, the challenge has several exciting prizes in three core categories:

Below 40

40 and above 

Women 

If you have already signed up for the challenge, welcome onboard an exciting fitness journey with 999 other. Do encourage your friends and family to sign up to build a fun-filled virtual community. 

In case of any query about the Challenge or to sponsor prizes for the winners, write to us at healthchallenge@sandeepmall.com 

Answering yes to even one of these questions means that you are over- breathing. These are typical symptoms of what happens when the amount of air we breathe in, is more than what we need. Just as over-eating is bad for body, so is over-breathing. 

I realized, a few months ago, that I also over-breathe. Breathing was something which never came to my mind whenever I thought of a fit life for myself. Then one day I came across an article about breathing that caught my eye. I was experiencing waking up at night thirsty. I was snoring. And many days I woke up tired and groggy despite sleeping for eight hours. This led to lot of reading and listening to podcasts on correct way of breathing. And it just changed the whole perspective towards a healthy and fit me. 

We can survive without food for weeks and without water for days but not even a few minutes without air. We give so much attention to food for a healthy body but seldom is any attention paid to how we breathe.

I, like most people, always thought or was advised that taking in large amounts of air into the lungs during rest will increase oxygen content in the blood. Based on this understanding, I would take deep breaths during rest and training, especially after a run when the body was over taxed. Now I realise that I have been doing completely opposite of what should have been done. This habit was, in fact, diminishing my performance and recovery. As counterintuitive it may seem, the urge to take deeper breaths when we hit the wall during exercise, does not provide more oxygen to muscles but reduces oxygenation. 

Because of the Covid pandemic, all homes now have Oximeter and we know that we are fine if we have oxygen saturation of 95-99 percent.  The idea of taking bigger breaths, to inhale more oxygen, is like providing more food for energy to an individual who is already eating enough for his/her caloric needs. Our goal should be to let this oxygen reach muscles and brain efficiently for a healthy, energetic life. And Carbon di-oxide is the doorway which lets oxygen reach your muscles. When we breathe, in excess of what is required, then too much Co2 is exhaled from the lungs and thus is removed from the blood. If your blood saturation is normal and you constantly feel tired or fatigued, you may be breathing wrong. Not enough oxygen is being released from your blood to your tissues and muscles. This happens because too much Co2 has been expelled from the body. You will feel lethargic and exhausted. 

In 1904, Danish physiologist Christian Bohr discovered the Bohr Effect, which in simple terms is Haemoglobin releases oxygen when in presence of Carbon dioxide.  Over breathing limits the release of oxygen from the blood and in turn effects how well our muscles are able to work. 

Note your time. The ideal BOLT score for a healthy individual should be 40 seconds. Most people manage 20 seconds or less. I managed 23 when I tried it the first time. Now it has improved to 30 seconds.

“Our breath is linked to our emotions. For every emotion, there is a particular rhythm in the breath. So, when you cannot directly harness your emotions, with the help of the breath you can do that”.– Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

In today’s fast paced life people live without being aware of how many breaths they take in a minute. Correct breathing techniques play a vital role in any workout regimen. It is therefore necessary to understand and practice correct breathing techniques. Pranayama trains the lungs and improves the capacity of respiratory system immensely. Pranayama directly works on the nervous system. Daily Pranayama has positive effect on Autonomous Nervous System which controls and governs essential functions of the body like the heart rate, respiration and blood pressure. Other benefits of Pranayama’s are as follows: 

Prana refers to the universal life force and ayama means to regulate or lengthen. Daily practice of Pranayama is a holistic wellness for mind, body and soul.

Based on different areas of respiratory system, various types of pranayama are:

Natural Breathing, Basic Abdominal Breathing, Thoracic Breathing, Clavicular Breathing and Deep Breathing.

Each pranayama has its own benefit as well as contraindications; Hence, should be practiced under supervision of a qualified teacher.

Let’s start with the basics:

We normally inhale and exhale for approximately 1 ½ half hours from one nostril and then unconsciously the other nostril takes over for the same period. This pranayama is practised to regulate the natural way of breathing which brings balance between positive and negative effects of breathing on both the body and mind.

Recommended practice – Practice daily, five rounds/ day

Kamana Pereira is a level III Certified Yoga aacharya from The Yoga Institute, Mumbai. She has been associated with The Yoga Institute as the Center Head, Goa branch previously and is currently the Head of The Yoga Institute’s Health and Wellness Centre at Kochi. She has worked on the rehabilitation program for rescued girls at the Deonar camp and underprivileged children with the Mumbai, BMC. You can reach out to her on tanmantrayoga@gmail.com or connect on twitter @Kilo_Bravo13

BOOST YOUR ENERGY- Energy production with oxygen is far more efficient since it gives up to 16 times more energy compared to without oxygen

INCREASE FAT BURNING -Fat can only be burned in the presence of oxygen, so impaired breathing closes the door slightly to our fat reserves

RELAXED BRAIN - Our brain is a major consumer of oxygen and consequently it is the organ that suffers most from poor breathing habits

GREATER SEX LIFE-The sex enhancement drug Viagra was developed thanks to research on NO, a substance produced in large quantities in our nose

SLEEPING BETTER - Man is the only animal that sleeps with an open mouth. Mouth breathing at rest gives oxygen deficiency, increased stress and less sleep.

STRONGER HEART- Tense, non-rhythmic and stressed breathing makes for a strained, non-rhythmic and stressed heart

STRAIGHTER TEETH -Mouth breathing alters the position of the tongue, which affects the development of the face, teeth and smile

IMPROVED ENDURANCE -We can’t swim, bike, run or maintain optimum strength and endurance if our breathing is impaired

LESS WORRY - When afraid and worried, we breathe high up in our chest in an attempt to “run away” from the unpleasant feelings often situated in our abdominal area

EXPERIENCE LESS PAIN -Improving your breathing habits give you access to a powerful tool for pain relief. 

IMPROVE ASTHMA - Asthma is a disease that constricts the airways, often because of impaired breathing habits

INCREASE SPIRITUAL GROWTH - A calm and cantered mind is better equipped for the path of spirituality. So, for any individual on the spiritual path, one of the most important objectives is equanimity—the ability to stay calm through the ups and downs of life. 

1.Breathe through your nose. Always. Nose is for breathing and mouth is for eating. Nasal breathing results in 10-20 percent more O2 uptake. It removes a significant amount of germs and bacteria from the air you breathe in. If you are doing Nasal breathing during exercise it gives more aerobic training effect, improving your Vo2 max. And most importantly Nasal breathing is imperative for harnessing the benefits of Nitric Oxide. Mouth breathing bypasses this special gas which helps in keeping us away from various diseases including cancer and promotes a longer life. 

Observe your breathing throughout the day. Good breathing during rest should not be seen or heard. Avoid taking big breathes during talking or yawning. Stop losses of Carbon dioxide. 

2. Improve your tolerance of Carbon dioxide. Do breathing exercises. Some of the exercises are shown in this newsletter

(Please do not practice this exercise if your BOLT score is less than 10 seconds, or if you are pregnant or have high blood pressure, cardiovascular issues, diabetes, or any serious health concerns.)

To unblock the nose, perform the following:

1. Take a small, silent breath in and a small, silent breath out through your nose.

2. Pinch your nose with your fingers to hold your breath.

3. Walk as many paces as possible with your breath held. Try to build up a strong air shortage, without overdoing it, of course!

4. When you resume breathing, do so only through your nose; your breathing must be calmed immediately.

5. After resuming your breathing, your first breath will usually be bigger than normal. Make sure that you calm your breathing as soon as possible by suppressing your second and third breaths.

6. You should be able to recover your breath within 2 to 3 breaths. If you cannot, you have held your breath for too long.

7. Wait for about a minute or so and then repeat.

8. Repeat this exercise 5 or 6 times until the nose is decongested.

Tumo Breathing.Find a quiet place and lie flat on your back with a pillow under the head. Relax the shoulders, chest, legs. Take 30 very deep, very fast breaths into the pit of the stomach and let it back out. If possible, breathe through the nose; if the nose feels obstructed, try pursed lips. The movement of each inhalation should look like a wave, filling up in the stomach and softly moving up through the lungs. Exhales follow the same movement, first emptying the stomach then the chest as air pours through the nose or pursed lips of the mouth. At the end of 30 breaths, exhale to the “natural conclusion,” leaving about a quarter of the air in the lungs. Hold that breath for as long as possible. Once you’ve reached your absolute breathhold limit, take one huge inhale and hold it another 15 seconds. Very gently, move that fresh breath around the chest and to the shoulders, then exhale and start the heavy breathing again. Repeat the entire pattern at least three times.

Here’s a link to WimHofs guided session

4-7-8 Breathing This technique places the body into a state of deep relaxation. I use it post my workouts or long stressful activity .

Take a breath in, then exhale through your mouth with a whoosh sound.Close the mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four. Hold for a count of seven. Exhale completely through your mouth, with a whoosh, to the count of eight. Repeat this cycle for at least four breaths. A video is illustrated here.

For last many months I have been taping my mouth to bed. A simple 3M tape. It has helped me to get long deep sleep which has spilled over to other health benefits.

Taping your mouth at night is a remarkably simple, yet extremely powerful tool. The feedback frequently given is that people wake up more alert in the morning, sleep more calmly, don’t wake up during the night, and need less sleep.

Watch what, James Nestor, author of the book Breathe, has to say about it.

Today is all there is; now is the only time you are, the only time you ever will be. If you want to live, it is now or never.