Breath

It turns out that when breathing at a normal rate, our lungs will absorb only about a quarter of the available oxygen in the air. The majority of that oxygen is exhaled back out. By taking longer breaths, we allow our lungs to soak up more in fewer breaths.

The ideal breathing rhythm occurs when both the length of respirations and total breaths per minute are locked in a symmetry: 5.5-second inhales followed by 5.5-second exhales, which work out almost exactly to 5.5 breaths a minute.

One tip to lower your heart rate while running is to breathe in the following manner:

• • Each breath we draw in should take about three seconds, and each breath out should take four. We’ll then continue the same short inhales while lengthening the exhales to a five, six, and seven-count as the run progresses.
  • You don’t need to perform this for the whole run, but the better you get at controlling your breathing, the lower your heart rate will be.

Some additional knowledge you may find useful:

• • The right nostril is a gas pedal. When you’re inhaling primarily through this channel, circulation speeds up, your body gets hotter, and cortisol levels, blood pressure, and heart rate all increase. This happens because breathing through the right side of the nose activates the sympathetic nervous system, the “fight or flight” mechanism that puts the body in a more elevated state of alertness and readiness. Breathing through the right nostril will also feed more blood to the opposite hemisphere of the brain, specifically to the prefrontal cortex, which has been associated with logical decisions, language, and computing.
  • Inhaling through the left nostril has the opposite effect: it works as a kind of brake system to the right nostril’s accelerator. The left nostril is more deeply connected to the parasympathetic nervous system, the rest and relax side that lowers temperature and blood pressure, cools the body, and reduces anxiety. Left-nostril breathing shifts blood flow to the opposite side of the prefrontal cortex, the right area that plays a role in creative thought, emotions, formation of mental abstractions, and negative emotions.

There are two breathing practices that you can implement into your daily routine. They are the following:

1. 1. Once a day, take your time to lie down and do the following breathing practice. Take a brief inhale, and then exhale to a count of 6. As time goes by, keep progressing towards inhaling to a count of 4 and exhaling to 8, with the goal of reaching a half-minute exhale. You won’t be able to do this on your first attempt, but after a couple of months of practice, it will come naturally.
   2. The second practice is better known as the Wim Hof method.

The Wim Hof method consists of 3 pillars: cold exposure, conscious breathing, and the power of the mind. The following text will explain each of them.

Cold exposure

We will start off with the cold exposure. An easy way to implement this into your routine is to finish your warm or hot shower with just fifteen to thirty seconds of cold water.

WEEK 1: Thirty seconds of cold water at the end of a warm shower

WEEK 2: One minute of cold water at the end of a warm shower

WEEK 3: A minute and a half of cold water at the end of a warm shower

WEEK 4: Two minutes of cold water at the end of a warm show

Do this gradually and work your way up, at least five days a week. Follow the feeling. Don’t force anything. It’s also fine to start with fifteen seconds and build up more slowly.

Breathing exercise

Now let’s explain the breathing practice. Keep in mind that the location where you do it is important. Always do these breathing exercises in a safe environment, never in an environment in which it might be dangerous to faint, like in water. These exercises have a profound effect on the body, especially for those new to the method, and should only be practiced in the way I am about to explain. The best time to do these breathing exercises is before breakfast because when your stomach is full, all the metabolic activity and all the oxygen are directed to the stomach and block the way.

STEP 1: Sit in a meditation posture, lying down, or whichever way is most comfortable for you, in a quiet and safe environment. Make sure you can expand your lungs freely without feeling any constriction.

STEP 2: Close your eyes and try to clear your mind. Be conscious about your breath and try to fully connect with it. Take thirty to forty deep breaths in through the nose or mouth. Fill up your belly, your chest, all the way up to your head. Don’t force the exhale. Just relax and let the air out. Fully in, letting go.

STEP 3: At the end of the last breath, draw the breath in once more and fill the lungs to maximum capacity without using any force. Then relax to let the air out. Hold the breath until you feel the urge to breathe again. This is called the retention phase.

STEP 4: When you feel the urge to breathe, take one deep breath in and hold it for ten to fifteen seconds. This is called the recovery breath.

STEP 5: Let your breath go and start with a new round. Fully in, letting go. Draw one giant breath, once again letting your belly expand fully. Hold that breath for 15 seconds, then let go. This completes one round.

Feel free to repeat the full cycle 3 to 4 times. Stay focused on your breathing and try not to let your mind wander. Play around with the number of breaths, the tempo at which you breathe, and the number of cycles, until you find a routine that works best for you. Once you have a little experience with the basic breathing exercise, try this additional technique: In round 2, step 4, try “squeezing” the breath to your head when you take your recovery breath. You do this by tensing your pelvic floor and directing that sense of tension to the core of your body and up to your head while keeping the rest of your body relaxed. You should feel a sense of pressure in your head. Then relax everything when you exhale.

Here is a guided breathing method for anyone who finds it easier to follow by listing to a video.