Inspired by the book “Breath” by James Nestor
Our way of breathing has deteriorated over the course of our evolution. Indeed, our brain has grown, leaving less space for the airways. Our diet and lifestyle have also greatly influenced how we breathe.
It’s important to know that many psychological and physical diseases can originate from our breathing patterns. This is due to the domino effect: improper breathing leads to sleep apnea, stress, fatigue, higher blood pressure, and so on. It can even lead to chronic insomnia, attention disorders, etc.
Often, when we encounter health problems, we think about exercise and diet, but why not also take care of our way of breathing?
What would be the best way to breathe?
According to science, the best way to breathe for our mental and physical well-being is:
Exclusively through the nose, slowly: 5.5 seconds of inhalation and 5.5 seconds of exhalation.
The beauty of this method is that what science confirms today, pranayama (a branch of yoga that uses breath) discovered a long time ago. So, to practice this 5.5/5.5 technique, you can follow a video on YouTube, count in your head, or sing a mantra for 5.5 seconds (as is the case with many Indian mantras).
I also decided to put into practice a technique recommended in the book: sleeping with a piece of tape on my mouth to ensure I breathe exclusively through the nose. I will write an article about the effects and results after a certain period of practice.
For resources to practice, here’s a video that guides you through inhaling for 5.5 seconds followed by exhaling for 5.5 seconds.
Resources for further exploration:
If you wish to delve into the science of breathing, I recommend James Nestor’s book. Link to the book
To practice:
Here’s a video that guides you to practice 5.5 seconds inhale, 5.5 seconds exhale. [Link of the video]
