Why You’ve Been Breathing Wrong Most Of Your Life - Breathing Expert Mike Maher
Feb 21, 2022
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In this enlightening discussion, breathing expert Mike Maher sheds light on the often-overlooked importance of proper breathwork. Having interviewed numerous specialists, he explains how mouth breathing can negatively impact health, while nasal breathing can enhance well-being. Maher also shares transformative experiences from a Tony Robbins retreat, highlighting personal empowerment through breath. Listeners discover techniques that link breath with emotional and mental health, making this a must-listen for anyone wanting to improve their quality of life!
Proper breathing through the nose is crucial for overall health, as it filters, warms, humidifies, and pressurizes air, improving oxygen delivery and reducing the risk of heart disease.
Breathwork practices, such as those taught by Wim Hof and Tony Robbins, offer transformative effects on mental, emotional states, inducing euphoria, improving sleep quality, and reducing stress.
Conscious breathwork exercises can lead to personal transformations, enhancing mental clarity, emotional release, and self-awareness, ultimately improving overall quality of life.
Functional breathing involves optimizing the diaphragm's movement through exercises like apple picking, rib cage expansion, intercostal muscle stretch, and belly breathing, leading to improved breath control and lung capacity.
Deep dives
The Importance of Proper Breathing
Proper breathing is crucial for our overall health and well-being. The podcast episode explores the concept of breathwork and how our default way of breathing is often incorrect. Breathing too much or breathing through the mouth can lead to increased blood pressure, reduced quality of life, and even an increased risk of heart disease. Breathwork, which is an active form of meditation, involves consciously altering our breathing patterns to achieve various outcomes such as relaxation, stress regulation, increased energy, improved immune system function, and a calmer nervous system.
The Significance of Nasal Breathing
Breathing through the nose is emphasized as the correct method, as the nose performs various functions that the mouth does not. The nose filters dust and debris, warms and cools the air, humidifies and pressurizes it, and produces nasal nitric oxide, which dilates blood vessels and kills bacteria. Nasal breathing aids in efficient oxygen delivery and carbon dioxide removal, leading to better overall health and improved sleep. Chronic mouth breathing can lead to a range of issues, and it is essential to retrain ourselves to breathe correctly through the nose.
The Power of Breathwork Practices
Breathwork practices, such as those taught by Wim Hof and Tony Robbins, offer profound benefits. These practices involve specific breathing exercises that can have immediate and transformative effects on our mental and emotional states. Breathwork can induce sensations of euphoria, enhance heart rate variability, improve sleep quality, and alleviate physical and mental stress. While there are various breathing exercises available, the key lies in balancing the inhales, exhales, breath holds, and the overall pace of our breathing.
Personal Transformations and the Breath-Mind Connection
Many individuals have experienced profound personal transformations through breathwork exercises and techniques. The power of breath extends beyond physiological aspects and impacts how we think and feel. Breathing consciously can lead to mental clarity, emotional release, and increased self-awareness. By harnessing the power of our breath, we can positively influence our physical, mental, and spiritual well-being, ultimately improving our overall quality of life.
The importance of breath in affecting thoughts and emotions
The way we breathe can impact our thinking and emotional state. For instance, extending the exhale signals to the brain that everything is okay, promoting a sense of calm and relaxation. Different types of breathing exercises, such as breath holds or Wim Hof breathing, can have varying effects on the brain and body. However, focusing on functional breathing, which involves proper oxygen intake and balance, is crucial for overall well-being.
The significance of nose breathing and its impact on health
Breathing through the nose is highly beneficial for several reasons. Nasal breathing helps to ensure the dilation of blood vessels in the nasal passages, increases oxygen intake, and enhances heart rate variability, promoting relaxation. Slowing down the breath and increasing carbon dioxide levels by practicing nasal breathing exercises can lead to improved breath efficiency and oxygen absorption. By training the body to breathe more slowly and efficiently, the overall breath rate can be naturally lowered.
Unblocking and optimizing the diaphragm for functional breathing
The diaphragm, a large muscle responsible for respiration, plays a crucial role in functional breathing. Unlocking and optimizing the diaphragm's movement is vital for proper breath control and maximizing lung capacity. Various exercises can help open up the rib cage, increase mobility, and promote diaphragmatic breathing. This includes movements like apple picking to expand the rib cage, twisting exercises for intercostal muscle stretch, and focusing on belly breathing to engage the diaphragm. By incorporating these exercises, individuals can improve their breathing mechanics and regain a more natural, efficient breath pattern.
We take around 25,000 breaths per day and we don’t really give it much thought. But in this episode you'll learn that how you take those breaths can actually determine your quality of life, sleep, blood pressure and even your chances of suffering from heart failure.
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