Breathing is essential to life. Every breath you take sustains your life through detoxification and strengthening your immune system.
In survival training they teach the rule of 3:
- 3 minutes without breathing (drowning, asphyxiation)
- 3 hours without shelter in an extreme environment (exposure)
- 3 days without water (dehydration)
- 3 weeks without food (starvation)
I want to focus a little on the importance of the first rule, breathing.
We all know the significance of oxygen, without it we die. But I think we may truly understand the magnitude of it all. It’s easy to not pay attention to something that is so involuntary as breathing and theoretically in abundance.
Let me share a little story that has become popularized by writer and speaker, Eric Thomas, it’s the story of the guru.
The Story of the Guru
There was a young man who wanted to make a lot of money, and so he went to a guru….
He told the guru, “I wanna be on the same level that you’re on.”
And so the guru said, “If you wanna be on the same level that I’m on, I’ll meet you tomorrow at the beach at 4 am.”
The man thought, The beach. I said I wanna make money, I don’t wanna swim.
But the young man got there at 4 am, all ready to rock and roll.
The old guru grabbed his head. “How bad do you want to be successful?”
“Real Bad.”
So the guru said, “Walk on out in the water.”
So he walks out into the water, about waist deep. He said to himself, This man’s crazy. I wanna make money, he’s got me out here swimming. I didn’t ask to be a lifeguard. I wanna make money.
The guru said “Come out a little further.” So he did. He was up right about at the shoulder area.
He thought, this old guru is crazy. He’s making money, but he’s crazy.
The guru said, “Come out a little further”. He came out a little further. He was right at his mouth.
The young man was like, “I’m about to go back in. This man’s out of his mind.”
But the guru shouted, “I thought you wanted to be successful!”
He said, “I do!”
The guru said, “Walk a little further…”
He came, and the guru dropped his head in the water. He Held him down, and was holding him under. The man was scratching, clawing, fighting to get up. The guru kept him down under water. And just before the young man was about to pass out the guru raised him up.
The Guru said, “I got a question for you. When you were under water, what was the only thing you wanted to do? More than anything?”
He said, “I wanted to breathe.”
The guru said “When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you’ll be successful.
The Lymph System
According to Robin Miller, MD, “Lymph helps to destroy potentially dangerous bacteria and cancer cells and filter waste and toxins. It is also responsible for working”
The lymph system plays a crucial part in detoxification and defense. About two liters of lymph fluid circulate in our lymphatic vessels that cover the body from the tips of the toes to the top of the head.
Every cell in the body is surrounded by lymph fluid, in fact, there is more lymph fluid in the body than blood.
The lymph fluid acts as a sewage system, constantly drawing waste away from the cells, filtering them through the lymph nodes and then eliminating them from the body. If the lymph system stops, you die. Blood is pumped through the body by the heart. However, the lymph system, which is your immune system, has no pump. Lymph is only pumped through the body via muscular movement and deep breathing.
In addition to regular exercise and lymphatic drainage massage, some additional suggestions for maintaining lymphatic health include:
-Drink six to eight glasses of purified or filtered water per day. Staying hydrated helps maintain proper lymph fluid levels.
-Practice deep breathing. Breathing deeply from the diaphragm and through the nose is one of the best ways to move lymph fluid throughout the body.
-Support your body’s natural detoxification through perspiration. A weekly sauna or steam bath can facilitate the healthy removal of waste through the skin’s pores, lessening the load on the lymph system.
-Avoid restrictive clothing that presses on lymph nodes. Bras with under wires or garments that are too tight can impede lymph flow.
Symptoms of breathing disorders include:
- Chronic or intermittent fatigue
- Chest pains or palpitations, suggestive of heart disease
- Tingling and numbness in the arms, legs or hands
- Muscular cramps
- Stomach upsets, heartburn, gas
- Anxiety, panic attacks, feelings of unreality
- Hallucinations, disturbances, nightmares and night sweats
Breathing Test
There is a great site run by Mike White, The Optimal Breathing Coach, that has some pretty fantastic breathing tests you can do quickly and easily.
Mike recommends that you only do the test no more than once in a 24 hour time period to reduce possible distortion of the results.
Here are 3 simple breathing tests you can do:
Test #1: Breathing Volume and Oxygen Uptake Efficiency
Lie, sit or stand. Standing is best, sitting next. If you stand, then bend your knees very slightly.
Take as large an in-breath as possible and then as as fast as you can but still be understood, quickly, quietly, cleanly, and clearly as you can (like an auctioneer who is almost whispering or a speed talker but still clearly understood), count up to as high of a number as you can on this one long extended exhale.
Be sure to count out loud, do not just count in your head. Squeeze that last bit of air out with your stomach muscles pulled inward to get to as high a number as possible. Note the number down and try it again.
Try it a third time if you think the number will be much different.
Do not:
– Inhale during counting
– Skip any numbers
– Hold your breath
– Breathe IN and count at the same time
– Whisper
Do:
– Start again at 1 if you reach 100
– Make sure you include the beginnings of each number such as the thirty in thirty-three.
– Repeat the tests in the same position you were in for the previous tests.
OK, try it now.
How high a number did you reach in that ONE long exhaled breath?
Here is the breakdown by percentage of users in the following number count skill categories:
| Number Count | Percent Breakdown | Ranking |
|---|---|---|
| 150+ | 2% | Mastery |
| 110-149 | 5% | Very Good |
| 90-109 | 10% | Average |
| 60-89 | 35% | Fair |
| 2-59 | 47% | Poor |
So far the highest we have heard of is 310. The worst is 4 and that person reported multiple health challenges.
The number count ranges above were determined by statistical analysis of the average number of diagnosed illnesses correlating with that score range. Breath is life. As the one out breath number count score worsens, the average number of illnesses increases.
If you are uncertain that you did it properly, try it again until you get nearly the same number twice in a row. Notice how you improve (a good sign) or worsen (a bad sign).
Test #2: Complete Breaths at Rest
While standing, sitting, or lying down, observe your natural breathing pattern at rest.
Using a watch, count your complete breaths in one minute.
A complete breath is one inhale and one exhale and possibly a pause at the end of the exhale.
How many complete breaths did you have in one minute?
Here is the breakdown of user percentages at the following breath rates.
It’s grade per the statistics by Mike and his team at Breathing.com, not what conventional medicine reports as “normal” which we believe is VERY much asking for health troubles. Those “normal” people worry me.
| No. Complete Breaths | Percent Breakdown | Ranking |
|---|---|---|
| 5-6 | 8% | Mastery |
| 7-9 | 18% | Good |
| 10-13 | 32% | Fair |
14-16 | 17% | Normal |
| 17+ | 20% | Poor |
The more times per minute you breathe during rest, the higher the stress and oxygen cost of breathing.
Test #3: Breathing Pause Extension
At the bottom or end of a natural exhale, resist breathing in as long as you possibly can, even when moderate discomfort arrives, but without trying to exhale further and/or tightening your stomach muscles.
Do not do it so long that you pass out.
Time it in seconds.
How many seconds long is your extended pause?
Your extended pause length is far below what is recommended. A low score can be an indicator of health challenge and excessive stress. The absolute minimum score recommended is 45, although the desired score is 60. To improve your extended pause, it is absolutely necessary to take action.
Here is the breakdown of user percentages in the following extended pause ranges:
| No. of Seconds | Percent Breakdown | Ranking |
|---|---|---|
| 60+ | 3% | Mastery |
| 45-59 | 6% | Minimum |
| 30-44 | 22% | Fair |
| 15-29 | 46% | Poor |
| 0-14 | 23% | Very Poor |
Breathing Exercises
One of the best and easiest ways to tell whether you are breathing properly is to place your left hand on your chest near your heart and your right hand on your belly (abdomen). You can do this standing, sitting or lying down. I personally prefer to do this lying down but that is just my own preference.
Now take several breaths in and out.
Which hand rises and falls?
If you placed your right hand on your belly and it is rising and falling than you are doing what is called, deep diaphragmatic breathing. This is the proper way to breath.
An easy breathing exercise is to do 10 deep diaphragmatic breathing 3 times a day.
Here is a nice exercise you can do just about anywhere.
1-4-2 Breathing Exercise
Three times a day, take 10 breaths in the ratio 1-4-2. Inhale for 1, hold for 4, exhale for 2. For example, inhale for a count of 8, hold for a count of 32, exhale for a count of 16. It is import to exhale for twice the length of time that you inhaled, as you are ridding your body of toxins during the exhale phase. Also, it is important to breathe at a rate that is comfortable for you; do not harm yourself.
Here is a great video to help you with deep diaphragmatic breathing using the 1-4-2 technique. (Time 6:39 min.)
4-4 Breathing Exercise
This was taught to me by my friend who is an acupuncturist. Again you can do this sitting, standing or lying down. Its especially helpful when your are walking.
I do this when I feel a little anxious. After about 10 minutes I feel completely re-charged and re-newed.
You might want to use your fingers to help you as you count out the sequence.
Breath in thru the nose for 4 quick breaths than out the mouth for 4 quick breaths.
Do this for 5-10 minutes or however long you wish.
In conclusion, breathing is the key to life, and proper breathing technique can make all the difference in the quality of your training and overall well-being.
