Just Breathe

The latest area I've focused on in regard to my Health/Fitness journey is the power of your breath.

Part of this was to continually improve my athletic performance and endurance and the 2nd part was due to a negative and ongoing reaction I've had from my Covid vaccine that has impacted my breathing.

Breathing is something we do 20,000-22,000 times per day and the majority of people give zero focus to this.

We breathe, it's an automatic thing but can changing the way we breathe change the way we perform, function and our overall health? The short answer is yes!

With our Breath alone we have the power to:

1. Alter the PH of the blood, change blood pressure (lower or stabilize) and lower the heartrate

2. Reduce stress, your response to stress and dampen the production of harmful stress hormones

3. Help with insomnia, sleep problems and anxiety

4. Increase athletic performance and improve recovery

5. Increase focus and mental clarity

6. Enhance creativity

The Breath has been scientifically studied for many years and these studies have proven the above. On the flipside we can also impact our health and performance negatively by not being aware of how we Breathe. This is explored in detail in James Nestor’s book Breathe with some astounding results – both positive and negative.

I'd challenge you all to look into this space. Some great content includes:

• Breathe – James Nestor

• The Wim Hof Method – Wim Hof

• Breathe to Heal – Sasha Yakovleva

• The Oxygen Advantage – Patrick McKeown

• Just Breathe – Dan Brule

• Pranayama and Breathwork – James Beard

As someone who has performed at a decent level in sport I've had many coaches focus on breathing and techniques for performance but I've never taken it further.

I'm now starting my journey from a health perspective and looking at how I can integrate breathing techniques into my daily life. I will be using some of the techniques from Breathe by James Nestor and have started the Wim Hof Fundamentals course (incorporating cold, breathing and mindset) to further deep dive into this area.

I have no doubt based on the scientific studies and the research of others that I will see a range of health benefits physically, emotionally and spiritual.

Watch this space for updates!

Have you integrated any breathing techniques into your personal or professional life? Share your thoughts and feedback below.

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