The latest in news, research, advice, and conversation about conscious breathing

Kids, by nature, are a rambunctious lot. But today's kids are just as stressed as adults. Pennsylvania grade school teacher Marilyn Molchany found a solution to calming her class down and finding some focus: breathing. In a LancasterOnline.com article, Molchany talks about her class, the 11 high-energy boys who dominate it, and the savior she found in yoga instructor Suzanne Accardo.

Accardo taught "breathing techniques to get focused before lessons or at the start of the day," Molchany said. "I used soothing music to promote a quiet atmosphere while the students were working." The results were so impressive, she invited Accardo ack to her classroom next year.

"Ultimately we wanted to stress the importance of listening carefully and following directions," the teacher said. "We think of children as being carefree, but kids today are really stressed. Things are going on in their family life, maybe both parents are working adn - especially over the summer - they are being shuttled around to caretakers, or their parents are divorced, so they're splitting their time between houses."

So Molchany's been placing a heavy emphasis on breathing techniques."Breathing gives you something to focus on if you're stressed and need to relax," said yoga instructor Accardo. "If you give your mind one thing to focus on, it's easier to calm down. The class is about learning to calm yourself." She talks them through "guided imagery," where they imagine focusing on an image in their mind of a butterly or a balloon, but she likes focusing on the breath best, because it teaches children that they can calm down anywhere.

"If you learn breathing techniques," she said, "you can use them not matter what house you're in, what car you're in or where you are. Your breath is always with you."

We couldn't agree more.

For the full article click here

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We had to laugh at a recent post by writer James Protsman in Manitowoc, Wisconsin's Scene magazine. The title of his piece, "It's Time For A Fashion Necktie Party," railed against the wearing of neckties. Of late, we've had several inquiries about the sartorial effect of some clothing on breathing (i.e., belts and neckties).

Turns out, there are legitimate reasons you're asked to wear loose-fitting clothing in yoga and other workout classes. Rants Mr. Protsman, a university instructor for the University of Wisconsin:

"During the years I wore a tie and wanted to relax after a hard day of work, the first thing I instinctively did was remove my tie. This has a relaxing effect on body and mind that millions of tie-wearers will readily attest to.

"There is a reason for this relaxing effect: better breathing. Long ago animal researchers interested in testing the complex nerve pathways that control breathing discovered that if you touch the larynx of some animals (including dogs) it inhibits breathing. One reason physiologists study dogs is because their physiology in many ways is similar to that of humans.

"The discovery about the larynx and breathing was published but nobody checked to see if this breathing reaction was true for humans.

"Verbal breathing, the special kind of breathing we do when we produce word sounds, suffered a lot. When I checked how many words I could read in a single inhalation, which is a simple measure of reading prowess, it was far less than when the larynx was untouched. Singing and speaking were worse because of poor breath support.

"It is harder to produce word sounds when anything touches the larynx. Because of this, the operational speed and quality of every word-based cognitive process declines. It is actually not necessary to touch the larynx to get these grossly depressing effects. A touch anywhere on the neck does the same thing, especially when the area over the windpipe is touched.

"You need to prove this to yourself. With the neck bare, untouched by anything, sing a song or read aloud or silently, then touch your neck anywhere and try these activities again. You should notice touching the neck makes word production more difficult. When something touches the neck. the pressure no matter how slight, causes neck muscles to reflectively tense.

"This is a pressure reflex. It seems to be a defense mechanism to protect the windpipe and arteries in the neck from attack. Neck muscles stay tensed until the pressure is removed. A tensed neck makes it harder to move the air formation of word sounds when speaking, reading, thinking, etc. Because of this pressure reflex, the necktie has to go whenever a male wants to be at his mental and vocal best."

For the full article click here

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It's getting to be that season when temperatures warm up. The Times of India (where they know hot...) offers some simple remedies to beat the heat by simply using your breath. 

The simplest and easiest is:

Sheetkari pranayam

Breathe in through the mouth and out through the nose.

To breathe in, open the lips as wide as you can, exposing the teeth and gums. Touch the teeth together. As you breathe in air will go through the teeth, instantly cooled by your saliva. Then close your mouth and breath out through the nose. If you are doing it right you will immediately feel the coolness go right down your body.

It also strengthens weak teeth and gums. (Go figure...)

This one also works, but takes some visualization:

Visualization and breathing

This is a fun way to cool down in the worst heat. Visualize yourself in a lovely cool place like walking in the snow, or a cool wind blowing. Visualize every detail of the place, making the visualization as clear as possible. Focus on feeling the coolness of the wind or snow.

Breathing normally, imagine that with every breath you are breathing in the chill of the air and it is filling you with coolness. In just a few minutes you should be relaxed and comfortable, and very cool no matter how hot the summer.

For the full article click here

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Here is something new. Through the miracle of modern technology, it is now possible to very accurately determine how many calories you can burn every day based on your breath.  The breath is the fuel that your body burns to create energy. By precisely measuring your breath, you can calculate how much food you can safely eat and still lose or maintain your weight. Read the full story here.

We've long been fascinated by the final act, the drawing of one's last breath. Dying is a profound experience, second only to being born. We devoted an entire chapter to it in our book, "Perfect Breathing." We learned a great deal about the dynamics of that final breath in talking with hospice worker Marcella Brady, who shared her experiences in helping dying people find peace as they leave this world. And we've have learned more in a thoughtful two-part piece by Ann Catlin, a licensed massage therapist writing for Massage Today.

In Part One, she talks about the pain of life-limiting illness, and the substantial effect that massage can play in palliative care. In Part Two, she really caught our attention with her use of the breath. She sets up a frame of reference for helping dying people, and offered three key points: Dying is not just a medical event; dying is a part of living; and dying is a deeply personal experience.

She incorporates synchronized breathing in her healing touch, which she teaches to hospice workers. As she states:

"Synchronized Breathing. This technique is
effective to help ease difficult breathing. It involves synchronizing
your own breath with simple massage strokes. First synchronize the
rhythm of your own breath with slow effleurage strokes; breathing in as
your hands move distally (toward your own body). Then breathe out as
your hands move away from you. Let the sound of your breath be audible.
This is a silent interaction. No words are necessary to encourage a
natural synchronization with the rhythms of your breath and touch. If
the person cannot tolerate physical contact you may remove the touch
and focus only on the breath."

As Marcella Brady told us in our interviews with her, "Consciousness during death is different. It is much deeper when a person is dying. They are standing in two worlds, at the intersection. There is hesitation as they don't know where it leads. It is a very intense moment when it occurs. It is about your body and your spirit separating. You don't live and then die. It is a process that occurs through our entire life, but when someone hits the transition point I can often walk into a room and feel it. I used to bed focused on teh shell on teh bed and I was not conscious of what was really occurring. But now if I am conscious and aware of breathing, I can feel the presence in the entire room. You can see and feel this light. It is really quite amazing."

Words to live by.

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If you were waiting around for just one more reason to lose those extra pounds, the wait (weight?) is over! We already know that if you are a woman with a waist size greater than 35 inches, or if you are man with a waist greater than 40 inches, you have a higher probability of diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and a host of other health issues that are collectively known as metabolic syndrome. But now French researchers have shown that abdominal obesity is strongly linked to decreased lung function as well.

Why an over-abundant belly impairs breathing is not fully understood, but researcher speculate that the additional fat increases inflammation in the body while decreasing the body's ability to deal with it. It may also change the way the diaphragm and chest function. Everyone agrees that the relationship needs to be better understood.

The good news is that that battle of the bulge can be won through exercise and proper diet - and Spring is the perfect time to start shaping up for summer and the rest of your life!

To get the full story, you can read Sara Dun's post in the Phoenix Health News Examiner.

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UK Fitness guru Steve Halsall just published a nice piece in his blog today titled "Breathe Your Way to Happiness". It once again emphasizes how important it is to develop this simple practice and make it a part of your life. Steve recommends, as we do, that you set aside just 5 minutes a day to focus on your breath in order to create a habit that will stay with you all day long and provide priceless benefits year after year. Check out his blog and you can learn more about Steve at www.stevehalsall.com.

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We were fortunate enough to sign copies of "Perfect Breathing" at two events over the weekend (Feb. 28-March 1 ) in Southern Oregon.

Saturday afternoon, we spent time with a lively group from Don's hometown of Roseburg, at the While Away Books store. We had a steady flow of eager readers throughout the afternoon, and found a captive audience eager to learn more about how mindful breathing can touch all facets of life.

On Sunday, we traveled even further south to the Oregon Coast for a signing/presentation at Gold Beach Books for 40-plus people. After an hour-long presentation, we were able to chat with a host of people for whom mindful breathing was a new concept.

At the Gold Beach Books signing, we had the great honor of being introduced by Tai Chi master Chungliang Al-Huang. He's become a fast friend, mentor and contributor to Perfect Breath. He was also kind enough to let us stay at his Living Tao retreat center overlooking the mighty Rogue River.

We have nothing but high praise for our hosts at both bookstores, and to all those who braved the weather and busy schedules to come support us.

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The Blue Note jazz label recently sponsored the PDX JazzFest here in Portland. Trumpeter Terence Blanchard waxed eloquent in a story in the Oregonian. We couldn't resist:

"In the Q&A, a questioner pressed Blanchard for elaboration of a statement he'd made earlier about the importance of breath in connecting to the spirit of music. Blanchard takes breath very seriously. Very. Seriously. He meditates, for example, and chants. When he composes music, he sings it to connect to it better emotionally. 'In a technical sense, it (breathing) makes you stop, makes you pause,' he observed, and that 'gives us a chance to talk.' Meaning that it keeps conversation from being a one-way street. For the past 13 or 14 years, Blanchard has been boxing, which has increased his wind capacity, he says, and made his sound bigger as a result. And each bout is like a concert -- 'You never know where the bout is going to take you.'

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Well it’s a little late for Valentines Day, but this news from our Department of Heavy Breathing is information that you can use all year long!
The latest research in philematology (the science of kissing) is just in and shows smooching to be very effective at reducing stress. Apparently those long lip-locks are not only enjoyable, but they result in a decrease in cortisol, indicating a reduction in stress in the body. Commitment-phobes beware however – it also increases the levels of oxytocin, the chemical that increases the desire to bond. Holding hands creates the same response, but to a much lesser degree.

Funny, I don’t recall my college counselor telling me that it was possible to get a degree in kissing…
The Associated Press has the whole story. Now get out there and reduce some stress!

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