Breathing

Breathing. It’s easy to take for granted but when you stop to think about it, it quickly becomes obvious just how powerful it is. Get this: You can live for weeks without food and days without water but, of course, only minutes without oxygen. Plus: Your brain uses 20% of the oxygen you consume while breathing is responsible for 70% (!) of your body’s detoxification. Yet… If you’re like most people, you’re probably doing this simple, should-be-easy fundamental wrong. In this class, we’ll look at why CO2 is (somewhat paradoxically!) actually the variable we want to be Optimizing if we want to get the O2 out of our hemoglobin and into our cells. Then we’ll look at the Three Rules for breathing perfectly as we Optimize your breathing for calm, focused energy.

Patrick McKeown is one of the world’s leading teachers of the Buteyko Breathing Method which was created in the 1950s by a Russian doctor named Dr. Konstantin Buteyko. McKeown suffered from asthma for decades until he found the Buteyko Method. At which point, he reversed his asthma symptoms and then dedicated his life to helping others optimize their breathing. In this book, he extends the Buteyko Method into an approach he calls the Oxygen Advantage. Big Ideas we cover include the #1 obstacle to optimal breathing, Oxygen Delivery 101, the #1 breathing tip, and how to dial in your sleep.

This is our first note on a book by Wim Hof, who you may know as "The Iceman." He holds multiple world records for his feats of endurance and exposure to cold. And, as you may not know, the effectiveness of his methods—which are now practiced by millions—have been validated by eight university research studies. This book is a great way to learn more about just how powerful his method integrating cold, breath and the power of our minds can be.

Eric Goodman is the creator of Foundation Training. If you’ve ever had back or neck or other physical pain, this book might be just what your doctor forgot to order. And, of course, if you’re just looking to take your energy to the next level, this is a gem. In the Note, we take a quick look at why gravity + sitting/bad posture = compression and why that’s so bad plus how to deal with it as we become fluent in a new movement language and have fun becoming perpetual motion machines.

Anders Olsson is one of the world’s leading teachers on the science of optimal breathing. This book is packed (!) with Big Ideas and practical tips on how to Optimize our most fundamental fundie. In this Note, we explore the 5 principles of Conscious Breathing, how to Optimize your breathing posture, some tips on sleep and living your hero's journey one breath at a time.

Breathing. It’s obviously important. And... I’m beginning to realize *just* how important it is. In fact, breathing properly is quickly becoming my #1 fundamental. Belisa Vranich is a clinical psychologist and one of the world’s leading experts on how to breathe right. In this Note, we take a quick peek at why breathing is so important, learn how to measure your Vital Lung Capacity, observe the difference between Clark Kent and Superman and get to work on training the most important and underappreciated muscle in your body (hint: your diaphragm).

Al Lee and Don Campbell are breathwork practitioners, researchers and lecturers. The underlying theme of the book is the fact that our breath is THE primary connection between our mental, physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. Big Ideas we explore include the two key facets to perfect breathing: 1. Breath awareness + 2. Conscious breathing, how to breathe right (hint: nice and deep!), the fact that your breath is responsible for 70% (!) of your detoxing, the inverse relationship between attentional and emotional pathways in your brain and how to optimize the gap between your first and last breaths.

Richard Brown and Patricia Gerbarg are medical doctors, clinical psychiatrists and university professors. They also happen to be two of the world’s leading breath experts—integrating Western science and ancient breath techniques derived from yoga, qigong, Coherent Breathing, and Open-Focus meditation. Big Ideas we explore: Pill or 20 minutes?, Breath = portal to mind-body systems, Coherent Breathing, Resistance Breathing and turning off your worry centers via vagus nerves.

This is the fourth book of Jim Loehr’s we’ve featured so far. Written in 1986, it’s a bit old school (gotta love references to VHS tapes) and it’s currently out of print but I found it in our home library (Alexandra bought it over a decade ago) and I figured it would be perfect as part of my prep for Optimal Breathing 101. It didn’t disappoint. Big Ideas we explore include: how to breathe for maximum achievement, 7X-ing your oxygen, how to drop the impatience (+ a Johnson family practice), alternate nostril breathing and the key to peak performance.

I'm convinced Mark Divine is a superhero. Seriously. And in Unbeatable Mind, the former Navy SEAL gives us the handbook on mental toughness. In the Note, we'll look at the keys to cultivating our confidence, the importance of cultivating our concentration, learning how to control our breathing and other goodness that will make you unbeatable.

This is a quick-reading, simple, practical guide to, as the sub-title suggests, “Stop Worrying and Quieten Your Mind—Featuring the Buteyko Breathing Method and Mindfulness.” If you’re looking for a general introduction to the power of Oxygen, I’d recommend you go with Patrick’s more recent and more all-purpose Oxygen Advantage. If you suffer from anxiety and/or panic attacks, this might be a great place to start. Big Ideas we explore: The #1 rule of breathing, the 2 key benefits of putting your attention on your breath, why CO2 is your friend and how to play nice, avoiding rat poison and becoming a good mind gardener.