Transmutable Explorations

Category: Life

  • Benefits of Using an Acupressure Mat

    Benefits of Using an Acupressure Mat

    Are you seeking an alternative way to alleviate pain, improve your well-being, and enhance your overall health? Look no further than the ancient art of acupressure. I’ve been battling recurring foot pain for a few months and I’ve tried several things to address it.  One of the most effective things that I’ve found is this acupressure mat.   Acupressure mats have been gaining popularity worldwide, offering a plethora of benefits for individuals seeking a natural and non-invasive approach to wellness. In this blog post, I’ll explore what acupressure mats are and the benefits they can provide.

    What is an Acupressure Mat?

    Inspired by Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), an acupressure mat is typically a flat mat covered in small, pointed plastic discs. These discs gently stimulate specific pressure points on your body when you lie or stand on the mat.  The acupressure mat I currently use has over 6000 points.

    How Do Acupressure Mats Work?

    Acupressure mats are based on the principles of TCM, which posits that the body has a network of channels, or meridians, that flow throughout the body.  In acupuncture, certain points are strategically located along these channels.  An acupressure mat essentially mimics acupuncture without actually sticking needles into the skin.  By applying pressure to these points, the mat is thought to:

    • Promote Endorphin Release: The stimulation of acupressure points can release endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers, which can help to alleviate pain and reduce inflammation.
    • Increase Blood Flow: The spikes stimulate blood vessels, promoting increased blood flow to the affected areas. This can help to reduce swelling, improve circulation, and deliver essential nutrients and oxygen to the tissues.
    • Reduce stress: Acupressure can activate the parasympathetic nervous system, promoting relaxation and calmness.

    The Benefits of Using an Acupressure Mat

    Due to the proposed mechanisms of action, acupressure mats offer a range of potential benefits:

    • Natural pain relief:  Acupressure mats have been proven to effectively alleviate pain associated with conditions such as chronic back pain, arthritis, and fibromyalgia (Or in my case, foot pain 😉).  This is thought to be due to the promotion of endorphin release.
    • Reduced Stress and Anxiety: The gentle stimulation of the mat can help to calm the nervous system, reducing stress and anxiety levels. This can lead to improved sleep quality, better mood regulation, and enhanced overall well-being.
    • Better sleep: The calming effects of the acupressure mat can help to prepare the body and mind for a restful night’s sleep, leading to improved sleep quality and duration.  I haven’t used my acupressure mat for this yet, but it’s another thing that attracted me to experimenting with one.
    • Improved circulation: The spikes on the mat stimulate blood flow, promoting improved circulation and oxygenation of the tissues. This can lead to increased energy levels, reduced fatigue, and faster healing.

    Getting Started with an Acupressure Mat

    If you’re interested in incorporating an acupressure mat into your self-care routine, here are a few tips to help you get started:

    1. Choose the Right Mat: Look for a high-quality mat with adjustable spikes and a comfortable, cushioned surface.
    2. Start Slow: Begin with short sessions of 5-10 minutes, gradually increasing the duration as you become more comfortable with the sensation.
    3. Find the Right Position: Experiment with different positions to find the most comfortable and effective way to use the mat.  Many people lie on their back or sit on them.  I prefer to stand on mine for a few minutes every day while at my standing desk.
    4. Breathe and Relax: Take deep breaths and relax your body as you lie on the mat, allowing the spikes to gently stimulate the acupressure points.
    5. Combine with Other Practices: Consider incorporating other self-care practices, such as meditation, yoga, or stretching, to enhance the benefits of using your acupressure mat.

    Is an Acupressure Mat Right for You?

    Intrigued by the idea of harnessing the power of acupressure from the comfort of your home?  An acupressure mat could be a valuable addition to your wellness toolkit. Give it a try and see how this ancient practice can transform your modern life.  I haven’t really used the accompanying acupressure pillow, but the mat has become a regular part of my routine.  I’ve been standing on this for a few minutes a day at my standing desk and it really seems to have made a difference in my foot pain!  Have you tried an acupressure mat?  What has your experience been?

  • Improving HRV

    Improving HRV

    I was introduced to heart rate variability (HRV) when I got serious about getting in shape.  Many people recommended monitoring HRV as a means of knowing when to push a workout further.  My HRV has always been low relative to others.  Despite this, it was clear that I always felt my best when it was at the higher end of my regular range.  Pretty much since this realization, I’ve been experimenting with various ways of improving HRV.

    What is HRV?

    Heart Rate Variability is a measure of the changes in the amount of time between beats of your heart.  It is often measured in milliseconds.  This number is highly individual.  It’s not something that can really be compared across individuals.  Its only use is in comparing your current value to your historical range of HRV values.

    How is HRV measured?

    HRV changes as a natural function of the autonomic nervous system.  The sympathetic nervous system decreases the amount of time between heartbeats due to a faster heartbeat.  The parasympathetic, which typically slows the heart beat, increases that time.  Many modern wearables are capable of measuring HRV.  There are different techniques for doing this, so always compare values using the same form of measurement.  HRV changes throughout the day and it’s best to measure while in a rested and relaxed state.

    What Does HRV Indicate?

    In general, a higher HRV is better than a lower value.  HRV is a good indicator of how ‘recovered’ someone is.  When you are in your higher range of values, you are likely to be in a state where you are more resilient to stressors.  Lower range values are a good sign that something is actively stressing your body.

    HRV provides an interesting way to evaluate lifestyle choices that can lead toward a healthier life.  Things that increase HRV tend to lead to overall healthier outcomes.  A downward trend in HRV over a few days is often a sign that it’s time to reevaluate what you are currently doing.  We can use this metric to identify opportunities for us to continue pushing ourselves as well as an indication that we need to take a break.

    How am I Improving HRV?

    The feedback loop that HRV provides is a great quantitative way to measure the effectiveness of health oriented interventions.  I’ve been using this as the basis for many experiments over the years on improving HRV.  Many ways of raising HRV involve dedication to a regular practice.  This is expected given that improving HRV is generally correlated with prioritizing good life choices.   Things that I’ve found that have improved my HRV include:

    Regular Exercise

    Obviously having a regular exercise routine is going to benefit your overall cardiovascular metrics.  HRV may take a hit while you’re exercising, but overtime, exercise (especially HIIT) results in an overall higher HRV.

    Circadian Rhythm Alignment

    Waking up, going to sleep and eating that aligns with the daily rhythms of the sun does wonders for improving HRV.

    Time in Nature

    I discovered this by accident.  I always noticed that my HRV was always higher for a few days after a backpacking trip.  Initially, I attributed this to the fact that backpacking is great exercise.  I’ve since done additional experiments that show that I have a positive HRV trend just from sleeping in nature without the actual exercise associated with backpacking.

    Breathwork

    A regular breathwork practice generally leads to less stress.  Less stress tends to translate into a higher HRV.  There are also certain forms of breathing that can directly raise HRV in the moment.  I describe some of these techniques in my intro to breathwork.

    Regular Mindfulness/Gratitude Practice

    Once again, practicing mindfulness and/or gratitude tends to lower your overall stress.  This also is noticeable at improving HRV.  Not all forms of mindfulness that I practice involves active breathwork or time in nature, so this deserves a section on its own.

    Photobiomodulation

    It’s not clear what the mechanism of action is here, but I’ve tried several variants of photobiomodulation that all seem to be effective at improving HRV.  It could be the fact that red light therapy is useful for combating Seasonal Affective Disorder, but maybe it’s something else?

    Gut Microbiome

    I recently participated in an Akkermansia trial.  During the trail, I tracked a consistent >10% increase in my HRV after the first few days of taking it. I’ve seen very few things that have such a profound positive effect.   After the trial ended, my HRV went back to my previous baseline.  I’m waiting for the product I was taking during the trial to be commercially available so I can purchase it.  Given recent studies that are identifying links between the gut microbiome and things like anxiety/depression, the mechanism of action for this impact creates some interesting hypotheses.  I look forward to trying additional experiments in this area.

    Wearables

    In addition to wearables for tracking HRV, I’ve tried one that was actually effective at improving HRV.  Regularly using the Apollo Neuro consistently raised my HRV.  This was most noticeable when I did something that would typically lower my HRV.  If you want to know the good, the bad and the ugly, read my Apollo Neuro Review.

    Things that Lower HRV

    All of these health improving practices are great for improving HRV.  It may be obvious that not adhering to these has the opposite effects, but there are even a few other things that negatively impact HRV.

    Aging

    In general, your HRV lowers with age.  Many of the practices that I’ve adopted for improving HRV have allowed me to move my baseline HRV higher even though I’ve been meticulously tracking these values for more than 7 years.

    Mental/Physical Stress

    A hard workout will lower HRV in the moment even though regular exercise will eventually move it in the opposite direction.  The same can be said for the hot temperatures of the sauna.  Maybe the not so obvious HRV lowerer is mental stress.  When I have a few days of anxiety inducing stress it is definitely reflected in a lower HRV score.

    Ongoing or Impending Illness

    An impending or ongoing illness will result in lower HRV scores.  I’ve participated in two separate wearable trials working on identifying impending illness before noticeable symptoms develop.  HRV fluctuation was one of the indicators used in both of these trials.

    Poor Sleep

    Circadian Rhythm misalignment and poor quality sleep in general immediately result in lower HRV the next day.  I’ve noticed that ‘shift work’ has a negative impact even if I get good quality sleep.

    Alcohol

    By far, the habit that I have that has had the worst impact on HRV is alcohol.  Even a drink or two close to bed will have a noticeable detrimental impact.

    Conclusion

    These are just a few of the things that I’ve noticed that have an impact on HRV for me.  There are so many other things that I plan to investigate and I will update this post with my findings.

    So what do you do to improve your HRV?  What have you noticed that has a negative effect?  What device do you use to measure HRV and how do you use it to drive the decisions that you make every day?

  • Sprouts Vs. Microgreens

    Sprouts Vs. Microgreens

    Are these sprouts?  Are these microgreens?  Is their a difference between the two?  The answer is: Yes there is a difference.  I grow both and if you keep reading, I’ll describe how they differ and which one in my opinion is the overall winner in the Sprouts vs. Microgreens battle.

    Growing Sprouts vs. Microgreens

    So why would anyone want to grow sprouts or microgreens, especially instead of a full grown plant of the same variety?  There are some easy answers here and some others that are more nuanced.

    Lack of Space

    Probably the most obvious reason for growing either of these is a lack of gardening space.   Many of the varieties used for both sprouts and microgreens would require feet of space just for a few plants.  You could grow hundreds or thousands of sprouts or microgreens in this same amount of space.

    Lack of Time

    Another reason for growing sprouts or microgreens is a lack of time.  For full grown plants, you will need a month or more from seeding time before you can actually harvest.  Harvest times for sprouts and microgreens are on the order of days/weeks.

    Lack of Cooperative Weather

    Due to the space and time saving benefits of growing sprouts and microgreens, you can make due with less than ideal weather conditions.  This is mostly because you can easily grow them in your kitchen.  Unlike growing full grown plants the need for bright light and always warm conditions is not necessary.

    Differences in Sprouts vs. Microgreens

    Before growing sprouts and microgreens,  you need to decide which product you ultimately want to harvest.  The following factors should be considered:

    Taste

    Different varieties of sprouts often taste very similar.  Microgreens have more flavor, often this is a more pronounced flavor from the fully grown plant.

    Intended Use

    Sprouts are often served as a garnish.  Microgreens can be combined to form a salad on their own, or used in much the same way as the greens from their fully grown counterparts.  Both can be used in smoothies.  It is recommended that you don’t cook microgreens as this will often degrade the nutrients that are present.

    Nutrition

    Sprouts will only provide the nutritional aspects of what is included in the raw seed.  This differs greatly based on the variety of seed used.  Many sources state that the sprouting process makes these vitamins and minerals more concentrated and available.  Microgreens typically provide more minerals and often a different nutritional profile than their sprouted counterparts.  I’ll discuss why this is when discussing differences in the growing process.

    How to Grow Sprouts and Microgreens?

    Growing either sprouts or microgreens is a fairly similar process.  In both cases, you start with the same seeds that you would plant in your garden.  Commonly used seeds include brassicas, radishes, grasses, beets, herbs and other greens.  In both cases you provide a wet growing environment, but this is where the process starts to differ.

    Growing Medium

    For sprouts, you just need a container that allows you to store your seeds in a way that you can rinse them a few times a day and then let the water drain from the seeds.  Microgreens require a ‘medium’ to grow in.  This medium can be soil, but I like to use hemp or felt pads in a hydroponic environment.  The purpose of this medium is to supply additional nutrients to the plants so that they can grow beyond the ‘sprout’ stage.

    Light Requirements

    Sprouts don’t really require any light.  I tend to finish mine for a few days with indirect light just to make them look nicer.  This can be as simple as leaving them uncovered on a kitchen counter.  Because microgreens are grown into small versions of their typical plant size, a bit more light is required.  This is one of the reasons for the difference in nutritional aspects between sprouts and microgreens of the same plant variety.  Microgreens are undergoing more photosynthesis.  This combined with the added nutrients in the growing medium changes the nutritional profile of the microgreen.

    Time to Harvest

    Sprouts are ready to harvest in a few days.  Once the seed is broken open and a stem and root system are beginning, you can harvest at any time.  Microgreens take a week or more.  With microgreens you want to wait to harvest until the first ‘real’ sets of leaves appear.  When harvesting, you want to eat the entire sprout, stem, root, etc.  You want to discard everything in the growing medium with microgreens and only eat the actual stem/greens.

    The Sprouts vs. Microgreens Winner

    So who is the winner of Sprouts Vs. Microgreens?  For me, it’s sprouts.  I like the quick turn around time and the overall simplicity.  I also like the versatility of being able to add them to almost anything.  Many others are scared away from sprouts because of the chance that the growing environment can be a breeding ground for bacteria and mold.  If this is you, I have a few recommendations:

    1. Always rinse with cold water.  Not using warm/hot water helps keep the environment good for sprouts and bad for the nasties.
    2. Make sure your seeds are adequately spaced and drain properly in between waterings.
    3. Buy seeds from a reputable place.  Starting with high quality seeds that aren’t already contaminated is a great idea.
    4. Visually inspect the environment before each watering.  A quick check for mold or bacterial growth before each watering will allow you to abandon your sprouts the moment you know something is wrong.  Just don’t confuse some ‘fuzziness’ of the early roots for mold 😁
    5. If you don’t feel confident doing these things… Grow Microgreens instead!
  • Bodyweight Workout Routine

    Bodyweight Workout Routine

    I’ve tried many workouts over the years.  Cardio, weightlifting, calisthenics, only playing sports, it’s always been something that kind of annoyed me.  Some would work… others, only for a time and then a plateau would reach and no more gains could be made.  Eventually, I settled on a bodyweight workout routine that I’ve been able to progress that continues to work for me.  Read on if you’re interested in learning more about why I choose and how I perform my bodyweight workout routine.

    Why a Bodyweight Workout Routine?

    So why a “bodyweight workout routine”?  After trying just about everything, I’ve concluded that the best workout for me must include the following:

    • require minimal equipment; I travel a good bit and don’t want lack of access to specialized equipment to make it easy for me to skip a workout.
    • a way to do a full body workout in a minimal amount of time
    • maximize a full range of natural motion to minimize injuries
    • prioritize building muscle without a complicated means of altering the routine when hitting plateaus.
    • emphasize Functional Strength training

    The Exercises

    The Bodyweight Workout Routine that I follow focuses on a few core exercises.  These are arranged in such a way as to hit most of the major muscle groups with the fewest number of exercises.

    Push

    The push exercises I use are mostly pushup variants.  I alternate with dips especially when my pushups have not been progressing in order to change things up.

    Pull

    My pull exercises include pull ups, chin ups and inverted rows.  I also incorporate my ‘pull’ muscles in some of my core exercises.

    Legs

    I exercise my legs with air squats and walking lunges.  Even though I do these with a weighted vest, I’ve been working on being able to do proper single leg squats to progress further.  I do these assisted or alternate with shrimp squats at this point in time.

    Core

    I try to incorporate core exercises in everything I do.  This occurs by always being mindful of the ‘Hollow Body Hold‘.  In addition to this, I incorporate planks, V-Ups and hanging knee raises.  Hanging Knee raises also hit my pull muscles at the same time.

    Cardio

    My cardio is mostly walking and hiking/rucking.  I do sprints one day a week.  On my active recovery days, I do at least one High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) session focused on the ‘Nitric Oxide Dump‘.  When I refer to ‘light cardio’, it’s either unweighted walking or rebounding.

    Mobility

    For mobility, I use both Yoga and the 5 Tibetan Rites.  If I’m stuck on a progression and I think it’s due to a mobility issue, I’ll often factor in something that I’ve learned from more in depth calisthenics programs.  This is the area where my routine changes the most frequently.

    Useful Equipment

    My core routine consists of bodyweight exercises that I can do anywhere.  This being said, there are certain pieces of equipment that make things easier when I am home.  Most of this equipment is focused on making the movements safer or allow me to increase the difficulty.  The equipment that I find useful (and alternatives if you don’t have them) include:
    • A Multi-Grip Pull-Up Bar – This is probably the most important piece of equipment.  Without it, you’ll need to find a branch or other outcropping to do your ‘pull’ exercises on.  Most of these alternatives won’t give you the variance in how you can pull yourself up (and you’ll probably want a pair of gloves to protect your hands🤣).
    • Wooden Gymnastic Rings – I prefer to use gymnastic Rings for my ‘rowing’ exercises.  You can also use them for progressing and varying your ‘push’ exercises.  Without rings, a Dip Station also works.  Without either of these options you can use a properly weighted table or two chairs.
    • An Extra Thick Yoga/Pilates Mat – This is especially useful for ‘core’ exercises but it’s pretty much required if you’re going to also incorporate Yoga.  It also helps with progressing single leg exercises like shrimp squats.
    • A means of making exercises more difficult with resistance and/or added weight – My favorite things in this area is to start out with a weighted vest and adjustable ankle weights.  To really build muscle, you’ll want to add an Adjustable Dumbbell and Barbell Set.  To make the most out of loading your full range of motion, nothing beats a Stackable Resistance Bands Set.
    • A High Density Foam Roller – Eventually, you’re going to go a bit too hard and need some help with recovery.  A foam roller is a good first place to start for this.

    Progressing Your Bodyweight Workout Routine

    Since I want to avoid injury and being constantly fatigued, I target rep ranges for each of these exercises in the high hypertrophy/endurance range.  My last strength day of the week is meant for attempting to break personal records.  More about all this below when I discuss my day to day routine.  Before deciding your own structure, you need to set a baseline for each of the main exercises.  If you can do 15 – 20 reps max for each one, that’s a great place to start.  If not, you’ll need to find an easier version of the exercise where you can do 15 – 20 clean reps and progress from there.  I use this basic guide to push progressions and have helped people do pull ups with this pull progression guide.  There’s no shame in doing these easier versions, it’s the only way that you’ll progress to the more difficult ones.  If you find yourself plateauing with one progression but still unable to move to the next one with the proper rep range there are a few additional things you can do.
    • Add more reps to the progression that you can do cleanly
    • Add some more weight to your current progression
    • Add resistance bands to the progression you’re trying to move to in an ‘assistive’ fashion
    • Sometimes, bouncing down to a lower progression with far more reps is necessary in order to correct form issues that you have that are preventing you from using the muscles necessary to progress
    I recently started using blood flow restriction (BFR) training with lighter weights to get more from my workouts.

    My Bodyweight Workout Routine Structure

    Now I’ll describe what I do each day of the week.  If something comes up, I’ll shuffle days if necessary, but I avoid having three of the same ‘types’ of days in a row.

    Every Day

    There are a few things that I strive to do every day.
    • Start every morning with the 5 Tibetan Rites.  This really gives me a burst of energy to start my day.  I’ve also been incorporating Pigeon Pose into this routine recently.
    • Walk a minimum of 11000 steps.  I do the bulk of this during three periods.  The first is after I’m done consuming my caffeine for the day.  The other two times is right after my meals for a bare minimum of 15 minutes.  I try to walk outside whenever possible.
    • Incorporate Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT);  I try to get as much ‘exercise’ that doesn’t look like exercise into my day as possible.  I’ll walk when I can drive, park at a distance, climb stairs, etc.
    • Bring glucose transporter type 4 to the surface of muscle cells before eating.  This is a ‘trick’ that I picked up from Tim Ferriss’ book The 4 Hour Body.  I mostly use air or isometric squats for this, but have played around with all the techniques that he mentions.

    Day 1

    • Warm up with 5 min of light cardio
    • 3 sets of straight pushups 70% of your maximum number of reps
    • 3 sets of rows 70% of your maximum number of reps
    • 2 sets of walking lunges 50 reps
    • 2 sets of hanging knee raises 15 reps (each side)
    • 2 sets of V-Ups 15 reps

    Day 2

    This is an endurance/recovery focused day. I do one HIIT session (often with BFR) for about 10 minutes I do an additional workout after recovered that consists of: I’ll do a short Yoga session on this day as well.

    Day 3

    • Warm up with 5 min of light cardio
    • 3 sets of most advanced pushup progression 75% of your maximum number of reps
    • 3 sets of most advanced rowing progression 75% of your maximum number of reps
    • 2 sets of chin-ups 75% of your maximum number of reps
    • 2 sets of walking lunges 50 reps
    • 2 sets of hanging knee raises 15 reps (each side)
    • plank for maximum hold time

    Day 4

    This is an Active Recovery day.  I do one HIIT session (often with BFR) for about 10 minutes.  Otherwise I focus on longer walks and/or rucks.  I’ll often do a short Yoga session as well.

    Day 5

    This is the day for setting new records.  Getting 90% of your maximum reps is the minimum. What we really want to do here is move to a more advanced progression or add clean reps to the maximum that we can do in our current progression.  We then use this to reevaluate our plan for the next week.
    • Warm up with 5 min of light cardio
    • 1 set of pullups to 90% of your maximum
    • 1 set of most advanced pushups to 90% of your maximum
    • 2 sets of straight pushups 70% of your maximum number of reps
    • 2 sets of rows 70% of your maximum number of reps
    • 2 sets of walking lunges 50 reps
    • 2 sets of hanging knee raises 15 reps (each side)
    • 2 sets of V-Ups 20 reps

    Day 6

    • Warm up with 5 min of light cardio
    • 5 sets of sprinting as fast as you can for 100 meters with no more than 2 minutes rest between sets
    Otherwise, this is an Active Recovery day.  Focus on longer walks and/or rucks.  Do a short HIIT session if recovery for the week has been good.  Do some Yoga otherwise.

    Day 7

    Active Recovery • Longer hikes and/or rucks • Yoga and mobility exercises

  • Intro to Breathwork

    Breathing… we all do it.  Most of us probably don’t pay much attention to how we go about it either.  Unless you do, you probably also don’t realize that some subtle awareness when it comes to your breathwork practice can likely make a radical difference in your day to day health.  I was the same way, until I started researching the subject.  After years of doing so, I slowly incorporated some simple techniques that have changed my mind considerably.  If this is of interest to you, read on for my intro to breathwork.

    My Intro to Breathwork Journey

    I’ve had an on again/off again relationship with meditation and yoga my whole life.  Long time practitioners of both always talk extensively about “paying attention to the breath”.  Early on, I never really put much stock into this.  I associated this with the more ‘woo’ side of the practice without any real scientific basis.  My opinion of this started to change after looking for effective ways of reducing my stress while working in a high strung corporate environment.  My first success in using breathwork for this came from a Navy SEAL friend of mine.  He introduced me to Box Breathing (described below) and subjectively, this seemed to allow me to more easily fall asleep on high stress evenings.

    Eventually, as part of that same high strung corporate environment, I often traveled to India.  On the weekends while I was there, I would travel the country with my co workers and take in many of the experiences associated with traveling to India.  This often involved going to Ayurvedic retreats and temples throughout the country, participating in yogic and meditative rituals.  This exposed me to Pranayama.  This practice defines several different techniques for breathing that are meant to induce different types of changes in the body.  At this point, the focus on breathwork while meditating and doing yoga started to make much more sense.

    I was exposed to all of this before I started using the Oura ring.  With the first generation of Oura, it was easy to see the impact of box breathing on my sleep.  The moment that Oura rolled out it’s mediation support, I started to use it with different dedicated breathing techniques.  It was honestly surprising to see how effective some of them were in terms of impacting heart rate and HRV.

    Scientific Basis

    When I started to really dig into this, I came across numerous studies that laid the groundwork for a very scientific basis for many breathwork practices.  Breathing is actually more about regulating Carbon Dioxide (CO2) than oxygenating the blood.  We strive to maintain our CO2 levels in the blood within a very narrow range.  The brain interprets a low oxygen state as a threat and it activates the sympathetic nervous system as a result.  CO2 is also acidic, so the CO2/oxygen balance has direct effects on the blood’s pH.  Taking steps to rebalance these levels does the opposite and results in an overall calming effect.

    In addition to the effects related to blood oxygenation, more research has shown that diaphragmatic breathing (slow abdominal based breathing) directly stimulates the vagus nerve.  This instantly puts you into a more parasympathetic state.  Vagus nerve stimulation has also been tied to improvements in Heart Rate Variability (HRV).  Additionally, heart rate is directly tied to breathing.  This phenomenon is referred to as Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia (RSA) and directly impacts blood pressure.

    Understanding these basic concepts is the key to using controlled breathwork to achieve different desired states.  Hear are a few things to keep in mind:

    • Slow breathing, especially from the diaphragm stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system and tends to be more relaxing.
    • Fast breathing and chest breathing tends to increase CO2 levels resulting in a sympathetic nervous system response.  This can energize, but also promotes anxiety.
    • Breath Holds increase C02 levels
    • Emphasizing inhales increases heart rate (and often blood pressure)
    • Emphasizing exhales decreases heart rate (and often blood pressure)

    Proper Breathing Technique

    Many people underestimate the importance of breathing ‘correctly’. The hurried modern life and other stressors have an extremely negative impact on how people breathe and most don’t even realize it. If you don’t currently have awareness regarding how you breathe on a regular basis and aren’t prioritizing doing something about it, you will be amazed at how quickly doing so can change the way you feel. There are many breathing techniques that you can use to address many different goals that you may have, but most modern americans are stuck in a continuous stress state. Even moving into a ‘rest and digest’ state a few times a day can have a profound positive impact on your health.

    Based on the information presented so far, the ideal every day breathing technique would seem to be a reasonably slow, diaphragmatic breath.  I’ll add one more rule of thumb that should be followed: breath through the nose.  Not only does breathing through the nose help filter out pollutants, virii, etc.  It helps warm cold air before it hits the lungs.  Additionally, it’s important in order to effectively get nitric oxide into our systems.  Take a look around you and see how many people are actually breathing this way.  Even though, this will generally be the best way to breath, different types of breathwork are designed to achieve certain temporary responses.

    Types of Breathwork

    There are many types of breathwork and I’m always learning more.  This list below are the ones that I actively use.  I briefly explain how to do the technique and why I personally do them.

    Box Breathing

    This was the type of breathwork that started it all for me.  I started doing it as a way to immediately calm myself but I’ve since found that it’s also very effective for getting into a state of focus.  It’s super effective even after doing it for a few minutes and it’s very easy for beginners to learn.  Box breathing starts by expelling all air from your lungs.  Stay in this ’empty’ state for a count of 4.  Now inhale through your nose for a count of four.  Hold for a count of four.  Finally, exhale through your nose again for a count of 4.  This is one cycle of Box Breathing.  Repeat for 2 to 5 minutes and enjoy your state of calm focus!

    4-7-8 Breathing

    My success with Box Breathing lead me to discover 4-7-8 Breathing.  Box Breathing before bed, sometimes had the unfortunate side affect of making me more focused on things that I needed to do tomorrow, etc.  This wasn’t helping me get the sleep that had initially hoped this breathwork practice would provide. This breathwork technique is a form of diaphragmatic breathing that involves inhaling for four seconds, holding the breath for seven seconds, and exhaling for eight seconds.  The longer breath hold combined with the longer exhale is what makes this an even more relaxing technique compared to Box Breathing.  Again, repeating this for a few minutes is all that is needed to achieve a dramatically more relaxed state.

    Physiological Sigh

    The physiological sigh is the easiest way to instantly remove anxiety.  It’s also super easy to do.  Just two rapid inhales through the nose and then an extended exhale through the mouth.  One of these works wonders, but do this a few times to really feel the impact.

    Nadi Shodhana

    Nadi Shodhana (also known as alternate nostril breathing) is a great centering practice and one that I often do while meditating in the sauna.  It can be relaxing and it also increases focus.  Studies have shown that left nostril breathing slows down heart rate and decreases blood pressure. These same studies indicate that right nostril breathing increases both heart rate and blood pressure.  Pranayama’s practice of Nadi Shodhana incorporates asanas and the Vishnu Mudra, but it can be done by just simply doing the following:

    • Use the thumb on your right hand to block your right nostril and inhale through your left nostril
    • Close your left nostril with your index finger and briefly hold
    • Open your right nostril and exhale slowly and then immediately inhale
    • Close your right nostril again and briefly hold
    • Open your left nostril and exhale slowly

    This is one cycle.  From this point you can repeat many times.  You can also add holds on exhale or combine this technique with Box Breathing for added effects.

    Kapalabhati Breathing

    Kapalabhati is another classic Pranayama.  It is also known as “Skull Shining Breath”.  This is considered a purifying breathwork technique.  It involves alternating active, explosive diaphragmatic exhales with a longer passive inhale.  This is an energizing technique, so not something you would want to do when you’re trying to relax/go to sleep.  I use this as a form of Respiratory Muscle Training (RMT) that doesn’t require a device.  RMT has been shown to increase cardio athletic performance and VO2 max.  Be careful with this!  It’s common that new practitioners are in pain the next day because they are using muscles that they are not used to using.

    Wim Hof Method

    While the full Wim Hof Method also incorporates meditation and cold exposure as core tenants, the breathing method is also very effective when used alone.  This technique is closely related to Holotropic breathwork.  It is basically a form of controlled hyperventilation.  Hyperventilation has been shown to slow down the default mode network.  This form of breathing is extremely powerful and I use it as a general ‘reset’.  In my experience, I feel an extended state of bliss for days after practicing this.  When properly done, this technique really shows the range of what you can accomplish with breathwork.

    Conclusion

    There are so many different types of breathwork!  These are a few that I use all the time.  I wish I had familiarity with these longer than I have.  I feel strongly that some of these basic techniques should be taught early in schools and/or be added to every parents’ tool box.  It could really make a huge difference in the mental health of our children to have an effective means of reducing stress/anxiety that they can carry with them wherever they go.  Are you a breathwork advocate?  Are you using a technique that I haven’t covered here?  Let me know in the comments!