One hour of slow breathing changed my life - <AUTHOR> https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/jul/26/every-breath-you-take-the-lost-art-of-breathing <comment><USER2> I started reading his book _Breath_ , and he made the starting claim that, in essence, you could choose to be either energetic or restful by picking one nostril to breathe out of for awhile. (Naturally we breath out of one nostril at a time, and the body goes back and forth, but "it's a balance that can also be gamed").

I found this claim a bit... suspicious, and Googled, and didn't find much scientific evidence for this claim. I found a bunch of blog posts by yoga- affiliated people, and the like.

I asked about this on Biology Stack Exchange, unfortunately with no answer.

[https://biology.stackexchange.com/questions/94651/](https://biology.stackexchange.com/questions/94651/)

I would be very curious if any HN reader knows more about this. That said, my impression of Nestor (who is a journalist, and not a scientist) was that he was perhaps a bit too eager to jump to conclusions.

<comment><USER3> > Naturally we breath out of one nostril at a time

I don't understand how anyone can make that statement with a straight face. Unless one nostril is blocked, we use both simultaneously. There's no balance to be gamed.

<comment><USER4> That's not actually true. If you research it, you'll find that most people's nostrils alternately dilate and contract (the tissues reduce/swell). Most of us breathe primarily through only one nostril at a time, and it switches approximately every half hour. This is entirely unconscious and we're generally not aware of it.

There is a little bit of airflow in the constricted nostril, but nowhere near comparable to the other. You can test this by covering up your nostrils individually and comparing how easy it is to breathe through them. Then wait a half hour and try it again. (Note that a minority of people do not have this.)

However, this is not something you can consciously control or override, any more than you can override contractions in your intestine.

<comment><USER5> > (Note that a minority of people do not have this.)

I'm probably one of them then, because I've tested this on and off for years whenever someone makes the claim, and it's never true for me.

It's just really annoying how many people say with absolute certainty that everyone does it.

<comment><USER6> It's more like one nostril is high-velocity and the other is low-velocity, not that one is completely blocked. The evolutionary reason is thought to be that it aids the perception of low PPM volatile organic compounds (i.e. bad smells = rot, toxic chemicals) because the 'blocked' nostril is used as a sense chamber which lets the air spend more time within, thus increase the effective sensitivity of your sense of smell.

If you do not have this behaviour (which can disappear with certain neurological diseases or just idiopathically not exist) you also likely have a reduced sense of smell.

<comment><USER7> Can confirm that I "smell" through one nostril at a time. I can smell more sensitively than others (for example, realise that milk is rotten before others do). I have noticed that when I try blocking one of my nostrils, my sense of smell is considerably lower, and it is not always the left nostril or always the right nostril. It kind of alternates, and I don't know the pattern. It might be that both nostrils alternate doing the task of smelling at different times.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER8> > Hindus considered breath and spirit the same thing

It's funny, because I just realised that πνεύμα(pneuma)/spirit in Greek has the same root as πνεύμων(pneumon)/lung: the verb πνέω(pnéo), which means I breathe.

This is not Mr Portokalos talking from My Big Fat Greek Wedding, people: πνέω is traced to the older Indo-European stem pnew- , and the whole point of my comment is that there is a lot of heritage in language through the eons from older cultures and civilizations.

Trivia: the suffix -μα (like in the words pragma, dogma, trauma etc) generally means "the result or the carrier of the verb's actions", so like pragma ("thing", what is/has been made/done), dogma (what one believes in; the firmness of the belief is irrelevant to the ancient word), trauma ("wound"; the result of being wounded), pneuma would be what is being breathed; and there's another connection to old roots: alcohol is «οινόπνευμα» (spirit/fumes of the wine), and alcoholic drinks are called "spirits".

Fun stuff :)

<comment><USER9> In Portuguese the root "pneu" by itself means "tire" (as in a car tire).

Fun stuff indeed!

<comment><USER10> A _tyre_ (or _tire_ is) a _wheel dressing_ , the word being a truncation of _attire_. This can be any final dressing of a wheel.

An inflatable rubber pneumatic tire is a _subclass_ of tire, and truncation or abbreviation to _pnue_ is as good as any.

Locomotive wheels on trains have steel tyres.

[https://www.etymonline.com/word/tire](https://www.etymonline.com/word/tire)

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER11> No one seems to have mentioned Wim Hoff here ([https://www.wimhofmethod.com/](https://www.wimhofmethod.com/)). He's got some claims that verge on the suspicious but the actual method itself is worth doing purely if you're an interested sort.

Before, I can do about 40 seconds held on an out breath, after, about 2:40. That's kinda interesting.

I'd also recommend trying it if you're a meditator. Do a WH session first, then sit. It's really great for finding mind space: a bit buzzy, a bit like a natural high, but for me it meshes pretty well with a breath following meditation.

<comment><USER12> Are you referring to the hyperventilation technique? I ended up at one of his workshops randomly and tried that.

It's actually an old technique to increase the ability to hold the breath. The hyperventilation clears carbon dioxide from the system (hypocapnia). That's what the buzz is.

Never ever ever ever ever do this underwater or you have a serious risk of death: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freediving_blackout#Shallow_wa...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freediving_blackout#Shallow_water_blackout)

Hof did not warn of this at the time, though I believe he does now after someone died using the technique while swimming.

As for the cold resistance, Hof's twin brother Andre displayed the same physiological traits that Hof has, despite not having undergone the same training: [https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal...](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0101653)

The one interesting thing I have seen related to Hof is that he apparently was able to suppress the immune response to an endotoxin. Though it would be interesting to see that same study done on his twin.

This is a reasonably good article: [https://www.pepijnvanerp.nl/2016/01/wim- hof-method/#andre](https://www.pepijnvanerp.nl/2016/01/wim-hof-method/#andre)

I think Hof is well intentioned, sincere, a poor communicator, and prone to both mystical thinking but also interested in scientific verification.

<comment><USER13> yeah all these techniques are ancient in origin. Revived for every new generation.

Pranayama is at least a thousand years old and encompasses all of this. And many of the foundational texts refer to even older practices.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER14> This article is very relevant to what I've recently experienced. I haven't experienced the sweating but I've experienced the serenity that follows controlled breathing.

I'm reading an English translation of Ramana Maharshi's Upadesa Sara with commentary and verses 11-14 talk about controlling the breath (pranayama). A few relevant points made in those verses:

* Controlling your breath can help quieten the mind.

* There are such things as harmful breathing patterns so it's important to seek the guidance of experts to avoid them.

* The simplest breathing exercise that's easy to do right without an instructor is to observe the breath as it is.

I've made a conscious effort to observe the breath randomly throughout the day and it has a calming effect. These past few days have felt good. Observing the breath before sleep has made it easier to fall asleep.

FWIW, the verses also mention that, as far as being serene is concerned, pranayama is a short term solution to a long term problem (and the gist of Upadesa Sara is on the long term solution but I digress).

<comment><USER15> I'm prone to anxiety, and find myself hyperventilating often. Is this what you mean by "harmful breathing patterns"?

I've tried the "box breathing" with little luck, but have adapted a version where the exhale is 2-3x longer than the inhale. (inhale for 2 seconds, hold it a couple seconds, exhale slowly for 4-6 second, hold again).

I've also found better luck at inhaling into my belly, instead of letting my rib cage expand. It seems to release the tension/anxiety that I'm holding in my chest better.

<comment><USER14> > I'm prone to anxiety, and find myself hyperventilating often. Is this what > you mean by "harmful breathing patterns"?

I meant "practicing breathing exercises incorrectly" (and I see now that's what I should've written in the first place, thanks for pointing that out). Upadesa Sara doesn't expand upon what it means to practice breathing exercises incorrectly or mention what the side effects are. Much of Upadesa Sara is concise so much is left up to the reader to reason or learn about.

After I read your comment, I spent too much time thinking about how I breath (whether thru the belly or chest) and started breathing weird haha. After a few hours, I figured out that I mostly breathe through the belly. I think. Anyways, genuinely happy to hear you found something that works for you.

<comment><USER16> I once ended up intensely enjoying my breath through the night (Did not sleep). I don't recommend it. I wonder if that's a type of discouraged breathing.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER17> I have found breathing exercises to strengthen my diaphragm hugely helpful for acid reflux. I lie down with weights on my abdomen and breathe from the diaphragm for about 10 minutes a day. I've been able to stop PPIs completely by doing this regularly.

<comment><USER18> Do you have more info on this? I've suffered from GERD for a long time now and have found ways to mitigate the effects but this seems like an interesting potential treatment.

<comment><USER17> I can't find the video I followed originally but what I do is pretty simple. I lie on the floor with one hand on my chest and one hand on my belly (just below the sternum). Then I breathe paying attention that only the lower hand moves, ie that I'm using my diaphragm. I put the weights (small metal plates) under the lower hand to add resistance. I recall seeing some papers explaining the mechanism being related to how the diaphragm kind of wraps around the oesophageal sphincter, so strengthening it helps it close.

<comment><USER18> Thank you, super helpful. Definitely going to give this a shot.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER19> > We've become conditioned to breathe too much, just as we've been conditioned > to eat too much.

How is one conditioned to breathe too much? We eat too much because there is so much available to us and it's engineered (by trial and error) to be as delicious as possible. That has not been done to air.

<comment><USER20> > people with anxieties or other fear-based conditions typically will breathe > way too much. So what happens when you breathe that much is you're > constantly putting yourself into a state of stress. So you're stimulating > that sympathetic side of the nervous system

[https://www.npr.org/sections/health- shots/2020/05/27/8629631...](https://www.npr.org/sections/health- shots/2020/05/27/862963172/how-the-lost-art-of-breathing-can-impact-sleep-and- resilience)

> you can over breathe when people at a gym or when people are jogging you see > them really going to get the maximum amount of oxygen in that's not what is > happening to your body so you are offloading the co2 by offloading too much > co2 you're causing constriction in your circulation

[https://youtu.be/zWQxNoqKE6E?t=786](https://youtu.be/zWQxNoqKE6E?t=786)

<comment><USER21> That first one feels very chicken and egg - if you're anxious your sympathetic nervous system is going without the breathing. Can breath be used to relax you? Absolutely, but that's as much about focusing the brain on the breathing instead of the anxious thoughts as anything else.

<comment><USER22> It's a reasonably well established principle of psychology (real science, not pop-sci) that a surprising amount of what you perceive to be your emotional state is mediated through your body. That is, you experience a stressor, so the "low level" portions of your brain activate bodily reactions to that stress, and what your high-level brain perceives as stress is actually the bodily reaction rather than the original stressor. Exerting such control as you can on your body (since it is non-zero, but not total either) is a legitimate way to control your (perceived) emotional state, which then feeds back into the entire system.

(This also factors in to how hard it is for some people to figure out _why_ they are stressed; the part of the brain trying to work that out isn't necessarily as connected to the stressor as you might intuitively think.)

I've been having some low-level morning sleep paralysis lately (it has come and gone my entire life, & it has never been remotely as bad as I've heard some people describe); recently I've discovered an easy way out of it is to just hold my breath (or really, just stop inhaling), which triggers just enough stress to break through the paralysis. YMMV.

<comment><USER23> I had sleep paralysis as a child once in a while (which isn't uncommon), but as an adult I only get it after a period where when I've consumed cannabis with some regularity, then stopped.

It may or may not apply to you, but my friends that have sleep paralysis say this anecdote holds true for them as well.

<comment><USER24> Similarly, I get it if I've been drinking a few days in a row, then stop. Both of these drugs suppress REM sleep so my theory is that the sleep paralysis is a rebound effect.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER25> I've done a lot of breathing exercises due to freediving. I think the main benefit for me was that it's almost like meditating.

While lying there and breathing up or holding my breath, my mind is completely clear. No thoughts, just staying as relaxed as possible focusing on my diaphragm. No scrolling on my phone thinking about my day, nothing. Just relaxing. Except the last minutes when the body screams at you to breathe because of the co2 buildup, heh.

But not sure if there's anything more to it than that? I don't do it as often anymore, but get the same focus from working out.

</comment><comment><USER26> I wonder every time I see things like this whether more conventional exercise will also do the same thing. I'm a recreational runner, and as I become more fit, I notice that my body is capable of entering deeper and deeper states of relaxation. When I go to sleep at night, my breathing and heart rate slow to rates that I never could have sustained before getting in shape. Being conscious and in control of my breath is important, especially at high altitude. And a long run out in nature definitely puts me in a meditative state.

I wonder if this kind of conventional exercise might provide more "bang for your buck" than just controlled breathing in isolation.

<comment><USER27> Exercise will certainly accomplish similar objectives. After a few months of intense circuit training, I started to realize that I could get away with breathing a lot less frequently. Once my resting heart rate dropped below 50BPM, it was like having a mental switch I could throw on demand to enter into a state of calm. Just a few seconds of focus and I could deal with a monster of a stressful situation with ease. I really need to get back into it. The time investment is substantial, but exercise always pays really good dividends.

<comment><USER28> One of my pet theories is that regular exercise strengthens your core muscles and allows you to recruit those core muscles more effectively.

This is what allows the diaphragm to expand more and thus facilitates deeper breathing. More oxygen per breath, and fewer heartbeats required to circulate it through the bloodstream.

Could be total rubbish, but I'd be interested to see a study either way.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER29> I have often wondered if controlled breathing was actually a big part of what smokers find relaxing. When I gave up smoking I noticed sucking air through a small paper tube was also relaxing.

<comment><USER30> That makes a lot of sense! Especially the breathing out part could compound the direct effect of the drug. These long and pleasant breath-outs that you do when you got something done and can finally kick back.

</comment></comment><comment><USER31> If anyone had a chance to read a book – is it just exploring and describing observation about breathing or it attempts to answer how different breathing actually works and effects the health?

I remember watching this amazing TEDx talk which gives an on state demonstration of how breathing directly affects blood flow / pulse: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xc3XdOiGGI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xc3XdOiGGI)

There is another interesting video I've watched years ago with some hints that breathing directly influence mitochondrial activity, but it's in Russian, so not sure if it's worth sharing. Another thing indirectly mentioned was that breathing is the only "low-level" body function that we control conciously to some extent, so its effect on health is a neat byproduct and can be used for "hacking" metabolism and low-level body functions.

Anyway, I'm wondering if there is something more than "conscious breathing can do amazing things to your health" in this book?

<comment><USER32> I am at the beginning of the book, but for my taste it's too much storified (if that makes sense). He talks a lot about how he found something out and his personal experience with learning about breathing.

Also similar to OP here [1] I was super curious about his claim that you can influence a lot of stuff in your body by picking one nostril you breath with. I googled for confirmation and wasn't satisfied with the results. Later he also recommends oxygen deprivation (breathing very shallowly while running and warns about blackouts)

He doesn't cite studies in a usual science like way. So I decided I won't read the book in full.

Hope this helps.

[1] [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23980094](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23980094)

</comment></comment><comment><USER33> "No breathing can heal stage IV cancer"

I like how this sentence is true in two very different ways...

<comment><USER34> Give a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a night. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.

</comment></comment><comment><USER35> James Nestor's podcast episodes with Ben Greenfield and Joe Rogan both are very interesting. Obviously there is some material crossover between the two, but I found unique things from each.

I really the breathwork will become the new fad, but for good reason. It's amazingly powerful.

</comment><comment><USER36> I'm surprised none of these comments mention "singing" or "prayer". Both are forms of breath control, and both extremely therapeutic.

</comment><comment><USER37> Anyone interested in the topic should learn about the Buteyko technique and the work of Konstantin Buteyko. He was a Russian scientist who studied the negative effects of chronic hyperventillation, the positive effects of healthy breathing, and developed a technique to restore healthy breathing.

For example, he developed a way to measure the health of someone's respiration through a simple test called the "control pause." To measure your control pause, bring your attention to your breath and without changing your breath, stop breathing at the end of your next natural exhalation. Start a timer, and see how long it takes before your body generates any minor uncomfortable signal in an urge to breathe (an urge to swallow, any kind of muscle contraction, anything subtle expressing a demand to breathe). As soon as you reach such a signal, stop the timer. People who breath healthily (according to Buteyko's research) have at least 40 seconds on the timer. (This is NOT a breath holding test, and if your regular respiration gets faster or deeper after you complete it, you did it wrong.) Most people certainly are not even close to 40 sec. And that, according to Buteyko, is because most people severely overbreathe. The consequence of this dysfunction, of being in a constant state of chronic hyperventillation, is that the blood vessels contract, and surprisingly, less oxygen is transferred to the cells because CO2 is a necessary catalyst for the transfer of oxygen to the cells, and hyperventillation drains the blood of CO2. Healthy breathing, according to Buteyko, is minute and nearly visually imperceptible.

<comment><USER38> Are there any scientific foundations underlying his techniques?

</comment></comment><comment><USER39> I'm curious to read the book. I've practiced breathing techniques from yogic and meditative traditions for maybe 15 years now. Even just a minute of deeper, slower breathing has a calming effect on my mind and body, for the most part.

The breathing practices/exercises are, for the most part, useful and interesting. I have to let go of a lot of the metaphysics in these traditions though, there is a certain amount of "woo" to wade through.

</comment><comment><USER40> I'm a recovering thyroid cancer (good cancer) patient. My breathing and immunity had become bad due to my surgeries/treatment but also stress, occasional hookah smoking, etc. After suffering from severe bronchitis and cough for the first months of this year, I started doing the breathing exercises in this video ([https://youtu.be/iUKjuni-6l8?list=PLxdtWIiZAUhoD6mxvZ0gO9ohE...](https://youtu.be/iUKjuni-6l8?list=PLxdtWIiZAUhoD6mxvZ0gO9ohEQEI9fB5X&t=527)) regularly (4-6 times a week) based on a HNer's recommendation. All my symptoms have completely disappeared, my breathing has become slower and I have become a much calmer person. My lungs feel really clear. Highly recommend doing these breathing exercises regularly (every day for the first month if possible).

This guy, Michael Bijker, also has a lot of good videos on breathing exercises. Here's an example - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBZInO0-ZHk&list=PLxdtWIiZAU...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBZInO0-ZHk&list=PLxdtWIiZAUhoD6mxvZ0gO9ohEQEI9fB5X&index=2&t=765s)

</comment><comment><USER41> I've recently started listening to the audio book "Biofeedback and Mindfulness in Everyday Life" [0] by Inna Khazan, a clinical pscyhologist[1]. For the more skeptical minded who want the data/ more exploration, she references a bunch of studies attesting to the efficacy of breathing techniques and how it impacts health etc. I won't say the book has changed my life mainly because I am still listening to it and there's a l ong way to practise these but so far the results are encouraging ( More peace of mind , great sleep (experience) plus data on my Apple Watch app and energy levels)

[0] [https://www.audible.in/pd/Biofeedback-and-Mindfulness-in- Eve...](https://www.audible.in/pd/Biofeedback-and-Mindfulness-in-Everyday- Life- Audiobook/B07VCTR1CZ?ref=a_library_t_c5_libItem_&pf_rd_p=fbaa688e-a578-4e09-8a7e-c311598d4470&pf_rd_r=DAAYKX0CQ9H2DWF0725A)

[1] [https://innakhazan.com/wp/13-about- me/](https://innakhazan.com/wp/13-about-me/)

</comment><comment><USER42> Nice to see something like this getting upvotes.

I once had a friend who was out of sync with her inner rythm ... so to speak.

After identifying the problem, we've sat down for an hour and I've taught her how to breathe properly, especially - but not only - slowly.

It changed her life ... with a catch.

People noticed she was calmer and happier. People liked her more. She got promoted. She started earning more. Her life improved significantly, for months.

And then it hit her. Her ego inflated so much, she started overworking herself. She lost her sense for her limits. Her ego couldn't handle the relative increase in energy, which got even worse due to the relative increase in self-confidence.

Burnt herself out. At least one month hospital.

Breathing techniques are no joke. When you're doing it "wrong" all your life, the sudden increase in energy when you begin doing it "right" can be both quite massive and very lasting.

<comment><USER43> If you don't mind- could you please elaborate on "taught her how to breathe properly"

<comment><USER42> That's too broad. What do you want to know?

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER44> An interesting resource that I found on the topic of breathing is [https://www.normalbreathing.com/](https://www.normalbreathing.com/)

Dr Artour Rakhimov claims that breath starvation (breathing slowly and less) is key to _higher_ oxygen absorption; and definitely not deep breathing! "Take a deep breath" makes sense if you have been hyper-ventilating, but not ALL the time.

I found his site via his "How to unblock a blocked nose in 1 minute" video, a technique which works even when both nostrils are clogged:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhOTUBZYTEg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhOTUBZYTEg)

</comment><comment><USER45> The Science of Breath (1903)[1] by William Walker Atkinson[2] is a fundamental read on the subject.

[1] [https://www.amazon.com/dp/1603864180](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1603864180)

[2] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Walker_Atkinson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Walker_Atkinson)

<comment><USER46> Worth noting that WWA's works are now public domain and can be found for free online, eg. (same book) [http://yogebooks.com/english/atkinson/1903sciencebreath.pdf](http://yogebooks.com/english/atkinson/1903sciencebreath.pdf)

</comment></comment><comment><USER47> Does a quick practical guide about how to do this and reap the benefits exist anyway?

I'm also curious about finding references for the studies he mentions.

<comment><USER48> In the article he says he inhales for 5.5 seconds, then exhales for 5.5 seconds.

<comment><USER49> Have to watch when applying this. I was dehydrated and in the ER. Very stressed. I hate needles and giving blood. Had to do that. Then had a sit up, stand up test. Stated to panic. Counted. Then started to pass out.

<comment><USER50> Are you saying you got dehydrated and had to go to the ER as a result of this breathing exercise?

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER51> A friend of mine had pneumonia 30 years ago, and a physiotherapist told him to breathe with the abdomen as part of his treatment. I tried it for my asthma, and it worked pretty well. After a while, it came naturally and I mostly breathe this way all the time. Slowly, and from the belly :)

<comment><USER52> Also known as diaphragmatic breathing: [https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/9445-diaphrag...](https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/9445-diaphragmatic- breathing)

I was taught this as a way to control some very acute anxiety from hypochondria that took over my life for ~6 months before I could get treatment. Apparently it worked, since I haven't suffered from that type of anxiety since.

</comment></comment><comment><USER53> Might as well ask it here, since goolgling this leads me down the hypochondriac nuts hole.

I've noticed I yawn ALOT. Furthremore when I yawning I feel like only 1 out 5 yawns are "proper complete" yawns that actually get enough air in (that's the best way I can explain).

I was thinking this might be a sign my nose is too stuffed normally and I'm not getting enough oxygen, but reading this thread I might be over oxygenating?

Some extra information, I've noticed this a while but I have been exercising a lot lately, and lost about 20 pounds, so I do feel relatively healthy and active.

<comment><USER54> I don't yawn much at all, but sometimes (usually in bed) I do get an uncomfortable urge to have deep yawns. It is frustrating because most of the yawns feel unsatisfying, like I didn't get a deep enough breath with the yawn. It feels as if there is some tension around my lungs or diaphragm. After about 10-20 minutes of this and consciously trying to relax these muscles, I may get in a couple of big satisfying yawns, but it takes a while to get to that point.

</comment></comment><comment><USER55> I was skeptical about breathing exercises but turns out focusing on something as trivial as breathing can and does help in relaxation and anxiety relief. (not a substitute for medication/therapy of course)

This is easy for anyone to test empirically -- just YouTube "relaxation exercises".

I happen to like this one from the University Health Network in Toronto, which helps me fall asleep (I've never gotten to the end awake)

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oj9kLb5gTYg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oj9kLb5gTYg)

<comment><USER56> This is a form of meditation, not so much a breathing exercise. The efficacy of meditation has been established for thousands of years.

</comment></comment><comment><USER57> This author seems to be on a PR circuit. Was on Rogan podcast recently. Heard other health podcasts mention the book and that they'll have him on soon.

I'm not saying it is wrong. Just to be aware.

<comment><USER58> Sorry aware of what? Isn't it how new material gets to people?

</comment></comment><comment><USER59> Two minutes of 5.5 second inhales and 5.5 seconds exhales hyperventilates me to the point of dizziness.

There's a lot of qualifications for this number and freedivers explore most of them: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aXxXCXptYA&t=12m10s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aXxXCXptYA&t=12m10s)

6 seconds in and 12 out is my ideal breath-up. Shallower breathes for meditation. The video above has a good exercise for finding your ideal breath- up.

</comment><comment><USER60> I don't know if any of you would be interested in this but after reading a lot of articles like this I programmed a simple app to help you breath while you work on the computer (distraction free). If you wanna check it out: [https://github.com/filipeisho/breathe](https://github.com/filipeisho/breathe) Any feedback is highly appreciated!

</comment><comment><USER61> 3 months ago my gut reaction would be to not even click on this, but having been stressed out at work recently I started doing yoga and meditation again, which in themselves do a bit with breathing. Anecdotally I've noticed some positive changes in my amount of energy and stress. That could all be a coincidence and if nothing else I am gaining flexibility again. What I'm taking too many words up to say is, I am inclined to give this a shot.

</comment><comment><USER62> If anyone wants to learn to breathe properly I can recommend this book:

[http://www.yogebooks.com/english/atkinson/1903sciencebreath....](http://www.yogebooks.com/english/atkinson/1903sciencebreath.pdf)

A lot of the stuff on Google search and even the so called 'experts' know nothing at all about this science. When you get deep into it you can even unlock psychic abilities (seriously).

</comment><comment><USER63> All Europe has gone mad about breathing exercises. For four or five years I have made money by treating people who had ruined their breathing by such methods! Many books are written about it, everyone tries to teach others. They say: "The more you breathe, the greater the inflow of oxygen," etc., and, as a result, they come to me. I am very grateful to the authors of such books, founders of schools, and so on.

If, for example, we change our breathing, we change the rhythm of our lungs; but since everything is connected, other rhythms also gradually begin to change. If we go on with this breathing for a long time it may change the rhythm of all the organs. For instance, the rhythm of the stomach will change. And the stomach has its own habits, it needs a certain time to digest food; say, for example, the food must lie there an hour. If the rhythm of the stomach changes, food may pass through more quickly and the stomach will not have time to take from it all it needs. In another place the reverse may occur. It is a thousand times better not to interfere with our machine, to leave it in bad condition rather than correct it without knowledge.

To work on oneself one must know every screw, every nail of one's machine—then you will know what to do. But if you know a little and try, you may lose a great deal. The risk is great, for the machine is very complicated. It has very small screws which can be easily damaged, and if you push harder you may break them. And these screws cannot be bought in a shop.

One must be very careful. When you know, it is another thing. If anyone here is experimenting with breathing, it is better to stop while there is still time.

Gurdjieff G. I. - Views from the Real World (Experiments with breathing talk)

<comment><USER50> So how do you recommend a layman improve their breathing without fucking themselves up? Is it so complicated that we can't do it on our own without professional help?

<comment><USER64> He's quoting Gurdjieff: [https://holybooks-lichtenbergpress.netdna-ssl.com/wp- content...](https://holybooks-lichtenbergpress.netdna-ssl.com/wp- content/uploads/Views_from_the_Real_World_-_Gurdjieff.pdf)

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER65> No science here, but anecdotally I find a lot of things that require focus on breathing to be really relaxing. Meditation, yoga, exercise, even things like scuba diving and smoking (I don't smoke regularly, maybe hookah a few times a year).

</comment><comment><USER66> [https://youtu.be/p1av5fG7sOA?t=3031](https://youtu.be/p1av5fG7sOA?t=3031) This is more ancient that many know. Breathing has a direct impact on the body and the mind.

</comment><comment><USER67> Are there any online breathing courses or services worth taking? I've read of diaphragmatic/belly breathing before, but I think I need an actual coach to check if I'm doing it correctly.

<comment><USER40> See my comment in this thread for recommendations.

</comment></comment><comment><USER68> Breathing works, just as basic spirituality. But, further you get into cultish stuff and "spiritual" experiences because you're basically restricting oxygen.

In Zen they even warn of it.

<comment><USER69> I practice Zen and, after certain point you don't even watch your breathing. You just become aware of it. So, you restrict nothing.

Unfortunately meditation and spirituality is a very sharp and two edged sword. You need to find the correct people alongside the correct path.

In our way, there's no _Spiritual Experience (TM)_. You just become aware of the issues in your life and with yourself, then you try to solve them. We say that "something is useless if it doesn't improve your real life in a perceivable way".

<comment><USER70> Advanced Zen practitioners most definitely do report what many would call spiritual experiences. The difference is they let those experiences go instead of chasing them or attaching much significance to them.

See for example the later chapters of "The Mind Illuminated", or the excellent "Science of Enlightenment" audio talk by Shinzen Young.

<comment><USER69> Your explanation is actually what I've intended to say. We don't cling to them. They're not important as-is and not to be chased.

I've also got my fair share (of experiences) but, I don't remember any of them except one or two odd ones. I remember them because they've proved to be some pivotal moments which my life became better afterwards.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER71> Wasn't there a HN post somewhat recently about the scientific health benefits of breathing exercises? I can't find it.

I made a note to read it after I saw the post but forgot about it until now.

</comment><comment><USER72> [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breathwork](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breathwork)

</comment><comment><USER73> [https://www.sacred-texts.com/oto/lib9.htm#4](https://www.sacred- texts.com/oto/lib9.htm#4)

</comment><comment><USER46> The Guardian wants me to register to read the article. I had to use a US-based web proxy to get it to load.

</comment><comment><USER74> Very timely article ... people in this country needs a calming effect that is non toxic at this time.

</comment><comment><USER75> i started this technique several years ago, and it's done wonders for both me mental state and attention and my meditation practice.

whenever annoyed or waiting, several deep breaths and then continued breath awareness for as long as i remember.

</comment><comment><USER76> We Hindus don't just consider it as breathing, our world view is different. Breathing techniques in India are called Pranayama which means controlling prana.

This is an excerpt from chapter-3 of Raja yoga by Swami Vivekananda.

Pranayama is not as may think, something about breath. Breath indeed has very little to do with it if anything. Breathing is only one of the many exercises through which we get to the real Pranayama. Pranayama means the control of Prana. According to the philosophers of India the whole universe is composed of two materials, one of which they call Akasha, It is the omnipresent, all- penetrating existence. Everything that has form, everything that is the result of combination, is evolved out of this Akasha. It is the Akasha that becomes the air, that becomes the liquids, that becomes the solids; it is the Akasha that becomes the sun, the earth, the moon, the stars, the comets; it is the Akasha that becomes the human body, the animal body, the plants every form that we see, everything that can be sensed, everything that exists. It cannot be perceived; it is so subtle that it is beyond all ordinary perception; it can only be seen when it has become gross, has taken form. At the beginning of creation there is only this Ākāsha. At the end of the cycle the solids, the liquids, and the gases all melt into the Akasha again, and the next creation similarly proceeds out of this Akāsha.

By what power is this Akasha manufactured into this universe? By the power of Prāna. Just as Akasha is the infinite, omnipresent material of this universe, so is this Prāna the infinite, omnipresent manifesting power of this universe. At the beginning and at the end of a cycle everything becomes Akāsha, and all the forces that are in the universe resolve back into the Prāna; in the next cycle, out of this Prāna is evolved everything that we call energy, everything that we call force. It is the Prāna that is manifesting as motion; it is the Prāna that is manifesting as gravitation, as magnetism. It is the Prāna that is manifesting as the actions of the body, as the nerve currents, as thought force. From thought down to the lowest force, everything is but the manifestation of Prāna. The sum total of all forces in the universe, mental or physical, when resolved back to their original state, is called Prana.

"When there was neither aught nor naught when darkness was covering darkness, what existed then? That Akäsha existed without motion." The physical motion of the Präna was stopped, but it existed all the same.

At the end of a cycle the energies now displayed in the universe quiet down and become potential. At the beginning of the next to cycle they start up, strike upon the Akäsha, and out of the Akāsha evolve these various forms, and as the Ākāsha changes, this Prana changes also into all these manifestations of energy. The knowledge and control of this Prāna is really what is meant by Pranayama.

</comment><comment><USER77> Isn't this meditation? What is the difference?

EDIT: rereading this - yes, it is meditation. Why is it being rebranded and written about as if it is some new discovery?

<comment><USER78> Although it might be done for pure marketing purposes in this case, I think sometimes calling something differently can help losing some "spiritual baggage", and open the topic up to people that would otherwise not engage with it.

Also, "slow breathing" is very descriptive, just reading it I know what to do (even if I might not know how slow), whereas if I wanted to meditate I would have to read up first what I'm supposed to do and which of the many different practices I want to try out.

<comment><USER79> It's not just slow breathing. It's in one nostril, pump stomach muscles, out the other, pump stomach, repeat. There are YouTube videos demonstrating it.

<comment><USER78> I haven't read the whole article, but in the beginning the author describes his first sessions as nothing more complicated than breathing slowly.

"The voice instructed us to inhale slowly through our noses, then to exhale slowly. To focus on our breath. [...] The next day I felt even better. As advertised, there was a feeling of calm and quiet that I hadn't experienced in a long time. I"

So does one need the more advanced techniques or do you get like 80% there by just explicitly taking some time out of your day to slow down?

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER80> Does anyone else find this style of writing absolutely aggravating?

The first paragraph has absolutely 0 value to me as a reader. It's almost like the goal of the writer is to take up as much of your time as possible.

<comment><AUTHOR> Haha, I posted this here and I agree, it the author to get to the point.

</comment></comment><comment><USER81> Pranayama

</comment><comment><USER82> Yes, but can it charge water?

</comment><comment><USER83> isn't this just like.., uh.., sleeping?

</comment><comment><USER84> Mental health Tangent-

I wonder how far the American Medical Association/physicians have set back medical discoveries.

The traditional solution is Drugs. Some recommend exercise (although a friend recently couldn't get a prescription for Physical Therapy until after trying steroids for 2 weeks). Even fewer recommend diet changes.

Could this breathing method be a drug free solution to various psychological disorders? (Don't get me wrong, people may need drugs, but it's something to consider before a Physician gets someone addicted to Drugs for the rest of their life.)

It just seems like every industry has made huge strides in technological progress and scientific knowledge, then you have medical which is still unknown. Engineering and Medicine are both applied sciences, it seems either bizarre or corrupt that medical is far behind and has low quality outcomes, despite high costs.

<comment><USER85> I mean diet and exercise can have profound effects on your health. My personal experiences have been that doctors I have been to are likely to prescribe something and then toss in "also you should exercise and lose some weight". I herniated a disc and basically my options were steroid shots or surgery. I opted for the steroid shots just to get rid of the constant numbness and pain down my leg. But there had been no real help on what to do now. "Strengthen your core" um ok thanks. All that to say a lot of time is spent treating the symptoms and not the cause. Meanwhile I'm stuck finding the cause and then trying to remedy it.

<comment><USER86> Unless you sustained a back injury, the cause is most likely weak core and trunk muscles, which places strain on your spine. Therefore, strengthening your core and trunk is the solution.

I have had excellent results with reverse back extensions [1] and inversion table stretches and crunches.

Good luck!

1: [https://youtu.be/3d9_W--eUcI](https://youtu.be/3d9_W--eUcI)</comment></comment></comment>


VC backed technology exits. Time to face the music. - <AUTHOR> http://thebln.com/2010/03/20102011-tech-exit-outlook-data-from-the-internet-advice-from-berlin-irving/

<comment><USER2> This is typical of a stabilized industry. It has happened countless times. Railroads, petroleum exploration, airlines and now information technology.

VC will move to another industry: green tech, biotech, and nanotech. Web businesses should focus on more established trajectories that other industries adhere to. We'd be well served to stop listening to the VCs and start listening to the 37signals.

People keep coming to me with ideas and I say, "What's your strategy?" They say, "Get a lot of users, then get VC." I say, "No." They are often deeply offended, but I simply tell them, if aren't creating something of value that people are willing to pay for, your chances of survival are slim to none.

</comment><comment><USER3> There is anothing thing common to all those companies. They are all PUBLIC.

Its true that the IPO market has been quiet lately, but it is waking up. And there is much more spending money there than in these 10 companie's accounts.

<comment><AUTHOR> They are public companies. That is kind of the point. Very few companies can achieve that kind of scale and remain private. They are of course not the only companies that make acquisitions - compare ones with most cash and acquisition kings - but they provide a good barometer. The companies that have less cash are also less likely to make acquisitions of more than $100 million which still means it is hard for VCs to get the fund making exits they need.

<comment><USER3> What I meant is that M&A is not the only way for an "exit".

The article implies that its the only way for VCs to cash out. But the IPO market holds a lot more money and opportunities.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER4> So 99% of the VCs in the world are totally screwed.

<comment><AUTHOR> Yup. Most of the VCs that have raised big funds will of course struggle to make money.</comment></comment>