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Proper Breathing Brings Better Health

scientificamerican.com

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Re: Proper Breathing Brings Better Health

#131

Post by riku_iki »

Cthulhu_ wrote: post #96
riku_iki wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am curious why it is so important to breath through nose during aerobic exercises? I succeeded very well in different high intensive kinds of sport like boxing and sprint running, and always breathed using mouth..

The general technique is to inhale through the nose, exhale through the mouth; if you breathe through the mouth, you'll breathe in a lot of unfiltered, cold / dry air, which you'll end up feeling in your windpipe all the way down to your lungs. The nose filters and pre-warms the air you breathe in.

I googled 'running breathing nose or mouth' and read articles on first page, and general consensus is that you can't take enough oxygen during intensive exercises by inhaling through nose only..

Re: Proper Breathing Brings Better Health

#132

Post by girzel »

nprateem wrote: post #110
ramblerman wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Circulate it through the Microcosmic Orbit to balance it I beg your pardon?

A lot of the more intense breathing practices drive energy upwards into the head (whatever you want to call "energy" the feeling can be one of congestion/headaches/stimulation, etc). It's important to draw it back down to the belly or Earth to reduce this. Put the tongue on the roof of the mouth and move your awareness from your head down through your tongue and on down the front centre line about an inch inside the…

I've been doing taiji for a couple of years -- interestingly, they also talk about a cycle of qi that passes down the front of the body, around the perineum, up the back, and over the head down through the tongue on the roof of the mouth. This is supposed to be going on during standing meditation. I haven't experienced it yet, but it's early days for me.

Re: Proper Breathing Brings Better Health

#133

Post by djtriptych »

loceng wrote: post #106
djtriptych wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not sure the science is conclusive on this. Also, breathing well probably helps your body to eliminate mucous. Speaking from a yogi's perspective.

I'm not sure I've seen a properly conducted research study to give a solid enough answer either; can read some of my reasoning in my last comment - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18960189 I've been practicing yoga for more than 10 years, a lot of Bikram hot yoga - so I feel you regarding the differences on energy level and at least how the heat and increased flow of air can help free up and clear the sinuses, a…

Makes intuitive sense to me too but:

- You might have an especially strong reaction to those foods, i.e. they produce more mucous in _you_

- You might have engaged in other mucous-reducing habits around the same time e.g. drinking more water or practicing yoga. Hard to identify a root cause in a study of one.

Re: Proper Breathing Brings Better Health

#134

Post by nprateem »

girzel wrote: post #132
nprateem wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A lot of the more intense breathing practices drive energy upwards into the head (whatever you want to call "energy" the feeling can be one of congestion/headaches/stimulation, etc). It's important to draw it back down to the belly or Earth to reduce this. Put the tongue on the roof of the mouth and move your awareness from your head down through your tongue and on down the front centre line about an inch inside the…

I've been doing taiji for a couple of years -- interestingly, they also talk about a cycle of qi that passes down the front of the body, around the perineum, up the back, and over the head down through the tongue on the roof of the mouth. This is supposed to be going on during standing meditation. I haven't experienced it yet, but it's early days for me.

Yeah it's the same thing. Tai Chi and the Microcosmic Orbit are both Taoist practices. In fact they go together like a hand and a glove - you only see the glove and that's all a lot of Westerners learn, but it's all about the hand.

You might be interested in "Awaken Healing Energy Through the Tao" by Mantak Chia [1] (there's also "Healing Light of the Tao" but it goes on a bit and TBH it isn't very easy to learn from a book).

Tai Chi - like yoga asanas actually - can be done as purely physical movements, or you can be more mindful and trace your awareness through your body along these pathways to tap into the energetic/qi level. It goes for any exercise really - I do it in the gym on the cross-trainers. I just relax more and more and feel my hip bones pumping tingles up from my feet to my head and back down. I get off feeling very different compared to just doing it as a purely physical exercise.

It'd probably only take you a couple of days practice to feel something moving in the Microcosmic Orbit - definitely not years of practice.

[1] https://www.amazon.co.uk/Awaken-Healing-Through-Tao-Circulat...

Re: Proper Breathing Brings Better Health

#135

Post by girzel »

nprateem wrote: post #134
girzel wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been doing taiji for a couple of years -- interestingly, they also talk about a cycle of qi that passes down the front of the body, around the perineum, up the back, and over the head down through the tongue on the roof of the mouth. This is supposed to be going on during standing meditation. I haven't experienced it yet, but it's early days for me.

Yeah it's the same thing. Tai Chi and the Microcosmic Orbit are both Taoist practices. In fact they go together like a hand and a glove - you only see the glove and that's all a lot of Westerners learn, but it's all about the hand. You might be interested in "Awaken Healing Energy Through the Tao" by Mantak Chia [1] (there's also "Healing Light of the Tao" but it goes on a bit and TBH it isn't very easy to learn from…

Thanks for that! I thought you were coming at this from an Indian/Yogic tradition, and I guess the confluence is less surprising if it all comes from Daoism.

My teacher is very much about awareness and the way it moves through the body; the interplay of will, qi, and strength. I'm slow mostly because I started out with some pretty gruesome hip immobility issues, and have treated taiji like physical therapy for the past two years. I'm only just coming out of the gross mechanical problems now, and starting to become more aware of the subtler issues at play.

Re: Proper Breathing Brings Better Health

#136

Post by arisAlexis »

The article or the whole technique that sounds a bit para-scientific about normalizing the heart beat is dead wrong. The vagus nerve actually increases what is called heart rate variability which is a very good thing and even a longevity/cardiac health marker. The total opposite of making all heart beats equally distant.

Re: Proper Breathing Brings Better Health

#137

Post by viburnum »

azinman2 wrote: post #10
viburnum wrote: post #2

Standing up straight isn't as easy as it sounds. For a lot of desk workers you're going to have to fix your tight hamstrings, abnormal pelvic tilt, and weak abdominal muscles before it will be possible to stand up straight.

Why do you say abnormal pelvic tilt? Is that common? (I literally just got a massage where the bodyworker told me my hip was tilted majority, so it’s a stricking thing to read here...)

I heard the same from a masseur. Leaning forward to look at a monitor pushes your center of gravity forward so the rest of your body has to compensate, which includes the pelvic tilt.

Re: Proper Breathing Brings Better Health

#138

Post by Singletoned »

graeme wrote: post #37
samatman wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is FUD, basically. Yes, don’t start squatting and deadlifting without learning how to do it properly. Yes, start light, you only have one spine and two knees. No, it is not “extremely easy” to injure yourself if you show a modicum of good sense and avoid max lifting. I agree with GP that squats and deadlifts will improve posture in a relatively short period of time. They are among the best exercises, period, for…

I hurt my back on a not so heavy deadlift. Had done them for two years prior, learned how to do them, etc But all it took was one day where I was probably too tired/stressed. It wasn't a serious injury, but that spot in my back is still tight and I haven't really been able to unlock it despite physio, massage etc May have had pre-existing tension which made it more likely. Dunno. But injury can happen more easily tha…

You should definitely read The Divided Mind by Dr John Sarno. The book has a very high success rate at solving long term back injuries.

Re: Proper Breathing Brings Better Health

#139

Post by unmole »

nilsocket wrote: post #122

I'm in no way affiliated. Sadhguru and ram dev baba were famous in India for yoga and meditation. Sadhguru speaks in English, if it helps. By the way sadhguru speeches are just awesome. https://isha.sadhguru.org/in/en

Please, no. Jaggi Vasudev and Ramkishen Yadav are both quacks if not charlatans.

> By the way sadhguru speeches are just awesome.

I would have expected to find this opinion on Quora, not HN.

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