(Rerun) The Science of Breath: Unlock Calm & Clarity in Any Situation.

"When we are out of breath, it means we are out of control. When our mind is out of control, well, our breathing typically follows." (02:45)

Unlock the power of your breath to manage stress, enhance mental clarity, and build resilience. This episode dives into the science of breathing, explaining how conscious control over your breath can profoundly impact your brain activity, stress response, and overall well-being.

Did you know that how you breathe can determine whether you impulsively react or thoughtfully respond to life's challenges?

Key Takeaway Insights and Tools

• Breathing as a Reset Button: Conscious breathing is the number one way to reset your mind when feeling nervous, stressed, or overwhelmed, linking the brain and body. (02:34)
• The Importance of CO2 Tolerance: Your body's ability to buffer stress is linked to your carbon dioxide (CO2) tolerance; maintaining healthy CO2 levels ensures better oxygen delivery to tissues. (04:10)
• Benefits of Nasal Breathing: Nose breathing warms, humidifies, and filters air, increases airflow resistance for better diaphragm use, and stimulates the release of nitric oxide. (06:15)
• The Power of Nitric Oxide: Nitric oxide expands blood vessels, increases oxygen uptake, acts as an anti-inflammatory, decreases blood pressure, and boosts memory and digestion. Humming can increase its concentration. (07:19)
• Activating the Parasympathetic System: Longer exhales activate the parasympathetic "rest and digest" nervous system, stimulating the vagus nerve to induce a calmer state. (08:49)
• Physiological Sigh (Protocol 2): A natural, hardwired mechanism involving a double inhale followed by a long exhale to rapidly de-stress by opening collapsed alveoli and offloading CO2. (13:12)
• 4-7-8 Breathing (Protocol 3): Developed by Dr. Andrew Weil, this protocol involves inhaling for 4, holding for 7, and exhaling audibly for 8 to reduce stress and anxiety. (15:23)
• 5.5-Second Breathing (Protocol 4): Aim for a breath rhythm of 5.5 seconds inhale and 5.5 seconds exhale for optimal oxygen absorption and a more alert, calm, and focused state. (16:36)
• Box Breathing (Protocol 5): A simple technique for intense situations: inhale for 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4, and hold with empty lungs for 4, repeating 10-15 cycles. (17:46)

Memorable Quote(s)

• "When we are out of breath, it means we are out of control. When our mind is out of control, well, our breathing typically follows." (02:45)
• "The fastest and most direct way to change our state is to consciously change our breathing patterns." (11:06)
• "One message I hope I've been able to communicate in this episode is how something as simple as breathing well can have such a dramatic and positive effect on our psychology as well as our physiology and quite immediately." (19:51)

If you found this episode informative, please rate and review it in your podcast app and share it with two friends, family, or colleagues!

Chapters

• 0:00 The Pitfalls of Constantly Striving for Perfection
• 0:41 Embracing Sufficing: Making Tough Trade-offs for Success
• 1:04 The Importance of Self-Awareness and Self-Compassion for Longevity

Transcript

0:00] Music. 

Introduction to It's an Inside Job podcast

[0:09] Welcome back to It's an Inside Job podcast. I'm your host, Jason Lim.
Now, this podcast is dedicated to helping you to help yourself and others to become more mentally andemotionally resilient, so you can be better at bouncing back from life's inevitable setbacks.
Now, on It's an Inside Job, we decode the science and stories of resilience into practical advice, skills,and strategies that you can use to impact your life and those around you.
Now, with that said, let's slip into the stream.

[0:37] Music. 

Exploring the Science of Breathing and Its Importance

[0:45] Welcome back to It's an Inside Job. I'm your host Jason Lim.
Well this week we are going to have one of my solo pilot projects but this week we're going to be it'sgonna be a little different.
I'm gonna be talking about breathing and the protocols of breathing to understand and explore the scienceof breathing because Breath how we take breath.
Well, it can mean the difference between Impulsively reacting to a situation or reflecting responding to asituation It can determine the difference between us engaging or disengaging with a problem at hand.

[1:19] So in this week's episode, I want to discuss the importance of breathing and managing stress andpromoting mental and emotional well-being, I want to explain how the conscious control breathing canpositively affect our brain activity and the body stress response I want to emphasize the significance ofnasal breathing over mouth breathing.
I want to highlight its benefits in improving oxygen intake, activating the vagus nerve and releasing nitricoxide.
So this week, I want to explore those five breathing protocols.
Now I don't use them every day.
One or two I use every day, but these are ones that I put into my regular practice of managing stress andcoming in facing adversity in a much more equanimity kind of way. So, and I want to share this withyou, and these are things that I work with my clients on.

Simple and Pragmatic Breathing Protocols for Stress Management

[2:05] It's very pragmatic, it's very simple, it literally takes no money, no effort.
All it asks of you is to show up and to be present with your breathing.
And to ask yourself, how do I choose to respond?
So, without further ado, let's dive into this week's solo episode with me.

[2:23] Music. 

The Power of Breathing and Its Impact on the Mind and Body

[2:34] Breathing is the link between the brain and the body. It's the number one thing to give our mind areset.
When we feel nervous, stressed, overwhelmed, or catch ourselves overthinking, well, breathing protocolscan get us back to a calm, relaxed, and controlled state of being.
When we are out of breath, it means we are out of control. When our mind is out of control, well, ourbreathing typically follows.
Breathing is something we do that is so subtle and automatic, yet essential to our health and wellbeing.
We breathe approximately 25,000 times each day.
Every breath impacts our heart rate, blood pressure, thinking and emotions.
It's one of the most powerful things we can do every day or any moment of stress.
The power of breath allows us to steer our focus and our energy.
Now, since breathing is both a voluntary and involuntary process, we can consciously tweak it to calmour brain activity to positively affect our mental and emotional health.
It's about bringing awareness to your breath so you can get out of your head and into the present moment.
This habit will serve us well when we catch ourselves over-analyzing things.

[3:46] One of my hopes is that you will implement one of the following breathing protocols in your life.
From my experience, I have found that breathing protocols that work remarkably well to turn off ourstress response and put us into a calm state.
I find the skills are even more effective if I understand the science behind why and how the skills affectme psychologically and physiologically.

Understanding the Role of Carbon Dioxide and Oxygen in Breathing

[4:10] Now, the key to physiologically buffering stress is dependent upon our carbon dioxide tolerance,our CO2 levels.
Now, the role of breathing is to exhale carbon dioxide and to inhale oxygen.
The primary function of the protein hemoglobin found in our red blood cells, well, it's to transport O2,oxygen, from the lungs to the tissues and transport CO2, carbon dioxide, from the tissues to the lungs.
When the body is in a healthy equilibrium, there is a balanced O2 and CO2 exchange.

[4:43] CO2 is responsible for offloading O2 or oxygen from the blood to our tissues.
It means increased levels of CO2 lead to increased levels of oxygen by hemoglobin into our tissues,muscles, and our organs.
With more oxygen, our brains can think clearly and our bodies feel more energized.
We affect CO2 levels by how we breathe.
There are receptors in the brain that monitor oxygen and CO2 concentrations in the blood.
When CO2 increases, these receptors tell us to breathe.
The reason we breathe is in response to the accumulation of CO2 in the blood.
Many of us breathe through our mouths and offload CO2 too quickly and in large amounts.
This rapid offloading means we are decreasing the concentration of carbon dioxide and it reduces thedelivery of oxygen to our tissues and to our muscles.
It can leave us gasping for air or feeling in a general state of fatigue.
Well, then this further perpetuates an increased breathing rate to get more air, or what we can call over-breathing.

[5:49] If over-breathing becomes a habit, a biomechanical change happens to the receptors, telling uswhen to breathe.
This change translates into a decreased tolerance to CO2, the very gas that is needed to deliver oxygeninto our blood.
This intolerance, well, it also means the body and brain have reduced capacity for dealing with stress.The Nose-Nose.

[6:15] The nose is a remarkable structure. Most of us will never have given any thought to its manyadvantages.
The design of our nasal passages helps us to warm and humidify the air we inhale.
Our breath temperature can rise more than 4 Celsius on the way from the nose to the lungs.
Tiny hairs called cilia cover our nasal passages, which act as a filtering system.
Cilia help remove a significant share of germs, irritants, and bacteria, purifying the air before it reachesour lungs. The nose's structure creates greater resistance to airflow when we exhale.

[6:52] It forces better use of our diaphragm, keeping the air in our lungs a little longer, which slows downthe offloading of CO2.
This gradual release can increase the amount of oxygen that enters our bloodstream with each breath byas much as 20%.
Nose breathing stimulates an area of our nasal sinuses that delivers nitric oxide, which mouth breathingdoesn't activate.
The Wow Effect of Nitric Oxide Nitric oxide plays a significant role in respiration, in our breathing.
By expanding blood vessels and alveoli to increase oxygen uptake in the blood.
Alveoli is where the exchange of oxygen and CO2 takes place.
Our lungs consist of approximately 300 million alveoli.
You can picture them in your head like tiny air sacs that look like clusters of grapes. Now, the benefits ofnitric oxide don't end there.
They play an anti-inflammatory role in the arteries.

[7:51] It aids in preventing and clotting obstructions in the arteries.
It also decreases blood pressure and improves blood flow to the organs.
In addition, it enhances memory and learning, at the same time promoting a healthy digestive tract byregulating the secretion of digestive hormones and enzymes.
When we breathe lightly through the nose, we carry a higher concentration of nitric oxide into the lungs.
We can increase the concentration of nitric oxide in the nasal cavity by 15%, by merely humming as weexhale through our nose.
The vibration caused by humming mixes the air from the paranasal sinuses with the air in the nasalpassages.
It's in the paranasal sinuses where the primary production of nitric oxide happens.
Now, one last fact about nitric oxide is that it has a strong antibacterial effect, killing both viruses andbacteria.
Stress and breathing.

[8:49] Our breathing directly impacts the autonomic nervous system, which consists of two branches, thesympathetic and the parasympathetic.
Now, the sympathetic nervous system is the fight or flight.
It's engaged each time we inhale and puts us into a more alert state.
It primes the body for acting in threatening situations for survival.
Now, the parasympathetic nervous system, or better known as the rest-digest, system, well it's activatedany time we exhale and shifts us into a calmer state, such as when we are sleeping or eating.
Many of you may have heard about the vagus nerve, well it's part of the parasympathetic nervous system.
It runs from the brain stem and connects to the tongue, vocal cords, lung, heart and other organs.
This major nerve also influences our metabolism, digestion, production of enzymes, hormones and somuch more.
Now, if we want to manage an anxious or stressed state, it means activating the parasympathetic nervoussystem, the rest and digest system, through the different breathing protocols that I will outline at the endof this podcast, at the end of this episode.
These protocols stimulate the vagus nerve, shifting us into a more relaxed state.

[10:05] Shifting states. Now, every state we experience actually has three elements, the mental, thephysical, and the emotional.
Particular breathing patterns accompany our different states.
When we feel secure and confident, well, our breath is deep and relaxed.
When we feel uncertainty and self-doubt, well, our breath is shallow and constricted.

[10:26] The ability to shift our state is dependent upon being aware of how we are breathing at any onemoment. We need to be in the here and now.
Once we get into the habit of tracking the way we breathe, well, we open a window to observe and reflecton our current state.
Let's say, for example, if I feel overwhelmed by work and deadlines, while I need to take a brief momentto monitor my breath, I notice that my breathing is shallow and restricted.
This awareness, well, it allows me the space to ask and answer the question, how do I choose to respond?
Whenever we notice, observe, perceive our breathing, well, it It allows us to shift perspective from thesubjective to the objective, and to take conscious action to change to a more helpful state.
The fastest and most direct way to change our state is to consciously change our breathing patterns.
Now, an excellent place to start is to teach ourselves to monitor our respiration, our breathing with milderstates, such as when we are feeling a little annoyed or slightly concerned. this way.

[11:37] We will be more prepared when stickier states arise.
Nose breathing protocols. So let's just take a moment to recap.
So remember, when we inhale, when we breathe in, this increases our alertness by activating oursympathetic nervous system, our fight flight.
When we exhale or breathe out, well, this calms us by engaging the vagus nerve of the parasympatheticnervous system, the rest digest part of our nervous system.
In general, our exhales should be longer than our inhales to put us into a calmer state.
Okay, so now that we've dived in and explored the science behind breathing and why it's so effective,let's explore five different protocols, which I will outline now.

[12:24] Music. 

Breathing Protocol 1: Engaging the Parasympathetic Nervous System

[12:30] Breathing Protocol 1. So in this first protocol, I want you to start with a 1 to 2 breath ratio, whichmeans you will engage the parasympathetic nervous system pathway twice as much as the sympatheticnervous system.
So what you want to do is this, inhale for a count of three and then exhale for a count of six.
Do this for about 10 to 15 breath cycle. Now one breath cycle includes an inhale and an exhale.
Once you feel comfortable with the 1-2 ratio, you can increase it to a 1-3 ratio.
For example, you can inhale for a count of 3 and then exhale for a count of 9.
Now remember, we want to breathe through our nasal passages, through our nose.
Researchers from the Neurobiology Department at Stanford University, well, they identified a naturalbreathing pattern called a physiological sigh.
Now, it is a biological hardwired circuit in our brains for rapidly distressing.

[13:33] It is most noticeable after someone has cried. Their inhales seem to shudder as they do asuccessful double or triple inhale.
It is the physiological sigh in action. Now, if you recall earlier in the episode where I described themakeup of the lungs, which is made up of 300 million alveoli, which make up our lungs, these little bags,some of these tiny air sacs collapse over time.
And as a result, oxygen levels drop and CO2 levels increase in the bloodstream.
Now, the buildup of too much CO2 triggers the body's stress response.
Increasing the levels of oxygen in our bodies has a calming effect on our nervous system.

[14:18] So the double inhale pops the alveoli open, allowing more oxygen in than a regular single inhale.
And it is through the subsequent long exhale that we offload a massive amount of CO2.

The Balloon Effect: Inhaling Twice for More Calm

[14:33] So to help you picture this, think about when you blow up a new balloon.
Balloon. You usually need to breathe twice into the balloon before it inflates.
Now the first breath, it releases the balloon's insides that tend to adhere together.
The second breath can then refill the balloon with air.
This balloon effect is what is happening to our alveoli when we inhale twice.
More oxygen means more calm.
So let me demonstrate. So a physiological sigh will sound like this, breathing through the nose.

Introduction to Breathing Protocol 3: 4-7-8 Breathing

[15:12] Okay, I know that was a little weird, so I hope my heavy breathing there didn't freak you out.
Let's continue with the next protocol. Breathing protocol three.
So the next breathing protocol is actually called the 4-7-8 breathing protocol.
It was developed by Dr. Andrew Weil and is thought to reduce stress and to calm anxiety.
So what you want to do is begin with an audible exhale to open your lungs and to release any tension inyour shoulders.
Then what you want to do is to inhale slowly and deeply for a count of four again through the nose whilekeeping your tongue pressed gently to the roof of your mouth.
Then hold your breath for a count of seven.
Now, what does this do? This time allows for greater absorption of oxygen into the tissues.

[16:02] Finally, audibly exhale nice and slow for a count of eight and this offloads the CO2.
Now, what you wanna do, this four, seven, eight is one breathing cycle.
If you wanna feel more stressed and calm, what I usually recommend is about 15 to 20 breath cycles.And it's amazing how it re-centers us.
It brings us back to a calmer state, physiologically, emotionally, and mentally, and allows more mentalclarity to deal with the problem at hand.

Benefits of Breathing Protocol 4: Longer and Slower Breaths

[16:34] Breathing Protocol 4.

[16:36] Now on average, Westerners tend to breathe between 12 to 18 times per minute, with a moderateintake of about half a liter per breath.
When breathing at this rate, our lungs absorb about a quarter of the available oxygen in the air.
Now, by taking longer and slower breaths, we allow our lungs to soak up more oxygen.
James Nestor, the author of Breathe, The New Science of a Lost Art, he says the perfect breath cycle is abreathing rhythm of 5.5 seconds inhale, that's breathing in, followed by a 5.5 second exhale breathingout, which works out almost exactly to 5.5 breaths a minute compared to the 12 to 18 times usWesterners breathe per minute.
For me, I find this breath protocol to be one of the most useful and practical.
Now, I practice this a couple times a day. At first, it was kind of awkward, but after doing it for a fewdays, it became easier.
Currently, I do this breathing protocol 2-3 times a day and it always leaves me feeling more alert, calmand focused.

Exploring Breathing Protocol 5: Box Breathing

[17:46] Breathing protocol five. All right, this is the fifth and last protocol I'm gonna talk about. It's calledbox breathing.
Now, box breathing is a breathing protocol designed to help you stay calm in intense situations.
It is quite simple. It's this.
Inhale for a count of four, again, through your nose. Hold your breath for a count of four.
Exhale or breathe out for a count of four. With empty lungs, hold for another count of four. Then repeatthe entire breath cycle.
Do this for about 10 to 15 cycles before entering a demanding situation.
So for example, if you know you're at the office and you're gonna go into a hard or difficult conversationwhere you know it's gonna be emotionally engaging, just before you enter that arena, just look at themonitor in front of you.
And you can use the top of the monitor to count four and as you go down the side of the monitor on theright hand side, you can hold for, and then you can exhale for a count of four, fall on the bottom of themonitor.
And as you complete the cycle of up coming up the left side of the monitor, then you hold for a count offour again, and then cycle through this 10 to 15 times 20 if you need it.

[18:59] Okay, these are the five breathing protocols that I use with clients.
And it's very easy to teach.
It has an immediate physiological and psychological effect on our central nervous system.
And that's why I wanted to kind of spend a little time to give some latitude and altitude behind thescience of breathing.
Now, I'm not saying this is an exhaustive list of protocols.
Maybe you have something and I'd like to hear from you. You found something that's really effective foryou that we can share with the audience.
So there's such a depth to the science of breathing that it's impossible to capture it all in one episode.
I've shared what I believe to be the most useful science and breathing protocols, which significantlyimpact my work and life.
I use these protocols to improve my running and my climbing.
I use them when I'm feeling overloaded or I need a jolt to my nervous system when I'm feeling a littlelethargic.
These are the same protocols I teach to clients, which have a tremendous impact on managing theirstress.
One message I hope I've been able to communicate in this episode is how something as simple asbreathing well can have such a dramatic and positive effect on our psychology as well as our physiologyand quite immediately.

[20:18] Music. 

The Power of Breathing: Accessible Resilience

[20:25] And I know this episode has been a little different than the normal formats, especially the sort ofthe long form discussions I would guess, or some of the other ideas where I jump into psychologicalideas and skills.
But I think when we're talking about resilience, when we're talking about facing adversity or equanimityor creating a sense of well being, even in the storm, the middle of the storm and the eye of the storm,well, I think breathing is something that is always accessible to us.
It is easy to use, it is, since we do it every day, every moment of our lives, but we just need to beconscious of it.
We need to be present. We need to be in the here and now.
And we can choose how we want. And that's a great thing about breathing.
We can cautiously take it over.

[21:10] And so if something captures our attention, we forget to be consciously aware of how we'rebreathing.
Well, the great thing is the subconscious will take over the breathing and we just don't struggle for air.
So any way you cut it, I think if you understand breathing protocols and you use those ones that work foryou, well I think you're giving yourself a bonus.

Bonus Advantage: Breathing in Stressful Situations

[21:32] You're giving yourself an advantage, especially in stressful demanding situations.
So if you enjoy this kind of content, let me know.
I really appreciate the feedback and I'm willing to do a deeper dive into any aspect of our physiology, ourpsychology, that will help us all become better players in this game of life where we can be moreresilient, where we can find more equanimity, that we can face adversity with more calm and collectedmind states.
Well thank you for showing up for another week and allowing me to be part of that week. Until wecontinue this conversation next week...

[22:10] Music.