Fix your breathing to address various physical and psychological ailments, as dysfunctional breathing can prevent true health regardless of other healthy habits like diet, exercise, or sleep.
Consciously close your mouth and breathe primarily through your nose during the day and exclusively at night, as this can profoundly improve your health by regulating air and protecting your body from pollutants.
Engage in conscious breathing exercises consistently over weeks or months to slowly acclimate your body to natural, normal breathing patterns, eventually making it an unconscious habit.
Inhale to a count of five or six and exhale to the same count, practicing this coherent breathing technique periodically throughout the day to acclimate your body to natural, slower breathing rhythms.
Consciously breathe slower to counteract the common tendency of ‘over-breathing’ in modern society, which helps your body return to a more natural and normal breathing state.
Prioritize learning and establishing normal, slow, nasal breathing before attempting more intensive breathing techniques like Kundalini or Wim Hof, to maximize their health benefits.
Address dysfunctional breathing as a primary step in managing anxiety, depression, and panic, as it’s a powerful and fundamental intervention for mental well-being.
Ensure you are breathing in a healthy way while sleeping, addressing issues like snoring or sleep apnea first, as this is fundamental for your body to restore itself and for overall health.
Become aware of your breathing patterns and actively work to develop the habit of nasal breathing, checking in with yourself regularly (e.g., hourly) to ensure your mouth is closed.
Use a small piece of light adhesive surgical tape on your lips for increasing durations (starting with 10 minutes) during the day, and eventually at night, to unconsciously train yourself to keep your mouth closed and breathe nasally.
Allow your diaphragm to descend and rise to its full natural ability, as this enables fewer, easier breaths and massages internal organs, aiding lymph fluid purge and proper organ function.
Focus on achieving a proper, complete exhale before taking an enriching inhale, as this is crucial for effective breathing, similar to how singers prepare for a breath.
Sit with your shoulders back and spine straight to allow your lungs to easily inflate and diaphragm to sink lower, enabling more efficient breathing.
Be mindful of your sitting posture by keeping shoulders back and spine straight, and actively notice when you are slumped over to correct it, as this helps improve breathing.
Keep your mouth in the proper position (closed, tongue on roof of mouth) to avoid obstructing airways, reduce stress on your body during breathing, and prevent chronic nasal congestion.
Consume real, hard, chewy, whole foods (like starchy roots, meat, raw vegetables) for a couple of hours a day, as this builds facial muscles and skeletal structure, which improves breathing and airway development, especially in youth.
When meditating, focus on your breath to naturally induce coherent, calm, and beneficial breathing patterns, which contribute significantly to the initial benefits of meditation.
Consciously switch to nasal breathing during exercise, taking longer, more fluid breaths, to stay in the aerobic zone longer, oxygenate more easily, and operate more efficiently.
Engage in Kundalini breathwork, an interval-like technique of vigorous breathing followed by slow breathing, to train your body to consciously control and alleviate stress.
Engage in short, conscious periods of vigorous, rhythmic breathing (like Kundalini breathwork) as a pressure release valve to focus and then expel accumulated daily stress from your body and brain.
Practice yoga to increase flexibility in your rib cage and intercostals, which facilitates deep, enriching breaths and gently massages internal organs, promoting better function.
Open doors or crack windows when sleeping or in living spaces to reduce high indoor carbon dioxide levels, which can cause chronic inflammation.
Walk around for five minutes every couple of hours to significantly impact blood sugar regulation, diabetes prevention, and blood pressure.
Shift between standing and sitting every hour, as prolonged static positions are not ideal for the body’s natural function.
When using a standing desk, place a ball under your feet to encourage micro-movements, preventing static posture and promoting better circulation and health.
Avoid trimming all nasal hairs, as they help filter particulates, slow down incoming air, and capture moisture, all of which protect your lungs and facilitate easier oxygen intake.
If you don’t have temporomandibular joint (TMJ) issues, chew hard, sugar-free gum for about half an hour a day to strengthen facial muscles and improve breathing.
If you frequently wake up with a dry mouth or constantly drink water, you are likely a mouth breather, especially at night.