Why breathing is probably more important than you might think.
Did you know that in a single breath, more molecules pass through your nose than there are grains of sand on all the world’s beaches? The number is around 25 sextillion molecules. To get an idea of how many that is, a sextillion has 20 zeros. I’ve been thinking a lot about this and what it means for us on our mindset journeys recently.
When we enter the world as newborns, the first thing we do is inhale our first breath. When we die, the final thing we do is exhale our last breath. However, we don’t think much about breathing in between these two points.
Science now shows us it is much healthier to breathe through our nasal cavities. Think of our nostrils like an HVAC system. They will heat, clean, and pressurize air before it hits our lungs so that we can extract more oxygen from it. In other words, the nose is the gatekeeper to our minds.
“The quality of one’s life is directly proportional to the quality of one’s breath.”
If you take nothing else from this, remember that breathing from your nose is healthier. Also, the best rhythm to breathe in is a five-and-a-half second inhale followed by a five-and-a-half second exhale. When you do this, you enter a state of coherence because your systems are operating at peak efficiency.
I encourage you to try this exercise now: Inhale for five-and-a-half seconds and exhale for five-and-a-half seconds. Repeat for two or three minutes twice a day. You’ll notice a difference immediately.
Some science suggests that many common health problems can be prevented or reduced by proper breathing. The quality of one’s life is directly proportional to the quality of one’s breath.
If you’d like more mindfulness tips or are interested in mindfulness coaching, please call or email me to schedule a free 30-minute discovery call with me. I’d love to hear from you!
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