Breathe Well Be Well: Recent Episodes
Perrin White
Listen in on meaningful conversations with experts and practitioners related to the breath and improving overall health. Interviews weave through the science and spirit behind breathing's physiological processes and its life-changing effects. Change your breath, change your life!
“Taking a deep breath gives you back your control.”
— Babz Jackson
In this conversation, Babz helps clear up a lot of the confusion regarding what is the lymphatic system?! We break down definitions of lymph, lymphedema, lipedema, vessels, nodes, and the many systems at play within the body. With both personal and professional experience in the lymphatic world, this conversation was a bright light helping to clarify the many roles and responsibilities of the lymphatic system.
Audio Block Double-click here to upload or link to a .mp3. Learn more ABOUT BABZ:
Barbara "Babz" Jackson is an occupational therapist, lymphedema therapist, and certified yoga teacher. Babz currently specializes in the lymphatic system and works in a cancer rehab and an orthopedic setting. She teaches virtual adaptive yoga wellness programs for individuals at risk or diagnosed with lymphedema & lipedema and created a specific practice called lymphatic flow yoga. She is inspired by her mom who is a breast cancer survivor and who has left upper extremity lymphedema.
Babz hosts three adaptive virtual wellness programs, with scholarships available, for:
- Healing Hands Wrist-Free Yoga - for individuals with upper extremity injuries
- Adaptive Chair Yoga - for individuals who can’t practice yoga on the floor
- Lymphatic Flow Yoga - for individuals with cancer, lymphedema, lipedema, a lymphatic disorder or who are at risk.
More information available on her website, at www.balancewithbabz.com.
FOLLOW BABZ:
INSTAGRAM: @balancewithbabzyoga
YOUTUBE: @balancewithbabz
EMAIL: Balancewithbabz@gmail.com
Have an idea for a future BREATH TO BREAT interview? Email me at perrin@breathewellbewell.info!
*Live with intention. Move with gratitude. Breathe with purpose.*
“There are two Laws of Ayurveda — like increases like and opposites bring balance.”
— Kari Harendorf
In this conversation, Kari and I had the opportunity to discuss my favorite things: better understanding our breath, body, mind, and soul! Topics teased out include Kari’s search for the “why”, breathing easier, Kari’s decade-long observation of the breath, viewing time as a non-renewable resource, yoga therapy, the layers of being between the psycho- and physical, causes of mental dis-ease (anxiety, depression), the family tree of the whole body connection, breath as the key to health, small subtle changes, the open source of Google as a learning tool, being home in yourself, maître de soi, Ayurveda - the sister science of yoga, learning to care for the self, Kari’s radical self-care approach, the five elements of Ayurveda (ether, air, fire, water, and earth) and their three doshas (vata, pitta, and kapha), finding your internal strength and resilience, what being in control of your breath actually means, breath awareness and conscious manipulation, Ayurveda for infertility, and replacing “deep” with “easy” when thinking about efficient breathing.
ABOUT KARI:
Kari Harendorf is an Ayurvedic Health Counselor, a C-IAYT Yoga Therapist and an E-RYT 500 Yoga Educator, and Reiki Master. She merges spiritual practice with asana and health science to help people feel and be their best.
A teacher of teachers, Kari was on faculty for the 200-Hour and 1000-Hour Teacher Trainings at The Kripalu Schools of Yoga and Ayurveda and Yoga Therapy. She is also a Master Trainer of Urban Zen’s Integrative Therapy Program, and spent over a decade leading trainings and anatomy in Rodney Yee and Colleen Saidman Yee’s 200 hour and 300 hour Teacher Trainings.
Kari playfully focuses her teaching on helping students and teachers achieve precise anatomical alignment, to awaken the body’s innate intelligence, and foster a sense of awareness and healing through yoga, nutrition, and healthy living.
For the past several years, Kari has devoted herself to studying the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda and is currently working on attaining her Ayurvedic Practitioner license. She loves and teaches about the body’s inherent perfect design and its innate ability and desire to be healthy and harmonious. Kari believes, as the yoga scriptures tell us, that there is no separation of the body and mind, and the breath is the bridging aspect between them.
Today Kari lives in the mountains of Great Barrington, MA on a farm with her partner, three children, rescue dogs, cats, goats, horses, chickens, rooster and a rabbit. She grew up in Toronto, Canada and holds a B.F.A. from the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU.
FOLLOW KARI:
VIRTUAL STUDIO: (teaches 2-way livestream via Zoom)
WEBSITE: www.kariharendorf.com
INSTAGRAM: @kariharendorf
YOUTUBE: kariharendorf6924
Have an idea for a future BREATH TO BREATH interview? Email me at perrin@breathewellbewell!
*Live with intention. Move with gratitude. Breathe with purpose.*
“You can’t see the light if you don’t go through the dark.”
— Josh Duntz
I had the honor or talking with Stasis co-founder and CEO, Josh Duntz! In this conversation, we covered several topics including what is Stasis, what brought Josh to the breath, thinking of the breath as “gears” to shift through, how the military influenced Josh’s journey to breathwork, the inception of Stasis from his experience in the military, Josh’s daily breathing practice, the plasticity and elasticity of the body, modeling health to others and his military brothers, transitioning from the military to a civilian, the impact of Stasis on helping support long-COVID patients, Josh’s work with Dr. Putrino’s Long Covid Recovery Clinic in Mt. Sinai, and the shift of medical professionals to support breathwork as a prescription for health.
Additional names and programs mentioned in this conversation include Brian MacKenzie, Rob Wilson, Emily Hightower, and SH//FT.
Audio Block Double-click here to upload or link to a .mp3. Learn more ABOUT JOSH:
Josh Duntz is a Navy Special Operations 10-year veteran who was a member of the Navy's elite EOD unit which specialize in performing missions neutralizing explosive weapons in almost every environment while ensuring safe passage of troops in combat zones. Following the military, Josh transitioned his personal passion of the breath into his professional calling becoming a breathing coach, human performance specialist, and co-founder/CEO of Stasis.
FOLLOW JOSH:
INSTAGRAM: @joshduntz
LINKEDIN: Josh Duntz
TWITTER: @JoshDuntz
Have an idea for a future BREATH TO BREATH interview? Email me!
*Live with intention. Move with gratitude. Breathe with purpose.*
“Little things will affect how your upper jaw and lower jaw grows.”
— Dr. John R. White
In this meaningful conversation with my father, we dive into both our shared experiences and individual work in the airway space. Additional topics included upper airway resistance, snoring, sleep apnea, deep sleep requirements, maxillary expansion, AHI scores, interdisciplinary team building, monitoring sleep, airway surgery, mouth breathing (R06.5), FOM-COM, sleep regimes, mouth taping, ways to help keep your nose clear, supporting functional craniofacial growth, and how to connect to others in the airway health space.
Audio Block Double-click here to upload or link to a .mp3. Learn more ABOUT DR. WHITE:
Dr. White retired from dentistry after running a general practice for 40 years. During that time he also started and operated South Carolina Dental Sleep Medicine, a dental sleep specialty clinic, for 25 years. Throughout his career, he served on the Greenville County Dental Association board from 2001-2005 and was President from 2004-2005. Dedicated to furthering his education, Dr. White graduated from the University of Texas Dental School then went on to complete Advanced Dental Studies from L.D. Pankey Institute, became South Carolina’s first Diplomate of American Board Dental Sleep Medicine, and the nation’s second dentist to earn F.O.M. (Fellowship of Orofacial Myology) status from the International Association of Myofunctional Therapy (IAOM). In 2011, he won the Clinical Research of the Year Award presented by the American Academy Dental Sleep Medicine in combination with Dr. Ahmad Boota MD. And in 2017, he published “Rapid Maxillary Expansion and Adenotonsillectomy in 9-Year-Old Twins With Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome: An Interdisciplinary Effort” in American Journal Osteopathic Medicine with three other colleagues. And while Dr. White has lectured around the country on Dental Treatment for Pediatric Sleep Disturbed Breathing, he currently spends most of his time now with his family in Greenville, SC.
STUDY REFERENCED:
Alexander, Nathan, Boota, Ahmad, Hooks, Kenderic and White, John R.. "Rapid Maxillary Expansion and Adenotonsillectomy in 9-Year-Old Twins With Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome: An Interdisciplinary Effort" Journal of Osteopathic Medicine, vol. 119, no. 2, 2019, pp. 126-134. https://doi.org/10.7556/jaoa.2019.019
Have an idea for a future BREATH TO BREATH interview? Email me!
*Live with intention. Move with gratitude. Breathe with purpose.*
“If you can’t breathe as deep as you can then you’re in a slight state of physiological stress.”
— Tom Williams
In this educational conversation, Tom and I dive into topics including breathing for rehabilitation, the psychology of breathing, the feet-respiration connection, where to start when integrating foot-breath integration, proper foot posture for a deep breath, finding your baseline breath, diaphragm-pelvis-foot real estate, end-of-range of postures (i.e., pelvic tilted all the way forward), the creature of habit conundrum, posture-emotional-respiration parallels, adaptability of the body, looking for WTFF (wide, thin, flat, flexible) shoes, proper heel-toe-shin alignment, the unstable surfaces in our shoes, why we like to “kick our shoes off”, toe splaying for a better base of support and stability, finding physical and psychology stability, foot exploring exercises and practicing, the human toe spreader, palm to sole connections, barefoot running, ideal shoes for supporting proper foot posture, ground up breathing, vestibular eye movement, and pairing vestibular-ocular reflexes (VOR) to function breathing.
ABOUT TOM:
Tom Williams has a passion for helping people breathe, move and perform. He is an accredited physiotherapist and strength/conditioning coach, Oxygen Advantage instructor, university tutor, entrepreneur mentor, foot nerd and overall a dedicated movement practitioner.
In 2019, Tom founded Breath Performance, an education based platform to help athletes and entrepreneurs understand the importance of breathing for performance. He soon realised how vital breathing was to sleep and movement behaviour and began giving workshops, seminars and consultations on how to improve breathing to improve these other pillars of health.
Along the way, Tom linked in with The Foot Collective, a company with a shared philosophy to improve people’s confidence in their own bodies from the foot up. Tom became a dedicated foot nerd and has helped launch a podcast called ‘Restore 2 Explore’, tackling the misconceptions around commonly occurring foot and ankle conditions.
It is through this mixture of experience that has allowed Tom to build his identity as a practitioner. He uses behaviour change strategies, blended with movement practices, which are both built on the importance of the breath. Tom is striving to help people from all walks of life to understand how simple steps go a long way to improving their health and wellbeing.
FOLLOW TOM:
INSTAGRAM: @breathperformance_physio
PODCAST: Restore 2 Explore
WEBSITE
BOOK A SESSION
Have an idea for a future BREATH TO BREATH interview? Email me!
*Live with intention. Move with gratitude. Breathe with purpose.*
“A good acupuncture session is a deep breath, one that opens you and allows you to be you!”
— Dr. MG McCullough
In this educational interview, Dr. MG McCullough and I discuss all things acupuncture and health! Topics included uncovering MG’s own health journey, allopathic medicine, inter-family health communication, acupuncture as complete health care, practicing compliment channels versus modern chiropractic, modeling holistic health to our family/friends, the role of emotion in our body/life, the depth of the compliment channels for treating migraines and autoimmune diseases, storing grief in the lungs and joy in the heart, Chong/Ren/Du channels, lungs-kidney connection, the emotional-physical health of your breath and body, MG’s thoughts on dry-needling, and remote acupuncture healing.
Audio Block Double-click here to upload or link to a .mp3. Learn more ABOUT DR. MG MCCULLOUGH:
MG McCullough is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, specializing in migraine, autoimmune conditions, and other chronic, degenerative disease. She practices the complement channels, which is the complete system of acupuncture, as opposed to modern acupuncture (or TCM acupuncture) which only uses a very small portion of the acupuncture channels. MG lives in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, New Mexico with her husband and daughter.
FOLLOW DR. MG MCCULLOUGH:
INSTAGRAM: @drmgmccullough
FACEBOOK: drmgmccullough
WEBSITE: www.drmgmccullough.com
Have an idea for a future BREATH TO BREATH interview? Email me!
*Live with intention. Move with gratitude. Breathe with purpose.*
“We’re ancient bodies living in a modern world.”
— Tiger Bye
In this soul soothing conversation, Tiger and I discuss growing up in a yoga family, the trauma of politics, blending community-collectivism-democracy into her yoga practice and teachings, functional breathing is public health, the umbrella of yoga, breath training versus breathwork, the language of yoga, taking yoga off the mat, how she met her partner and his company Manscending, making small sustainable shifts, the 80/20 Pareto Principle, plugging yourself into mindfulness, restoration benefits of yoga asanas, down regulation after and during exercise, breathing less to refuel and oxygenate your blood cells, the art of pausing, mindful transitioning, and coregulation of functional breathing.
ABOUT TIGER:
Tiger is an Oxygen Advantage® Master Instructor, Katonah Yoga® teacher, and holds a Master of Science in Health and the Public Interest from Georgetown University. Tiger believes that functional breathing is public health. Through her classes, workshops, and programs, she weaves functional breathing techniques, alignment-based yoga, and seasonal practices to emphasize holistic health. Merging the Oxygen Advantage® method with ancient practices of yoga and ayurveda, Tiger layers profound embodied experiences with scientific underpinnings so that students and clients can grasp the "why" behind the "what" that they feel during practice.
Tiger will be co-leading a 6-week Self Care "Reboot Camp" with her husband, Colin Bye, who is a certified life coach, meditation teacher, and owner of the men's mindfulness company, Manscending. The program will explore functional breathing, stretching for longevity, approachable meditation, conscious consumption, sleep hygiene, habit formation, and more to effortlessly stabilize self-care behaviors into your existing routine or lifestyle. For more information, visit Tiger's website. For weekly breath training and yoga tips, follow Tiger on Instagram.
FOLLOW TIGER:
INSTAGRAM: @tigerinspire
WEBSITE: www.tigerbye.com
RE-BOOT CAMP: here
Have an idea for a future BREATH TO BREATH interview? Email me!
*Live with intention. Move with gratitude. Breathe with purpose.*
“You can’t get any deeper than your breath.”
— Bryan Mirabella
I spent the majority of this interview vigorously writing down everything Bryan said! He is a wealth of knowledge and I am humbled he took the time to chat with me!
Our conversation covered a wide range of topics, including breathing’s bedrock, recoding the breath through the cranial nerves, using white flower oil to decongest the nose, how Bryan overcame his rhino-sinusitis and deviated septum, nasal breathing during sleep, sleeping-breathing-emotions feedback loop, creating nitric oxide for clearing out your sinuses, law of cellular respiration, oxygen-hemoglobin dissociation curve, carbon dioxide as a hormone, why we first breath CO2 into others during CPR, the 97-98.5 sweet spot of oxygen saturation, dysfunctional breathing patterns created from wearing masks, caffeine as a vasoconstrictor, the disorder of mouth breathing, Stanford tranquil breathing, tensegral breathing, and Bryan’s mucus-free lifestyle.
You’re going to want to take notes on this one!
Audio Block Double-click here to upload or link to a .mp3. Learn more ABOUT BRYAN:
Bryan is a Human Performance Specialist with a focus on Breath-work. He is a life-long athlete with over three decades of personal training experience and a natural motivator who discovered early on his gift for helping others improve their health and well-being. Based in New York City, Bryan is a certified master instructor in Oxygen Advantage, Restorative Breathing by Dr. Lois Laynee, and a Weckmethod coach. He’s created a life changing 30-day daily email breathing program for beginners and athletes that teaches you how to breathe for life, a 6 month “Recode Your Breath” program, along with private sessions. His wide range of clientele includes top executives, Olympic athletes, new mothers, those with serious health conditions, and everyone in between. His mission is to provide tools for healthy living, longevity, and self-empowerment.
In over 30 years of training, he had never crossed paths with foundational breathing until he read the Oxygen Advantage. Since becoming an OA instructor back in August 2018, he has been able to revolutionize his health, completely healing his deviated septum and soft tissue injuries through the power of breath. This internal work has led him to reinvigorate his career, placing him on the divine path of healing others.
Bryan has fundamentally changed how people look at the simple idea of breathing. He has been helping those who are looking to new wellness approaches, those who are looking to elevate their athletic performance, and those who have been searching for answers with their physical or mental health. By making the OA knowledge accessible and easily digestible to people across the world from all walks of life, his work transcends wellness; it inspires a fresh look at the foundation of life.
FOLLOW BRYAN:
INSTAGRAM: @breath_verse
FACEBOOK: Quantum Fitness
WEBSITE: here
And as promised, I did look up that Nobel Prize for Oxygen we mentioned … Nobel Prize in Medicine Awarded for Research on How Cells Manage Oxygen
Have an idea for a future Breath to Breath Interview? Email me!
*Live with intention. Move with gratitude. Breathe with purpose.*
“The moment the breath ceases, we cease … the moment we take this breath for granted, we take our life for granted.”
— Liz Delaney
Welcome Liz Delaney of Greenville Yoga - one of Greenville’s longest running yoga studios in the upstate (17 years)!
In this meaningful and vulnerable conversation, Liz and I discuss breath-centered living, coming back to our childlike sense of awe, finding our way back to integrity, the phases of life, Vipasana meditation, the lessons we learn from the depths of the couch, starting at ground zero, finding your mirror people, co-regulation from the breath, crafting our support systems, breaking down the constructs of self to find our full acceptance, understanding that life happens, the experiences that change us, the warning of the canary, what we’re f’ing sick of and what we can do about it, following your North Star, outgrowing old shapes, finding our COVID clarity, being open to receive, and the layers of the breath.
I hope you enjoy listening as much as I loved participating in this heart-felt exchange.
ABOUT LIZ:
Ten years before discovering Yoga, Liz suffered with asthma and anxiety. Shortly after discovering breath-centered yoga, Liz was able to throw away her inhaler for good; and in these classes she was taught the tools she still uses today to keep herself at peace and the anxiety at bay. Liz uses this knowledge to teach breath-inspired movement, which leaves students feeling emotionally centered and more comfortable in their physical bodies.
After moving to Los Angeles, she was introduced to a class with Max Strom in “final relaxation”, where her anxiety went away and her mind got quiet. Liz has been a dedicated student and friend of Max ever since. Liz completed her first teacher training with Max and physical therapist, Sherry Brourman, in 2000. She has gone on to study with Max for over 1,000 hours since that first teacher training twenty years ago.
Ten years ago Liz met Sarah Powers, the leading teacher of Yin Yoga world-wide. These teachings changed her life once again, giving her balance she needed to relieve her perfectionist tendencies and to find happiness in the present moment. She has completed over 300 hours of teacher trainings and retreat time studying a combination of Yin / Yang Yoga, Meditation, and Transpersonal Psychology with Sarah and her husband, Ty. And most recently, Liz has begun studies with Martha Beck and will be taking her Wayfinder training over the next year. Her hope is to help people tap into what they are passionate about to find a rich life full of heart and meaning.
FOLLOW LIZ AND GREENVILLE YOGA:
INSTAGRAM: @greenvilleyoga
WEBSITE: www.greenvilleyoga.com
Have an idea for a future BREATH TO BREATH interview? Email me!
*Live with intention. Move with gratitude. Breathe with purpose.*
“Lifespan tells the years you’ve lived. Health-span tells how you feel.”
— Hannah Went
In this conversation, Hannah and I deep dive into the world of epigenetics and how better breathing can work towards improving your biological age!
We discussed all things genetics vs. epigenetics, peptides, methylation, preventative medicine, changing the quality of your health through shifting daily habits (i.e., breathwork), lifespan vs. health-span, transgenerational epigenetic inheritance, the relationship between neuroplasticity and epigenetics, finding your WHY, and how TruDiagnostic can test for your biological and epigenetic age! Y'all, this was a topic I could keep exploring over and over - fascinating doesn't even cover it!
And if ordering any of TruDiagnostic's tests, be sure to use promo code breathewellbewell to receive 12% off! Yes, please!
Studies mentioned in our conversation can be found here:
- "Exploring Epigenetic Age in Response to Intensive Relaxing Training: A Pilot Study to Slow Down Biological Age" (Pavanello et al., 2019)
- "Epigenetics as a key link between psychosocial stress and aging: concepts, evidence, mechanisms" (Zannas, 2019)
- "Psychological and biological resilience modulates the effects of stress on epigenetic aging" (Harvanek et al., 2021)
ABOUT HANNAH:
Hannah Went has a lifelong passion for longevity and breakthrough, disruptive technologies that drive radical improvement to the human condition. She attended the University of Kentucky and graduated with a degree in Biology. During that time, she had multiple research internships studying cell signaling and cell biology. After graduation, she worked for the International Peptide Society as their Director of Research and Content. Through work in the integrative medicine industry, Hannah saw an opportunity for methylation based age diagnostics and started TruDiagnostics in 2020. TruDiagnostic is a company focusing on methylation array-based diagnostics for life extension and preventive healthcare serving functional medicine providers. TruDiagnostic has a commitment to research with over 30 approved clinical trials investigating the epigenetic methylation changes of longevity and health interventions. Since TruDiagnostic’s inception, they have created one of the largest private epigenetic health databases in the world with over 15,000 patients tested to date.
FOLLOW HANNAH:
INSTAGRAM: @everythingepigenetics
TruDiagnostic: https://trudiagnostic.com
Have an idea for a future BREATH TO BREATH interview? Email me!
*Live with intention. Move with gratitude. Breathe with purpose.*
Gone are the days I take a pill when feeling sad, tired, angry, or frustrated. My addiction taught me I could only be happy, light, energetic, and upbeat. My healing through the breath however has taught me there is room for BOTH/AND.
I can be both joyful and sad, feel both safe and scared, know both gratitude and grief - BOTH/AND not EITHER/OR.
Life is filled with complications, difficulties, beauty, layers, and nuances. This is the joy of breathing deeply and living fully to experience entirely. We are not meant to numb, silence, bury, deny, or cover up the parts of us we don’t want to feel, know, experience. They are actually messages for us to lean in further and take it all in. There’s healing in feeling the hurt, seeing the struggle, and knowing this moment is hard. But nothing lasts forever and change is always around the corner. We get to BOTH sit with what we are experiencing AND know it will pass, but only if we allow it to.
In the height of my Adderall addiction, anything heavy, hard, or hurtful was met immediately met with me popping a pill to silence what I did not want to deal with. And it definitely quieted what I wanted to neglect and ignore, but it also cut me off from feeling anything else in the process. Furthermore, it never got rid of the emotions. It just buried them for uncovering later.
And that’s what I’ve been doing for the past few years - uncovering, holding, seeing, and being with both the heavy and the healing emotions inside of me. I no longer am reaching for a pill when my chest tightens, jaw clenches, or stomach churns. Now, I pay attention, lean in, and listen.
I live in a BOTH/AND world, one where feelings, ideas, and experiences are woven with both the simple and complex. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Every inhale is met with an exhale. Every day is followed by the night. And the moon rises as the sun sets.
BOTH/AND not EITHER/OR.
*Live with intention. Move with gratitude. Breathe with purpose.*
“All of our emotions are tied to the breath!”
— Valerie Scagliola
Yes, second female guest! In this healing conversation, Valerie and I dive right into my favorite topics: breathwork, physiological response, emotions and healing!
We started with uncovering Valerie’s breath of origin story which began in the middle of the pandemic when her previously unaddressed anxiety became unmanageable, living in survival mode, melting stress with 4:7:8 breathing, listening to our inner pings, releasing inner trauma, big “T” and little “t” traumas, blending spirit and science in breathwork practices, helping the world’s stressed out moms, creating consistent proactive breathing practices, Valerie’s jump to full time breathwork coaching transition, breathing through challenge and change, letting your authenticity show, co-regulation for creating healthier homes, understanding the western woo-woo, choosing different breathing shapes for different goals, being the expert of our own bodies, holding space for things we don’t yet understand, somatic practices to help release adrenaline, helping “move” the nervous system in our body, breathwork as a form of meditation, learning through sight-touch-sound integration, setting your breath up for success, starting FIRST with breath awareness, the cumulative benefits of better breathing, correlating how you breathe and how you feel, connection over competition, and breathwork for post-COVID clients.
ABOUT VALERIE:
Valerie Scagliola is a Certified Breathing Coach and Facilitator based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
She became passionate about breathwork and somatic practices at a time when she was stuck in survival mode–anxious, stressed, completely overwhelmed and burnt out. When she discovered conscious breathing, everything changed. Soon after practicing daily and experimenting with different breathwork techniques and movement, she learned how to properly release stress and regulate her nervous system. She noticed that her anxiety no longer disrupted her life and that she was on a path to healing.
At that point, she felt a calling toward her life purpose and wanted to share and teach this work to others. After becoming certified, Valerie created a set of offerings, including her signature 6-week program Breath of Life, to coach others to improve their physical, mental, and emotional well-being. In her practice, she draws from a collection of somatic-based healing modalities to help her clients release stress and regulate their nervous system. Her unique approach blends pranayama, therapeutic breathing, gentle movement, and self-discovery. Her passion lies in creating and holding space for people to be seen, feel safe, let go, and heal.
Valerie is currently working toward a certification in integrated somatic trauma therapy and, in December 2022, she looks forward to bringing more trauma-informed care and practices to her clients.
CONTACT + FOLLOW VALERIE:
INSTAGRAM: havenbreathwork
WEBSITE: www.havenbreathwork.com
EMAIL: hello@havenbreathwork.com
Have an idea for a future BREATH TO BREATH interview? Email me!
“We are normalizing illness and pathologizing health.”
— David Bidler
LOVED this conversation and beyond grateful for David Bidler’s knowledge and time! Listen to the entire conversation to hear about everything from David’s journey that started from dropping out of school in 8th grade, becoming overweight and depressed to finding his way back to mental/physical health in his own life with the breath and then teaching it to the decision makers of tomorrow, barefoot training (with over 7,000 nerves found in the feet), the “education before medication” approach, providing today’s youth with a skill set needed in order to thrive in today’s divided info-sphere and culture, Physiology First’s ice bath and sauna training protocol, learning that sweating is a skill, the 3-4 … 12 diaphragms found within the body, how to learn interception, the dangerously easy channels available for Adderall procurement via current Telehealth mediums, Physiology First’s scalable Functional Physiology Program, and helping define the difference between the psychology of thinking and physiology of feeling.
This is a person making a HUGE impact and I sincerely hope you listen and share with literally, everyone you know!
Audio Block Double-click here to upload or link to a .mp3. Learn more ABOUT DAVID:
David Bidler is an author, speaker, and social entrepreneur.
As owner of The Distance Project, a human performance training center in Freeport, Maine, David has studied and applied the science of physiology across the lifespan.
Through assessments on breathing, heart rate variability, and biometrics related to health and longevity David has utilized science-based tools to optimize human performance for close to a decade.
In 2018 David began collaborating with Dr. Jose Herrero, a NYC based neuroscientist specializing in how breathing impacts the brain. This collaboration led to David’s participation in clinical research with patients, presentations on respiratory physiology for hospitals, and application of science-based breathing exercises with students and athletes across the globe. This collaboration inspired David to author Breathe to Perform: Simple Breathing Exercises to Reduce Stress, Improve Energy, and Peak Athletic Performance.
As co-founder of Breathe to Perform, a consulting company specializing in the science of stress physiology, David works with companies and teams to implement health and wellness practices with measurable, scaleable results.
David was instrumental in founding Physiology First in 2019. “The greatest problem of our time is the mental health of the next generation of problem solvers. We need to employ every tool in the health, wellness, and performance training toolbox for give the leaders of tomorrow the skills and tools they need today.”
David is currently co-designing curriculum for the New Teacher’s Academy in Hoboken, N.J as well as a worldwide professional development program, The Functional Physiology Certification, to help educators and allied health professionals bring the Physiology First model to their private practices, schools, and communities.
CONTACT + FOLLOW DAVID:
FACEBOOK: Physiology First
INSTAGRAM: @PhysiologyFirst
TWITTER: PhysiologyFirst
WEBSITE: https://physiologyfirst.org
Have an idea for a future BREATH TO BREATH interview? Email me!
Why does it feel so good to curse? I mean like, vein flexing, screaming at the top of your lungs, windows down on the highway, letting it rip swearing?
Well it turns out others have also thought and investigated the same question. According to a 2021 Heathline.com article, researchers have found that swearing has the potential to help reduce stress, build emotional resilience and help in intense periods of pain. And now I’m listening …
Digging a little deeper, I then wanted to know more about what parts of the brain are activated during a good cursing session. Researchers have also found that cursing is a unique activity that engages BOTH sides of the brain, activating both the the left side’s language center and the right side’s emotional center. Think of those who have had a stroke causing language difficulties (aphasia) following but can speak clear as day when swearing. Yes, this is tracking for me. As a Speech-Language Pathologist, I’ve treated aphasia before and know exactly the power of combining language and emotion for intervention success!
And given that I eat, sleep, breathe breathwork, I obviously wanted to explore if using explicits during exhalation on deep breathing activities would increase their stress releasing qualities. I am happy to report that in my own body, hell-o yes they do!
Deep breathing, diaphragmatic engagement, extended exhales - all of these have been linked to improved HRV, decreased stress and overall improved well being. And if you add in some alternate nostril breathing you also are now linking both hemispheres of the brain, body, spirit and soul.
If you’re following my train of thought, you are starting to see the parallels. Now channel your inner Captain Planet, “when our powers combine” … f’ing breathwork!
DISCLAIMER: This specific practice combing targeted verbiage with extended exhales has not been researched further than me inhaling through the nose for a count of 4 and exhaling/screaming “fudges” and “hellos” to a count of 8 while visualizing the release of any and all stress from my body. However, following 5 rounds I felt really good, clear headed, body loosened and overall lighter. Now I don’t want this to be your go-to pattern for breath and ending stress cycles, but I do see value in adding this situation-specific practice to your toolkit.
INPUT: I’m working on a specialty class with this exact practice in mind. Think alternate nostril breathing with keywords visualized on inhales/exhales; 4:8 breath counts while releasing the fudgiest of words on our exhales; and meditations using spicier than usual language to help engage your solar plexus energy to light the fire within. Is this something you would be interested in?
“You story is not shameful. You are not broken.”
— Perrin White
It seems only fitting that my 7th Breath to Breath interview should be with myself, given I have now been in business for 7 months! In this episode, I share how I went from a chain-smoking Adderall addict to a breathwork, meditation and yoga instructor and finally learned how to handle stress and fixed my airway and mouth breathing difficulties! This is my most raw and authentic version of myself and it's a honor to share it with you.
And whenever you are ready to rip you bandaid off your breathing difficulties and challenges, I am here to help.
Set up your free 15-minute consult to discuss your case specifically by filling out the contact form on my website.
VIDEO CORRECTION: I said psychologist in the video and I meant psychiatrist. Thanks!
Audio Block Double-click here to upload or link to a .mp3. Learn more ABOUT PERRIN:
Perrin P. White, MSP, CCC-SLP, COM®, RTY® 200 is a certified and licensed Speech-Language Pathologist with a Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA). She has extensive training in the identification and treatment of orofacial myofunctional disorders and is certified through the International Association of Orofacial Myology (IAOM). In December 2020, Perrin became a registered yoga teacher (RYT® 200) and later became a Certified YOGABODY Breathing Coach and Certified OxygenAdvantage Functional Breathing Trainer. Perrin treats clients of all ages individually, in groups and also as families to help retrain breathing patterns and take their deepest breath! She also speaks to various groups on the benefits of breathwork and meditation, teaches weekly yoga, breathwork and meditation classes and offers various workshops locally in Greenville, SC, where she is from.
CONTACT/FOLLOW PERRIN:
INSTAGRAM: @breathewellbewell
YOUTUBE: Breathe Well Be Well
EMAIL: perrin@breathewellbewell.info
BOOK FREE 15-MINUTE CONSULT: here
Have an idea for a future BREATH TO BREATH interview? Email me!
“The vagus nerve is one of the most misunderstood nerves … the vagus nerve is actually detecting sensory information and sending that back to the brain. Through the manipulation of the things you are actually doing, we’re tricking the vagus nerve into believing that we are safe and in a state of rest and therefore sending signals to activate parasympathetic activity.”
— Martin McPhilimey
In this Breath to Breath conversation, I unpack a lot of the science behind the breath, rest and recovery with Martin McPhilimey of Performance Through Health. I first noticed Martin’s Instagram account and was immediately interested in the consistent and reliable information he was producing on complex topics involving the body, breath and physiological responses. So thankful he agreed to let me further address topics and concepts he is beyond knowledgable about. We dove into subjects ranging from what steals your breath, pairing research and reality, the relationship between exercise and sleep, the high performer complex, recognizing quality sleep, Martin’s recovery process, movement and myofascial release, cold exposure for residence building through the lens of exposure therapy, understanding the role of vagus nerve, vagal tone exercises, the respiratory metaboreflex or “blood stealing”, ways to improve diaphragmatic strength, eustress versus distress, and CO2 set points.
Martin also referenced studies by Ernest Rossi. Links to over 30 research papers written by Rossi on everything from Psychosocial Genomics, Epigenetics and Bioinformatics Research can accessed here.
NOTE: If you’ve been following along, this is actually the SIXTH not FIFTH Breath to Breath interview! Dang, I’m beyond grateful my guests keep saying yes to allowing my curiosity to run wild through conversations and connections. I have some exciting upcoming interviews in the works and more to come!
ABOUT MARTIN:
Martin McPhilimey is an accredited and experienced Respiratory and Sleep Scientist, Exercise Physiologist, Behavioural Science Practitioner, Coach and Mentor. With his qualifications, passion and 15 years of experience in research, clinical work, and training, Martin's mission is to create a world of high performing individuals with healthy minds and bodies.
With an eternal passion for health and fitness, Martin was inspired to pursue his dream of working with Australian athletes and high-functioning individuals by the Sydney Olympics. He graduated from Nottingham Trent University in 2009 with a Bachelors (Hons) in Sport & Exercise Science, majoring in Exercise Physiology. Martin then completed a year-long Research Masters, focusing primarily on how to improve recovery from exercise using inspiratory muscle training in athletic individuals. In 2015, he completed the Scientist Training Programme in the NHS in England; a 3-year intensive work-based program with a Masters's degree. He was fortunate enough to train under some of the best physicians, lecturers, and physiologists in the UK. Martin graduated from the National School for Healthcare Science as a Sleep and Respiratory Scientist.
After a brief stint working as an Exercise Scientist at one of the world's largest cardiology departments at St Bartholomew's Hospital (Barts) in London, Martin decided to embark on an adventure to Perth, Western Australia. He spent nearly six years as a leading respiratory scientist in Australia. In 2019, Martin realized a lifelong vision by launching Performance Through Health. He had noticed that between the ages of 25 and 35, both male and female clients often began to sacrifice their health because of their career-focused lives. Martin is now focused on helping clients who are at risk of deteriorating performance, stress, burnout and mental health issues due to a lack of emphasis on sleep, breathing, and stress resilience. By tackling these issues, clients can look forward to reduced stress and enhanced performance and happiness both at work and at home.
Martin has built a unique framework for living a successful, fulfilling and happy life with a healthy body and a high performance mindset. By realizing his vision of helping clients prioritize health, success, and performance, Martin can help you take back control of your mind and body to fulfill your life mission.
CONTACT + FOLLOW MARTIN:
FACEBOOK: Performance Through Health
INSTAGRAM: @PerformanceThroughHealth
WEBSITE: https://performancethroughhealth.com/
PODCAST: Performance Through Health
FREE VIDEO TRAINING: here
Have an idea for a future BREATH TO BREATH interview? Email me!
“Just because it’s automatic doesn’t mean that it is optimal. Just because you don’t have to think about it doesn’t mean you can’t.”
— David "Jacko" Jackson
In this conversation, Jacko and I discuss a recent OxygenAdvantage Master Instructors Training with Patrick MeKeown, an interesting way to unblock your nasal passage, automatic versus optimal, reevaluating what our body is telling us and how it does so, listening to the message behind pain, normalizing breathwork/breathing/breath training, recognizing symptoms post brain injury, running as a moving meditation, benefits of nasal breathing while running for breathing efficiency, modeling improved breathing for others, progressive overload training for races, connecting with nature, the loss of Jacko’s father, watching him take his last breath, understanding things we cannot see, addressing skeptics of breathwork and providing fundamental health knowledge free for access to others. This interview was a special one I won’t soon forget!
Note: There is one small break in the recording, but stay with us! Jacko switches from computer to phone to keep the conversation going!
Also happening starting September 2, Jacko is taking on Ring O’ Fire where he will run 216 km (135 miles) in 3 days ONLY nasal breathing! Help Jacko on his journey by donating at Just Giving. He will also be recording a short film, Between Breaths, documenting his journey. Trailer for that out now and worth watching!
ABOUT JACKO:
David “Jacko” Jackson is a Master Instructor with the Oxygen Advantage and currently works as a breathwork coach. He is a former professional rugby player, accredited UKSCA Strength & Conditioning coach, NASM performance enhancement & corrective exercise specialist on a mission to make breathwork a normal part of our everyday lives.
Having retrained his own breathing after a brain injury in 2013 which forced him to retire from professional rugby, he is passionate about helping others change the way they breathe to improve the way the feel, move and perform. He believes in breathwork there is something for everyone, having worked with professionals seeking better stress management or those suffering with anxiety to professional athletes looking to improve performance and everything in between.
Jacko knows how your breath can impact all areas of our body and mind, which is why he so passionate about helping people use breathwork to fulfill their true potential. Having felt the benefits personally, Jacko wants to share it with others.
CONTACT + FOLLOW JACKO:
DONATE TO RING O’ FIRE: Just Giving
APP: Pro Breathwork
INSTAGRAM: @jacko.david.jackson
WEBSITE: Rooted Life
YOUTUBE: David Jackson
Have an idea for a future BREATH TO BREATH interview? Email me!
“Sometimes the most transformative parts of our healing journey are the quietest.”
— Conni Biesalski
I’m beyond excited to share my 4th “Breath to Breath” interview with my first female and international guest, Conni Biesalski! In this conversation, we tackle a wide array of topics, so buckle up! They include emotional vs. postural healing, Conni’s decade-long journey to her breath, rest + resilience, the OGs of transformational breathwork, the intersect of transformational breathwork and regulating pranayama practices, using the breath to help navigate the nervous system, how suppression disconnects us from the body, breath as the bridge between conscious-subconscious-unconscious, the yin and yang of breathwork, finding fluidity between the science and spirituality of breathwork, increasing diversity in breathwork, sharing our stories to release shame and stopping our own bullshit to finally get still. You know, just a light conversation to break you wide open! Hope you enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed partaking!
Also side note, I will get closer to the mic next time for better audio on my end. I’m learning, promise!
ABOUT CONNI:
Conni is a certified Advanced Oxygen Advantage and Buteyko teacher, Neurodynamic Breathwork Facilitator, Breath Coach, and Yoga & Meditation teacher. She supports people in regulating their nervous system and building stress resilience after chronic and traumatic stress. In addition to breathing practices and working with the nervous system, she integrates approaches from Depth Psychology, Trauma Work, IFS, and Polyvagal and Attachment Theory into her coaching and teaching.
CONTACT/FOLLOW CONNI:
INSTAGRAM: @breathwork.alchemy, @conni.biesalski and @connicreates
YOUTUBE: Conni Biesalski and Conni Creates // Sri Lanka Diaries Video
WEBSITE: https://conni.me
PODCASTS: THIS MOMENT MATTERS with Conni Biesalski and The Breath Circle
Have an idea for a future BREATH TO BREATH interview? Email me!
“The breath is an indicator of the internal waters.”
— Phillip Wilder, Ph.D.
In the third installment of “Breath to Breath”, I chat with local Greenvillian, yogi, meditation practitioner and friend, Phillip Wilder, Ph. D. In this conversation, Phillip and I go over how to sit with our feelings, navigating the waters of empathy and presence, how the body-brain-breath are intimately connected, the power of breathwork and meditation combined, Nonviolent Communication, what it means to be a “strong man”, and the celebrated sacredness of the breath. Such a good talk you will not want to miss!
ABOUT PHILLIP:
Dr. Phillip Wilder is an associate professor of literacy at Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina where his research explores how youth use nonviolent communication to rewrite their sense of self with greater empathy for self and others. With over two decades of experience in East Africa and the United States leading educational partnerships, Phillip believes a real education occurs within community and results in greater empathy, connection and consciousness. When not leading Nonviolent Communication community circles or advising Mwangaza Education for Partnership in Tanzania, Phillip can be found teaching yoga, meditation and Tonglen breathing classes.
CONTACT PHILLIP:
INSTAGRAM: @phillipwilder
LOCAL CLASS + STUDY NVC GROUP SIGNUPS: click here
Have an idea for a future BREATH TO BREATH interview? Email me!
Cupping technique used to release fascial adhesions and tension around my ribcage for improved inhalation.
A muscle is a muscle is a muscle. Doesn’t matter if it’s a larger one you are very familiar with and often are aware of needing support like your neck or a less familiar muscle but equally important and linked to everyday functions like breathing such as your intercostals - they all are deserving and can benefit from bodywork!
I had a lightbulb moment last week when my bodyworker told me she could help release fascial tension around the muscles of respiration - and did - with cupping and lymphatic drainage. It felt great at the time but it was after she was done when the impact set in. I could FEEL the difference in my rib cage expansion during inhalation. My ribs were less constricted given the fascial adhesions she was able to release. This was done for both front, back, and side ribs, as well as upper chest and neck area. The changes were notable and truly eyeopening.
After reviewing the pictures I had her take (yes, we have that kind of relationship where I can ask her to please take pictures of my dysfunction), she told me you can actually see the line of tension through the ribs. This same tension is causing restriction of intercostal muscles that directly impact my ability to expand my ribcage as I breathe in. Pause to let that sink in.
Once I was able to comprehend this, I then started wondering what in the world is causing so much restriction in my ribcage? I’m a yogi and flexible in all the ways I can be! Evidently not.
One possible reason I was given is my sports bras. They are tight, and on purpose. I like feeling “kept in” - but I’m starting to rethink this! I spent a lot of time since puberty trying to make my whole body smaller - physically and emotionally. I didn’t want anything to take away from playing soccer as a youth, being able to wear tight clothes as a young adult and currently just wanting to run, move, be without feeling self-conscious. Has all of this contributed to the fascial adhesions surrounding my ribs? I’m betting it has.
The significance of this experience feels similar to when I finally was able to breathe out of my nose for the first time post-septoplasty, turbinate reduction and adenoidectomy at age 34. Both showed me a sensation, feeling, and function from within my body I had never had before. One that made me truly sit with what was happening, understanding there was a layer I had just uncovered that helped me live better, feel better, breathe better! And I wanted to know more about it.
My massage was on Friday and the following day I ran a 5K all with only breathing through my nose. Again, it was noticeably easier to take a deep breath and continue doing so for the duration of the race, which I’m contributing to both nasal breathing re-education, nasal unblocking exercises and a more flexible rib cage no longer bound from the fascial restrictions previously there.
Bodywork has been something I’ve slowly come to appreciate and know is crucial to whole body healing. Breathwork and meditation are only slivers of the pie when it comes to supporting and keeping our bodies healthy. Sleep, diet, environments, movements are also pieces. And of course, so it bodywork.
Bodywork can refer to a variety of things, including massage, cupping, craniosacral therapy (CST), acupuncture, lymphatic massage and so on. They all deal with soft tissue and muscles however. Pretty important stuff. If you’re in Greenville, SC, and need a beyond-experienced one, I’ve listed my provider below. Find those people that can help you, then follow their recommendations. We aren’t supposed to know everything. But we can find those who know what we do not.
Lauren Lane, LMBT - who did my cupping and previous intra-oral massage for TMD
https://www.bodyworkbylauren.com/
On July 5th I got my first tattoo. By August 1st, it had all but disappeared. I had waited 37 years to finally get one and it lasted less than a month.
Granted with the placement of said tattoo, which was on the lowest finger pad of my left ring finger, I was told that it would not last given the amount of times we washed our hands. I knew it was not forever, but I sure did think it would have lasted longer than a month. I wasn’t ready for it to go so soon.
I had chosen the letter “L” to place on the interior of my left ring finger to symbolize the vow I made to myself - to love myself, to choose my health, to know I have inner strength. Then the symbol I had chosen to help represent my growth as a confident, competent, healthy, self-realized individual disappeared. It ended before I was ready.
Simultaneously to the slowly disappearing tattoo, was a short-lived relationship. I’ve dated long enough to know when it’s not a good match. And while younger versions of myself could have made it last longer, I now had my vow to answer to. I’ve chosen to live an authentic life where I know I have chosen to take care of myself. And staying in a relationship with someone who is not committed to that does not align with such. It ended before I wanted it to but I still had control of the situation. I was the one closing that book. My choice dictated the direction.
And while these are the examples I’ll easily share, they are not the ones that confused me the most. I saw the tattoo and the relationship slowly fading. I had forewarning. I knew they were coming.
The experience I did not see coming, expected, nor knew what to do with when it ended was a viral video instead.
On June 26, I posted a Reel on Instagram of myself practicing correct tongue rest posture (which is full tongue blade suctioned to the palate). It hit a chord, had the right music, was the right amount of time and reached 2.5 million views. Believe me, that still shocks me and leaves me beyond puzzled. How does this even happen? What’s even more was I began to find myself checking my Instagram account far more than I ever did before to see the status updates - something I used to pride myself on not doing. I began to really enjoy seeing the growing numbers, starting to find outside admiration to fuel my inner worth. I knew however in the back of my head that I was beginning to give too much thought to this and it wouldn’t last forever. That I was right about. Almost as fast as it started, it stopped. And I wasn’t ready for any of it.
But if I’m honest, when are we ever really ready for something we enjoy to stop? Not often.
What makes these three instances interesting to me is individually they are seemingly insignificant or at best very amusing. And if it had just been those first two things that ended, I would have continued ignoring my feelings because they simply weren’t big enough to notice. They didn’t bother me, or so I thought. But that last third was the one that made all three of them hit harder together. I had been telling myself I wasn’t sad about my tattoo vanishing or yet another relationship ending. But I was. It simply took the third instance starting, shining, then ending to help me realize it.
And even then, it took me a while to let it all sink in. But when I finally admitted I felt off, heavy, sad — paired with an honest conversation with a good friend — I realized I was grieving, looking to old outside sources for filling myself up, and feeling loss in my body even before my understanding could catch up.
Loss and grief are interesting. Sometimes they are big losses and grief with a capital “L” and “G” and others are more cumulative small life cuts that simply add up and slice deep. And while a former version of myself would never admit to any of these as pains, I now can because while my tattoo, last relationship or video didn’t last my vow to myself did. I want a true life that honors myself and my health. This includes my mental health.
In the first two cases, I had stayed on course for keeping my inner values aligned with my worth. However it was the viral video that threw me off. I had been relying on something outside of myself to determine inner worthiness. Something that can only stem from within me. I know this. I teach this. And for a month, I forgot it.
Life continues to remind me the lessons I need to learn and still re-learn. And this was one. Things will end and you will be ok. Resilience comes from a strong core not a shiny exterior. Growing sturdy wings starts with a strong heart, true voice and deep breath. All of which I had been ignoring until life reminded me.
It took really huge life quakes for me to learn these lessons the first time, but as we keep moving forward it sometimes takes smaller lessons to remind us what we have forgotten. And for now, these were the lessons I needed to remind me what I had neglected in this moment. Life has a way of doing that.
I firmly believe we get to design the life we want, but that only happens when we honor the experiences we are having.
So what did I do with these feelings? After realizing I had been ignoring then, I then named and sat with them. I wrote about them. I meditated on them. And I stopped pretending they didn’t exist. I was sad. So I allowed myself to be sad. I made myself tea. I curled in the fetal position with my dog. I talked to a trusted friend. And when I felt what was radiating out of me finally release, I felt grateful for handling my inner truths in a productive way. That is how we grow. That is the change we seek. That is what ongoing healing looks like.
And as my friend over coffee reminded me, emotions are gold. And she’s right. They are not to be ignored or pushed down or blown past. They are the messages we are sent to help remind us to rest, to pay attention, to look before we run towards more numbing.
We get to choose the life we want, but only when we choose to listen to what our body, mind and soul are telling us.
“Scientific studies have shown that slow breathing can help “almost” everything!”
— Nick Heath, Ph.D.
In this conversation, Nick and I discuss his breath of origin story, the epigenetics of joy, how slow breathing improves "almost" everything, changing the internal environment within us, attention versus intentional bias, Nick's top scientific studies and books on breathing along with his nighttime breathing routine.
Audio Block Double-click here to upload or link to a .mp3. Learn more REFERENCED STUDIES:
- Oxygen-induced impairment in arterial function is corrected by slow breathing in patients with type 1 diabetes (this is the 2017 slow breathing & diabetes study in Nature)
- Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback Improves Emotional and Physical Health and Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta Analysis (this the "slow breathing basically helps everything" study)
- Heart rate variability biofeedback in chronic disease management: A systematic review (this is the slow breathing and chronic disease one)
ABOUT NICK:
Nick Heath is a type-1 diabetic, researcher, and writer. He is the creator of The Breathing Diabetic. Nick has spent the last 5 years studying, teaching, and applying breathing practices in his own life. He is a certified Oxygen Advantage® coach and a member of the Global Wellness BREATHE Initiative.
CONTACT MATT:
INSTAGRAM: @thebreathingdiabetic
WEBSITE: www.thebreathingdiabetic.com
Have an idea for a future BREATH TO BREATH interview? Email me!
Profile picture and sagittal views of my CBCT scans showing how my elevated tongue rest posture promotes 8.2 to 11.5 mm of open airway space behind my tongue.
To know your body is to know yourself. It starts first always with awareness. Then with the help of feedback (visual, tactile, audible, verbal) we can make shifts in our behavior.
I personally needed to completely fail at oral rest posture and nasal breathing before understanding it. I also needed major airway surgery to fix my deviated septum, reduce nasal turbinates and remove my enlarged tonsils before I ever took my deepest breath. It was the moment they removed my stints post airway surgery and I fully inhaled through my nose - felt the joy of a deep breath - before I started reconsidering what else I might not fully know about myself. This was in March 2019 at age 35.
It was through rehabilitating my nose that I was able to understand my tongue and oral structures needed support too. Due to a restricted lingual frenulum, also known as Ankyloglossia or tongue tie, I could not fully elevate my entire tongue to the roof of my mouth - front, middle and back. And while I could lift the anterior or front section sometimes, it truly is the posterior sections of our tongue that I care the most about. That is the section closest to our airway, our throat, our life force!
Then in April of 2019, I finally had my tongue, upper lip and buccal ties released. And I took another step towards better airway health, physical health, mental health, spiritual health.
So pictured above is what you’ll find me now doing all the time at rest - complete tongue up (not just the front blade), airway open, jaw unclenched, lips sealed and nasal breathing. This has taken years to habitualize. I had 3.5 decades of unlearning oral rest patterns. I can say confidently however, this is now my normalized rest posture. My tongue stays up. My lips stay closed. I breathe through my nose.
However, this is what you need to know. It’s one thing to be able to maintain this posture during the day. But if this is hard, what do you think happens at night when you fall asleep, lay down on your back, move from vertical to horizontal? Airway obstruction, that’s what.
Keep your tongue UP to retrain your neural pathways for tongue rest posture so when you are asleep, in cruise control and unconscious, you tongue KNOWS where to rest! Hint: it’s out of your airway!
You can change your life by changing your breath. And it all starts with awareness. So ask yourself honestly, where is my tongue? What does it touch? Can I actually lift it - front, middle and back? How am I breathing? Sleeping? Living?
Yes you can. Change is possible. A fuller life is yours for the taking! I’m rooting for you!
“I’m obsessed with learning.”
— Dr. Matt Dewar
INAUGURAL BREATH TO BREATH INTERVIEW! In this chat we unfold the psychology, emotional and physiological connections to our breathing patterns, affective forcasting for wellbeing, how you can change the health of your family over time, interoception, developing the roots of self-awareness, and biofeedback benefits of the CapnoTrainer.
ABOUT MATT:
Matthew Dewar, Ed.D. is a professional educator researching the link between emotional intelligence, stress, and performance. He has spent the last fifteen years teaching school leaders, Fortune 500 executives, and collegiate and professional athletes how to Stress Better™ through research-based stress optimization programs. Matthew is also the author of Education and Well-Being: An Ontological Inquiry and The Mindful Breathing Workbook for Teens. His work has been featured on TEDx, NPR, Thrive Global, the National Wellness Institute, and many podcasts.
CONTACT MATT:
INSTAGRAM: @dr.mattdewar
LINKEDIN: Matt Dewar, Ed.D.
WEBSITE: www.mattdewar.com (new website being launched in Fall 2022 with courses!)
Have an idea for a future BREATH TO BREATH interview? Email me!
This past weekend I visited the Art of Living Retreat Center for a Happiness Retreat in Boone, NC. And yes, you do need to go to one. It was everything I needed and didn’t know I needed reminding of - highly recommend! It was filled with intention, breathwork, meditation and to top it off, a guru! The center’s founder, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (Gurudev for short), spoke to us on three occasions, elaborating on his five sutras of a happy life. They are:
- Opposite Values are complimentary.
- Don’t see intention behind others’ mistakes/ignorance.
- Don’t be the football of others’ opinions.
- Accept people and situations as they are.
- The present moment is inevitable.
While I reflected on these and the practices taught, the second sutra stood out as deeply profound and eyeopening to me. In fact I had been wanting to post on something similar earlier, but was lacking the context and grit to make it come together. Gurudev’s explanation of it change that for me.
Don’t see intention behind others’ mistakes/ignorance.
Given there are fiver fingers in a hand, this is the second of the five sutras so if counting you would be at the index finger now. Your pointer finger. The finger you use to bring attention to something or someone else. The finger you point at when calling something out you either don’t like, are amazed by or even don’t know what to make of. The part that made this full circle this weekend is realizing that for every one finger you point at something or someone, there are three pointed back at you! One for you. Three for me. Let’s dig into this more.
The idea of what you are focused on in life starts popping up more and more is real. It’s because you are now aware of something, thinking about something, and ready to spot it when before it would just blend into the background. This is called attention bias. It shows up as noticing a certain car you are thinking about buying. You start seeing bangs everywhere if you’re thinking about getting them yourself. You can’t help but find more grouchy people if you already think the world is filled with them.
So when you point your finger with a preconceived notion that someone was out to get you, there are three more fingers pointed at you telling more about yourself than the person that was more than likely ignorant to their actions or had simply just messed up. The one finger at them says very little about them and more about how you interpreted the encounter!
And this can apply to both negative and positive examples!
An example on the negative example ,which I saw unfold just yesterday on Instagram, is one we all know too well. Political views are highly charged right now. Liberals and conservatives are feeling very strongly about their perspectives on both sides. And given these polarizing viewpoints, people are extra sensitive to anything that looks, smells, feels like a threat to their base. So when one person posts a quote about equality, protection and taking action against the things viewed as unfair, another may sees it as a direct attack on the messaging they are working against, whatever it may be! A person points a finger stating you are pushing your liberal agenda on us, when in reality there are three fingers pointed back at them stating they cannot tolerate another viewpoint being expressed!
Now go back to childhood. Did you ever point your finger at someone and call them something less desirable? Whatever name you were calling the other person said far more about you than it ever did about them! When you bully, shame or call out others, it comes from a place of uncertainty, bruised egos, and shaky characters from the people doing the name calling.
For the positive side, this same theory applies. I made a new friend this weekend and noticed she had on a necklace with seven different colored beads for each chakra. I immediately thought, “she’s into the chakra system. I love learning about the chakras! I love the book I’m reading about the chakras. I bet she would love that book too!” I literally pointed my finger at her and said, “you would love the book I’m reading!” Ha, she might. But more truthfully, I love the book I’m reading and wanted her to like it as well, which would justify that I am smart and reading interesting content.
Also think about when you’ve been in a space of love, appreciation and compassion. Did you find yourself starting to see more of those qualities in the people around you? I know I did and do, every time.
So try this out on yourself. Think about a time you used a “You are _______” statement. Now replace the “you are/will” with an “I do/am” instead. How does that change the message? What does it say about you? How do you feel about that? Now just sit with this and yourself.
My head exploded a little when I really thought about this. What we are focused on in thought, literally starts to appear in our reality - simply because we are so hyper-aware of it! And when we start projecting those viewpoints, opinions, messaging onto others it always says more about the person pointing the finger. For every one finger pointed, there are three more pointing in the opposite direction.
So before you start shaking fingers and placing hands on hips, perhaps take a breath, pause, look inward and listen. What are you really saying? What are you really proclaiming? What are you representing through your actions?
Know this life is yours. And it is a beautiful one, but only if you know how to point it out.
“If it rains, let it rain, if the wind blows, let it blow.” — Ikkyu
My favorite therapist (yes, I’ve been to a few) gave me a tool I have used countless times and shared with anyone who will listen. To start, extend both your hands out wide, palms facing up. Now imagine filling both with sand, piling as high as it will go. Now allow one hand to remain open, full. Then slowly start to squeeze the other closed, as tightly as possible, feeling every grain of sand you hold. And after doing so look at both your hands and ask yourself: “Which contains more sand?” Is it the one you have closed with all your will and might or the one you left open, filling, allowing to just be?
Sit with that answer for a moment.
I love this image, analogy, exercise for so many reasons. For one, I can actually do it, feel it see it. I often will close my fist as tightly as possible on several occasions, feeling my nails pushing into my palms, then slowly release. The contrast of coming from a place of constriction, tightness, strain then straight to that of release, expansion, abundance truly gives me pause. If I’m lucky my nails will be on the longer side and I can actually feel them digging into my palms more than normal, needed on harder days where old thought patterns tell me I can control this uncontrollable thing called life. The relief felt from finally letting go and opening my hand is immediate and tangible. I feel lighter and able to move more freely.
Secondly, if we go back to the sand analogy, you truly can live in abundance by coming from a place of openness. When we tighten our fist, try to manipulate the outcome, we only end up with less sand. Living where we do, when we do, it seems backwards to what we have been told, shown, taught. How could one live more fully by not building walls, destroying the competitor, protecting what is yours? While these questions deserve more nuance than this one post can give, I will say from my own experience I have experienced a more beautiful life on every level when I stopped trying to control what I thought I could, should. In short, I allowed it to rain.
As I write this post, I cannot help but smile. I am so happy that I would not be surprised if I even cried. And if that happens, I will not stop it. I no longer suppress what was meant to be released. I know now that we are meant to live in a state of openness. And for me that entails spending designated time each day unencumbered with social media, expectations of others, to do lists, and emotional managing others as well as myself. I do this through journaling freely, pages no one will ever read, meditating quieting, breathing intentionally or my favorite, looking into my dog’s eyes. Some days I can only squeeze 2 minutes in, others I find whole stretches of time in this space. Regardless, I find it, make it, allow it.
You may find yourself unable yet to keep your hand, life, expectations open. And that’s okay. I spent over three decades in that place. But know that it exists. Be aware you are squeezing out the sand. And notice how it makes you feel.
We need the contrast to appreciate the expansion. Understand closed can turn into open. There is an inhale before the exhale. And they are all there, for you to allow into your life.
4-7-8- Breathing for Anxiety
Out of all the breathing exercises I’ve come across, this one by far is the most helpful and efficient for breaking my negative thought patterns and getting me out of a funk, fast: 4-7-8.
- Inhale for 4 counts.
- Hold for 7 counts.
- Exhale for 8 counts.
- Then repeat, as much as is needed.
There is intention, purpose, pause and the ability to relax my body unlike balanced breathing, box breathing or alternate nostril breathing has done, for me personally.
This isn’t a long post because it doesn’t need to be. I’d rather you actually breathe and experience the benefits for themselves first, then read more about why it works later. And when that later comes, see below for more resources on this technique.
What Is the 4-7-8 Breathing Technique? - Healthline
How to use 4-7-8 breathing for anxiety - MedicalNewsToday
What Is 4-7-8 Breathing? - VeryWellMind
You got this! Let me know your thoughts after you’ve tried it, too!
Down to the studs.
What have you had to unlearn to better understand your true self? What have you had to strip down to find from within? And what have you had to relearn about yourself once you got there? For me, it’s been a lot.
EGO
This is a harder entry to write. It requires putting my ego aside. That was a huge thing to let go, peel away. Your ego is there to keep you safe, or at least makes you feel that you are safe, powerful, untouchable. And who wants to look vulnerable? I didn’t for a long time. I still don’t, yet with the right people I can and it makes a huge difference. We are not meant to be strong all the time. We need safe pockets that we can let our armor down. Find your person, whether it be a good friend, or better yet a therapist, that you don’t have to be strong in front of all the time. Release. Feel. Let it out. Feelings are meant to be seen, felt and ultimately pass. Don’t let your ego get in the way from preventing this fluid cycle.
WRITE YOUR OWN RULES
As children and young adults, we are given outlines for how life in our world flows. And in fact, we need it! Healthy structures ensure safety, help us learn and provide foundations from which to grow from. Yet there will come a time when you have to start making your own rules for your life. What worked for your mother, brother, father, grandparent, friend may not work for you. And only you know this. This requires great insight to identify how to move through this world in a way that feels true to you. As a single adult female, I’ve realized I may not get married but better yet I’ve finally began to question if I actually want to get married. As a little girl, I just assumed that’s what would happen. Now I get to be an active participant in this and help decide if that’s truly what I want for me. I’ve also stopped listening to others giving me advice to things they have never experienced. This goes for relationships, employment, self-care and anything/everything you can think of. Choose those whom you listen to wisely. Only you can truly know what you need, where you are going and how you’ll get there.
STILLNESS
Man, this was a long road traveled to find my comfort with stillness. I took Adderall in my early 20s for almost a decade, spending most of that time trying NOT to be still. In fact, the last thing I wanted was to be still. When you’re still, all there is to do is be with yourself, your thoughts. And depression, shame, guilt, frustration, insecurity, sadness were too much for me to confront. Just as I didn’t get to that point of desperation overnight, the road back to my true self took a long time as well. It started with one step, then another, followed by another. It included lots of back steps too but through journaling, therapy, supportive friends/family, yoga, breathwork, and so much grace and compassion - here I am. The stillness is scary when you are not used to it. The stillness is when you look back at yourself in the mirror. The turning point is knowing there is no wrong image looking back at you. Meet yourself where you are now. That is enough. You are enough.
FAILURES ARE OK
Let me say this loud and clear: IT IS OK TO FAIL! In fact, that’s when I’ve learned the greatest lessons. The ego wants to tell you this is unacceptable. Society screams this is not an option! But let me tell you, failure builds resilience. Knowing that you don’t have to always get it right is incredibly freeing. Now I didn’t take my first job out of college wanting to be fired. But it happened. And while immediate feelings flooding my ego were of shame, guilt, shock, and sadness, when I let the dust settle I realized life was happening for me and not to me. If I had not been let go, I would never have decided to go ahead and sub-let me apartment in Dallas. If I had not already planned on coming back to SC, I would have missed the start of the biology class at Wofford I needed to take for credit to be admitted in Graduate School for Speech Pathology. Woah, thank you universe. And full disclosure, I needed to be fired. I was doing a horrible job. I never said failure was fun. But oh the powerful lessons you learn when it happens and the knowledge gained when you’re able to grow from it. I still have moments where I regret what I said, how I acted, what transpired - yet I remind myself there is a lesson to be learned in each one. Let the ego go, know you are still growing and evolving, learning. And the best part, when you realize the “failure” or worst thing that could happen is someone says “no” - that’s when you can accomplish anything. Always try. Fail. Try again. It will happen when it’s meant to.
FINDING YOUR PURPOSE, AGAIN
Insert deep sigh. What is your purpose? This could not be a more loaded question. So I’ve decided it’s a spectrum. What my purpose was when I was 15, 25, 35 have all been different. And I love it that way. I love the evolution of self. I like the idea of our purpose, what we want, what we dream of all being on the horizon. We can always walk towards it but depending on the time of day or year, it will look different. The same goes with life. Wherever you are on your path will determine what you are looking at. Know that is ok. In my younger years I would say it looks flakey. I know now it is brave. Don’t give up. Everything you’re learning comes together to help you reach new horizons.
SMILE
During one of my deepest depression episodes, I had a therapist have me do the 100 Happy Days challenge on Instagram. Each day, for 100 days, I took a picture of something that made me happy. Side not, I faked a lot of that happy. But it restructured the connections in my brain, it rewired my pathways and messages I was telling myself. It doesn’t matter if you feel like smiling, feel like being happy, feel like being outside. Just do it. Then do it again. And then do it again. Create a pattern of support for the self. For me this includes smiling each morning and telling myself I am proud of myself. Seriously. Sometimes I say it sarcastically. Others I say it with tears in my eyes. And they both benefit me. What words do you tell yourself? What acts of kindness do you give yourself? When do you stop and smile at yourself in the mirror? Most people would say never. I’m not even going to suggest you turn that frown upside down, but I will say the words and actions you repeatedly expose yourself to can change the chemistry in your brain and very being. So be kind to yourself. Be the soft place to land. And smile, even if you fake it.
DOWN TO THE STUDS
When I saw this house being stripped down all the way to its inner core, I stopped in awe. “How beautiful,” I thought. I actually drove back to the house to get a picture because I loved the metaphor it provided for life. What was originally built had purpose, served as shelter, and was just what was needed at that time. Then it wasn’t. It doesn’t mean you tear down the whole house however. The bones are still good. The core is strong. You get the opportunity to reevaluate what you need and what you don’t. Be the house. Evolve and expand when you need more. Strip down and rebuild when the horizon changes. Be the crazy lady with a little dog in her car taking pictures of stripped down houses (that’s me by the way, letting go of my ego). And don’t be afraid to fail, over and over again, for the gold is in the getting back up.
There is more to write of course as my life is not done yet. But for now, here we are. And it feels right to close this post with how I close each class. So with that, remember to live with intention, move with gratitude and never stop breathing.
My daydream scenery.
*NOTE: I got so into daydreaming I took two weeks to write this post. This exercise also turned into the roots of this past week’s meditation for my class and inspired future passion projects to come. Well worth it I’d say!***
After listening to Johann Hari’s “Stolen Focus” on Audible, I got the crazy idea that I’d spend my Memorial Day Weekend daydreaming. And it was incredible. Of course, as a single adult I have the luxury of choosing how I spend the majority of my time. My dog, Vanna, sometimes thinks I should be spending it differently but our mornings mostly consist of reading, coffee in bed and this past weekend - lots of daydreaming. I gave myself permission to rest and let me thoughts roam.
The funny thing though is that I really needed some decompression to get there. Last Friday, I took myself to a movie (at an actual theater!) and left my phone at home. That night, I charged my phone in another room when I went to bed. The following morning, I fought the urge to scroll Instagram and read a book and journaled instead. I “let” my body sleep in instead of following my normal routine of working out to “check that box”. And it took some work to get my brain, my mind ready to roll with the idea of mindful daydreaming. But once I got there, wow.
I found myself remembering the simple joys of listening to birds chirp. I marveled at the sound of rain outside my window. I thought about how I wish I could rub my dog’s ears forever because of how soft they were! Then things got interesting. I imagined what I wanted my life to look like. I started noticing common traits between my late grandmother, my mother and myself (hint: it’s our love plants and connecting with people). I started clarifying what I want my business to look like. I began to see future projects to make a reality. I saw what COULD BE.
Yet when we are simply surviving the day-to-day grind, there is not time for this. There is only survival. When you do not allow your mind to wander, space for elaboration or expansion, or even time to just be still, we are missing a crucial component to problem solving and creativity. Perspective. The joy of being up the clouds is that you can see the entire picture below. When you are face-to-face, all you can see is what’s directly in front of you.
Now don’t confuse daydreaming with ruminating. That’s quite different. When that occurs, I usually have to physically move my body, talk to a friend or even see my therapist depending on what we’re continuing to stir up! Everyone should have a therapist by the way.
But mindful daydreaming, that’s the good stuff!
I’m proposing that mindful daydreaming is meditation’s carefree cousin. Cut from the same cloth. Both providing benefit and giving insight into a challenging world, in their own authentic way. Allowing room for the unexpected to weave its way into you life, connecting common threads into the cloth of your future and finding the pulls inside of you taking shape into tangible realities before your eyes.
You are the thinker of your thoughts. You are not the thoughts themselves. You can choose which thoughts to feed and which ones to leave behind. You can choose your breath over and and over, just as you can choose your thoughts, over and over again.
But thoughts and ideas can become plans. And plans can become your reality when you add intention, action, and heart.
Inhale, invite in what you need. Exhale, release what you do not.
And dream on, daydreamers!
“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” – Ferris Bueller
Our lives, our breath, our thoughts can move quicker than we like sometimes. And as Ferris Bueller said it best, we have to take the time to stop and look around before we miss it! The first step to slowing down is simply being aware. Once aware, then you can take action. It helps however to think about what you need to get your mind and body in the right place beforehand, which is why I’m laying out my favorite things that allow me to settle into my body, my breath and my thoughts.
- Throat Coat Tea: The first time I ever had this I was sick and I never stopped buying more of it! It always reminds me of an oatmeal cookie and hug in one - the warming of the water, the smell of the herbs, the comfort felt when I drink it. Even in the summer, I’ll find myself making a cup of this tea. I know when I pour the water over the tea bag that I’m starting the process of slowing down. If you haven’t tried it already, I highly recommend it!
- NOW Nature’s Shield Essential Oil: I first tried this oil when the pandemic first hit. It was recommended it by an associate at Garner’s - a local health store in Greenville, SC - given it’s support to keeping our body healthy. Over two years later, I’m still using it. It contains a combination of Clove Bud Oil, Organic Lemon Oil, Cinnamon Bark Oil, Eucalyptus Oil and Organic Rosemary Oil. I usually put some in a diffuser in my home office or put some on a cotton roll for clients to smell as we complete breathing exercises.
- 4:8 Breathing: Whenever we double the inhale to exhale ratio, our body is alerted that we are slowing down. This happens through vagal nerve activation. You can start with a 1-count inhale to 2-count exhale (1:2); 2-count inhale to 4-count exhale (2:4); or 3-count inhale to 6-count exhale (3:6). My body likes the 4:8 ratio but you can always add more or shave some off. Play around with what feels good in your body.
- Calming Amber Incense: I never thought I’d like incense but after using this one I have a hard time practicing or teaching without it! Smells can be hugely powerful in creating a somatic experience and this one always helps calm me.
- Breathwork Playlist: This is my personal breathwork playlist on Spotify that I use with clients and classes. I’ve used it so much when working on the breath that my body automatically knows it’s time to slow down when I hear it start to play. I’m actually playing it now as I write this list. And it helps. It takes me to a place of calm, alerting my whole being that we are going to slow things down.
These are just some examples of what helps me, reminds me, supports me in slowing down. Start building your own toolkit. Find what you need. Create your own rituals. Your body will slowly begin to associate slowing down with those tools.
Nasal breathing IS absolutely your superpower, not to mention your best line of defense against getting sick, staying well and living a full and happy life! Yes, I know that is a loaded statement but I will always stand behind it!
I know this professionally but also personally, spending the first three decades of my life as a mouth breather to now a consistent nasal breather. And one thing that continues to baffle me, I STILL haven’t gotten COVID?! I’m not saying it’s all nasal breathing, but it certainly has helped!
Benefits of nasal breathing are far reaching and include everything from better orofacial development to improved sleep quality. The nasal cavity is about the size of your fist located inside your skull and is essentially a built in humidifier and filtration system for the entire body. When you breathe through your nose you are able to filter out outside particles and foreign objects that may not be good for your body to absorb. The nose also warms the air prior to it entering the lungs making it an appropriate temperature for inside the body. When the mouth is closed and the nose is being used for breathing, appropriate jaw development can be supported. The tongue of course needs to also be doing its part by resting up in the palate, but closed lips and primary nasal breathing is how you sustain correct oral rest posture and facilitate healthy jaws. Additionally the roof of the mouth is the floor of the nose and when the lips are closed and tongue rest up in the palate, a full nasal cavity can also develop allowing as much room as possible for nasal breathing. This also helps prevents a future deviated septum which can be caused by a high and narrow palate. Additionally, primary daytime nasal breathing usually carries over to nighttime nasal breathing, which lessens your likelihood of snoring! Let’s say that again, breathe through your nose at night to decrease your likelihood of snoring! More on this in future posts.
And perhaps the greatest reason of all to breathe through your nose is it create nitric oxide! This naturally produced gas can be generated in the nose and helps to widen our blood vessels to allow blood to flow more easily throughout the body. This is known as vasodilation and can aid in reducing blood pressure, improving sports performance and allowing for better oxygen uptake throughout the body!
The benefits are numerous however you have to actually use your nose to get them! And the first step to becoming a nasal breather is awareness. Unsure if you primarily nasal or mouth breathe? Try holding a business card between your lips and only nasal breathe for two minutes. Begin to notice if it’s difficult or even scary in any way. Does air flow freely or does it feel more labored? If you noticed any of these challenges, you may have some nasal disuse you’re working against. Nasal disuse happens when we simply don’t use our nose. Luckily we can turn this breathing pattern around. Start with noticing your breathe, inhaling and exhaling slowly through your nose. Blow your nose often. Use nasal spray. Set a timer for one minute using only your nose to breathe. Then try it for two. Then three, four, five and so on. Find your baseline and start there. It’s you versus you.
And of course, I’m here to help. I love helping clients reset nasal breathing patterns, as well as find the deep breaths that have been there all along. Remember, nasal breathing IS your superpower!
I don’t date mouth breathers - I treat them.
Don’t get me wrong, I love a lot of mouth breathers but I’m not going to date them. The beauty is though you can change your breathing pattern. I know because I did. I spent years mouth breathing, both day and night, and honestly had no idea. However, I know too much now about how mouth breathing is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to health issues to not use it as part of my dating criteria. Let’s break this down a little more.
Mouth Breathing vs. Nasal Breathing
The mouth’s main roles are to be used for eating, speaking and drinking. Otherwise, it should be gently closed. Mouths are a backup option for the nose but not are not meant to be the main form of breathing! When it comes to breathing, it should be mostly nasal! Benefits of nasal breathing include everything from controlling the temperature of the air we breathe to filtering out toxins in the atmosphere. It also humidifies the air before it reaches our lungs as well as helps generate nitric oxide, which is really good stuff! When primary mode of breathing is through the mouth, not only are you more susceptible to bad breath and gum disease but it can lead to physical changes in your oral anatomy and posture. Overall, deeper breaths are gained through the nose and more shallow breaths are through the mouth. And the slower and deeper you breathe, the healthier overall you usually are.
Hope For Mouth Breathers
If you mouth breathe, don’t be discouraged. I’ve been there. We are complex creatures however and there can be a whole host of issues that lead to mouth breathing. This includes everything from allergies, airway obstruction, habit, enlarged tonsils, chronic stress and so on! If you find it hard to nasal breathe for 2 minutes, that would be a good indicator you need additional support. You can reach out to an ENT, allergist or me. There are options. There are solutions. But it all starts first with awareness. So get real honest and ask yourself, “how do I breathe?”
I now have owned this book twice (gave away the first copy and needed another for myself), as well as have the Audible version for listening when walking or driving. I cannot say more positive things about the book that finally helped America pay more attention to their breathing patterns. What I love most is James Nestor’s ability to take very complex topics and break them down into digestible bites. He also literally plugs up his nose to prove the importance of nasal breathing! Seriously! I know his pain from years of an obstructed airway, deviated nasal septum and poor oral rest posture.
Side note - these are all preventable! We are all born nasal breathers. Yet from either environment, anatomy, oral patterns or anatomical restrictions, we end up breathing with our mouth open. An example is a family gets a pet in elementary school, which triggers kid’s allergies making it hard to breath through their nose. More importantly, when we learn to mouth breath versus nasal breath our faces end up growing more long and narrow versus wide and forward. Why this matters all boils down to airway space. Long and narrow faces usually mean high and narrow palates, greatly decreasing nasal airway and possibly leading to a deviated septum. This also means less space in the oropharyngeal space (i.e., your throat). So literally you are perpetuating the problem. Nasal disuse is when you lose functioning of your nose from disuse. Not fun! But the body is smart and knows it wants to be healthy. And thanks to neuroplasticity, once we start using something in a functional way the brain will help form pathways to support this action! So start using your nose again and it gets easier to do. Become more aware of mouth breathing and you don’t have to think so hard about it. Paths. Programs. Actions. The body will start to become more attuned to doing something and in turn won’t have to work so hard to continue doing it. Practice and patience is the key here.
Sorry, not sorry for the long rant. I will be explaining this till my dying day. It’s THAT important! And luckily now I have Nestor’s book to help back me up! So, if you enjoy learning new things about your health, are interested in breathing better, want to improve you lifespan and enjoy science, get this book! Let me know your thoughts!
To get you started, check out the excerpt from BREATH below:
Chapter One: The Worst Breathers in the Animal Kingdom
The patient arrived, pale and torpid, at 9:32 a.m. Male, middle-aged, 175 pounds. Talkative and friendly but visibly anxious. Pain: none. Fatigue: a little. Level of anxiety: moderate. Fears about progression and future symptoms: high.
Patient reported that he was raised in a modern suburban environment, bottle-fed at six months, and weaned onto jarred commercial foods. The lack of chewing associated with this soft diet stunted bone development in his dental arches and sinus cavity, leading to chronic nasal congestion.
By age 15, patient was subsisting on even softer, highly processed foods consisting mostly of white bread, sweetened fruit juices, canned vegetables, Steak-umms, Velveeta sandwiches, microwave taquitos, Hostess Sno Balls, and Reggie! bars. His mouth had become so underdeveloped it could not accommodate 32 permanent teeth; incisors and canines grew in crooked, requiring extractions, braces, retainers, and headgear to straighten. Three years of orthodontics made his small mouth even smaller, so his tongue no longer properly fit between his teeth. When he stuck it out, which he did often, visible imprints laced its sides, a precursor to snoring.
At 17, four impacted wisdom teeth were removed, which further decreased the size of his mouth while increasing his chances of developing the chronic nocturnal choking known as sleep apnea. As he aged into his 20s and 30s, his breathing became more labored and dysfunctional and his airways became more obstructed. His face would continue a vertical growth pattern that led to sagging eyes, doughy cheeks, a sloping forehead, and a protruding nose.
This atrophied, underdeveloped mouth, throat, and skull, unfortunately, belongs to me.
I’m lying on the examination chair in the Stanford Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery Center looking at myself, looking into myself. For the past several minutes, Dr. Jayakar Nayak, a nasal and sinus surgeon, has been gingerly coaxing an endoscope camera through my right nasal cavity. He’s gone so deep into my head that it’s come out the other side, into my throat.
“Say eeee,” he says. Nayak has a halo of black hair, square glasses, cushioned running shoes, and a white coat. But I’m not looking at his clothes, or his face. I’m wearing a pair of video goggles that are streaming a live feed of the journey through the rolling dunes, swampy marshes, and stalactites inside my severely damaged sinuses. I’m trying not to cough or choke or gag as that endoscope squirms a little farther down.
“Say eeee,” Nayak repeats. I say it and watch as the soft tissue around my larynx, pink and fleshy and coated in slime, opens and closes like a stop-motion Georgia O’Keeffe flower.
This isn’t a pleasure cruise. Twenty-five sextillion molecules (that’s 250 with 20 zeros after it) take this same voyage 18 times a minute, 25,000 times a day. I’ve come here to see, feel, and learn where all this air is supposed to enter our bodies. And I’ve come to say goodbye to my nose for the next ten days.
For the past century, the prevailing belief in Western medicine was that the nose was more or less an ancillary organ. We should breathe out of it if we can, the thinking went, but if not, no problem. That’s what the mouth is for.
Many doctors, researchers, and scientists still support this position. Breathing tubes, mouthbreathing, and nasal breathing are all just means to the same end. There are 27 departments at the National Institute of Health devoted to lungs, eyes, skin disease, ears, and so on. The nose and sinuses aren’t represented in any of them.
Nayak finds this absurd. He is the chief of rhinology research at Stanford. He heads an internationally renowned laboratory focused entirely on understanding the hidden power of the nose. He’s found that those dunes, stalactites, and marshes inside the human head orchestrate a multitude of functions for the body. Vital functions. “Those structures are in there for a reason!” he told me earlier. Nayak has a special reverence for the nose, which he believes is greatly misunderstood and underappreciated. Which is why he’s so interested to see what happens to a body that functions without one. Which is what brought me here.
Starting today, I’ll spend the next quarter of a million breaths with silicone plugs blocking my nostrils and surgical tape over the plugs to stop even the faintest amount of air from entering or exiting my nose. I’ll breathe only through my mouth, a heinous experiment that will be exhausting and miserable, but has a clear point.
Forty percent of today’s population suffers from chronic nasal obstruction, and around half of us are habitual mouthbreathers, with females and children suffering the most. The causes are many: dry air to stress, inflammation to allergies, pollution to pharmaceuticals. But much of the blame, I’ll soon learn, can be placed on the ever-shrinking real estate in the front of the human skull.
When mouths don’t grow wide enough, the roof of the mouth tends to rise up instead of out, forming what’s called a V-shape or high-arched palate. The upward growth impedes the development of the nasal cavity, shrinking it and disrupting the delicate structures in the nose. The reduced nasal space leads to obstruction and inhibits airflow. Overall, humans have the sad distinction of being the most plugged-up species on Earth.
My Breathwork Playlist. Music to help calm the breath and mind.
I’m a creature of habit and one habit I absolutely love is using this carefully curated playlist when leading and participating in breathwork. I can literally feel my shoulders begin to melt and my jaw unclench when I simply hear the first song. My mind and body has been conditioned to relax when I hear this playlist. Mission accomplished! I use this to help students and myself begin the process of slowing down thoughts, movements and the breath. Take a listen, relax and breath slowly. Then repeat. Happy breathing!
BREATHWORK PLAYLIST:
- Opening - Essie Jain
- Opening - East Forest
- The Rising -Essie Jain
- Deep - Peter Sandberg
- Motion - Peter Sandberg
- Passage - Garth Stevenson
- The Healing - Essie Jain
- Moving - Eskimotion
- Let Me In - Sean Angus Watson
- The Southern Sea - Garth Stevenson
- Celeste - Pete Kuzma
- Lately I’ve Been Wondering - Sean Angus Watson
- You and I Are Falling, You and I Are Free - Rising Appalachia
Let’s talk music - my meditation inspiration.
“When I hear music, I fear no danger. I am invulnerable. I see no foe. I am related to the earliest times, an to the latest.” - Henry David Thoreau
Music. Beautiful Music. It has gotten me through the highs and lows of life and is a constant I would not want to live without. Music also plays a major role in my writing process when composing meditations for class.
When I start writing a meditation, especially a guided meditation, I like to find a theme and song to help anchor my thoughts and better lay out where I am going. And while there are endless ways to meditate, I love writing and listening to guided meditations. My guided meditations usually end up being how I heal myself from old and new wounds alike. I write the meditation I need to hear. That is probably why the music I choose feels so powerful to me. The words I write and the music I hear is helping me grow stronger wings, live more present, see more clearly and breathe deeply, fully. And when we heal ourselves, we can better heal others.
And with that, I present to you my Meditation Inspoplaylist. Enjoy the ride and happy listening!
MEDITATION INSPO PLAYLIST
- Sapling - Foy Vance
- Rise - Calum Scott
- Right on Time (In Harmony) - Brandi Carlile
- You Say - Lauren Daigle
- Water - Aisha Badru
- The Power is Here Now - Alexia Chellun
- You’re Gonna Be Ok - Jenn Johnson
- Love Has No Limits - Fleurie
- You Can’t Rush Your Healing - Trevor Hall
- I Will Carry You - Ellie Holcombe
- Heavy - Birdtalker * MY ALL TIME FAVORITE!! ***
- Courage to Change - Sia
- Skinny Love - Birdy
- Skin - Rag’n’Bone Man
- Joyful - X Ambassadors
- Across the Bridge - Zach Williams
- Rise Up - Andra Day
I love finding patterns. I love the overlap of different disciplines to better treat patients (also known as people). I love helping make connections between seemingly unrelated ideas, things, practices. It feels more like community to me. And that’s the framework that helped me come to create Functional Breathwork.
The three main components of Functional Breathwork are (1) Nasal Breathing; (2) Correct Oral Rest Posture; and (3) Diaphragmatic Breathing. After over a decade as a Speech-Language Pathologist, spending the past two years in Orofacial Myology and more recently as a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT-200) and Functional Breathing Coach, I couldn’t help but begin to blend components of each to help heal others, as well as myself!
And while each of the three components could be a whole lesson in themselves, I’ll briefly review them below:
NASAL BREATHING
The majority of breathing should be done through the nose, which provides filtration of foreign particles including dust, allergens and pollen; humidifies inhaled air to warm and moisturize the air you breathe and produced nitric oxide (NO) which is a vasodilator that helps to widen blood vessels and can improve oxygenation of blood cells.
CORRECT ORAL REST POSTURE
Correct oral rest posture involves keeping the tongue lightly suctioned to the roof of the mouth, jaw unclenched, 1-2 mm between the upper and lower teeth and lips closed. By maintaining this position when the mouth is at rest (so when not eating, talking or drinking), the muscles can help maintain correct function needed and tongue remains out of the airway. This is especially important at night to help reduce airway obstruction, including snoring and sleep apnea.
DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING
Diaphragmatic breathing, sometimes referred to as belly breathing, allows for deeper and more complete breath cycles to occur. The diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle located just below your lungs that when utilized can help draw more air into your lungs on inhales and more efficiently push air out on exhales. Diaphragmatic breathing can also include expanding your side ribs and engaging back ribs to help with deepening one's breath.
We are all unique. What you need may not apply to me, nor even make sense to me! We need more tools, better language to help appeal to everyone. Yoga language may resonate with some but anatomical verbiage may appeal to others. What I hope to accomplish is to promote overall health through a foundation of improved breathing through addressing all components needed in the way that lands with you. Happy breathing!
“Listen, are you breathing just a little, and calling it a life?” — Mary Oliver
I’m continually blown away by the power of our breath, how something can be so simple and yet complex. How something we do automatically can be altered to help or hinder us. How the way you breathe can change the way you view your entire world, both outside and within us.
My road and journey to Breathwork is long, as most are. I was always a mouth breather, sleeping poorly throughout my youth. I was often tired and would fall asleep in class, in cars with ease. Yet it wasn’t bad enough to do something about it. In college, misdiagnosed ADHD came with prescriptions for Adderall, which only further disconnected e from being in my body and feeling what was really happening from within me. I laugh that my longest relationship was with Adderall, which lasted a decade. A decade of anything takes a while to unlearn and my way back to sitting with my feelings, perhaps for even the first time, was difficult. During this time I got my Masters in Speech Pathology, gained a job and was working successfully in the field. My father has also been on his own breathwork journey, yet he came from it from dental sleep medicine, searching to improve airways for improved sleep. As a dentist and lifelong learner as well, he had told me about myofunctional therapy. As I began to entertain this pursuit, learning more about this field, I came into a place where I could better analyze my own breathing patterns. I always breathed though my mouth. Had very poor nasal breathing, yet had no clue what “poor” or “good” nasal breathing was at the time. Lots of upper chest breathing. That was my normal, yet not functional in the least.
I got my Certification in Orofacial Myology (COM®), no small feat! I also repaired my nasal airway though correcting my deviated septum, removing my tonsils and reducing my turbinates. I later released my tongue, upper lip and buccal (cheek) ties released, all of which created a small airway as a result. I was slowly helping my body heal by fixing the structures needed to functional breathing. Yet I still had old behavioral breathing patterns. Enter functional breathwork.
Over the beginning of the pandemic, I began my yoga teacher training, not knowing what it would lead to but just knowing I needed to do this. I learned how pairing breath with movement to create intentional fluid motion was the underpinnings of yoga - the key here being the breath! I completed YTT and continued working in myofunctional and speech therapy, yet extra aware of the breath. I gained more knowledge and training on how to become a yoga breathing coach and more of the science from Patrick McCuen’s Oxygen Advantage Functional Breathing Certification. The breathing patterns were speaking louder to me as I realized we cannot keep putting bandaids on dysfunction and expecting success. The key lies in addressing the underlying behavioral issues, creating healthy function of the nose, the mouth and the diaphragm paired with intentional thought, breath and body movements. And here we are today, utilizing Functional Breathwork for myself, for others, for anyone struggling to take a full breath to live a full life. I’ve been blown away in the changes in my life and those I work with when we truly begin to breathe well.
Since I’ve started taking more conscious breaths and integrating breathwork into my life, I’ve come to know the following to be true — every breath is a reset; the breaths we take reflect the life we live; the tools I need to feel safe in my own skin are already within me; and I control my breath, my breath does not control me.
Breathe. Look inward. And listen. Your body knows when you’re on the right path. We just have to get still enough to hear it speak our truth.
Welcome home — home to your breath; home to a better understanding your body; home within yourself.
One of the biggest reasons I love breathwork is that while we cannot control anything outside of us, we are able to intentionally change our conscious breathing patterns inside of us. And I truly believe that the way you breathe reflects the way you live.
The body thrives off patterns and consistency - yet have you ever thought about which patterns you’re using? Are they helping or hurting your mental, physical, emotional health? One impactful step we can take towards creating and using neural pathways and patterns that help us is through intentional breath, which is the basis of breathwork. The more we breath deeply, intentionally, functionally we actually start to show our body a new path is can take to complete this task rather than one that leaves of short of breath and in an ongoing sympathetic state. Deeper, slower, longer breaths lead us to a more restorative physical-emotional state that we can help perpetuate through consistency and practice.
I’m not asking or even suggesting you can change your life or breath overnight. This is an ongoing practice that helps support you on your journey towards a more meaningful, purposeful, intentional life. When we breathe well, we can truly be well. So breathe, look inward and listen - are you ready to come home to yourself? If so, you’ve come the right place.
Welcome home.