Take a Breath. But How?

Every word we speak starts with a breath. We breath in, and as we breath out we tighten our vocal cords to produce vibrations that are sent through the air and then heard as sound. Go ahead, try it. Breath in and out and speak and listen. 

But what if we’ve been breathing the wrong way for most of our lives? According to James Nestor in his book Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, this is exactly what humans have been doing for the last few hundred years. We’ve become mouth breathers when evolution has designed us to breathe through our noses.

And this has had dire consequences for our physical and mental well-being, not to mention our voices. High rates of anxiety, raised blood-pressure, and sleep apnea can all be traced back to how we breathe. It can affect our posture and the shape of our face. Poor breathing has even delayed many people’s recovery from COVID-19. 

How do we fix this? Easy. Start breathing through your nose. Your nasal cavity is larger than you think and is filled with hairs that filter out harmful particles. Nose breathing has huge benefits including boosting your immune system and even eliminating bad breath. 

So as you sit at your desk or in front of the TV give it a try. Breathe in. Then out. But through your nose. And see what happens.