In short, breathing properly can transform your life. As the keystone function to regulating our nervous system, heart rate, brain, and therefore a cascade of metabolic processes that influence our health on a daily basis. There are countless ancient modalities across cultures where artful breath work has stood the test of time, as well as scientifically studied techniques that now prove direct beneficial causation in practiced techniques. We don’t aim to provide all of them in this toolkit, but only to drill down into the principles of breathing and offer the techniques that have stood the test of time and the lab. Fewer most effective tools tends to do the trick as well.

Drawing energy from the air is a complex process but the simplest and most powerful tool at our disposal. It’s a basic skill that is at the root of our health and longevity. It takes little time and effort, you can practice anywhere, and it’s free. Breath rate is going to be a key health indicator in the future; something hopefully integrated into our daily working lives, measured at each doctor visit, and integrated into all fitness programs. To dig deeper into the “science of this lost art,” read James Nestor’s excellent book Breath for the detailed rationale. 

In a nutshell: breath quality is a key input for our well-being — as important as what we eat and how we exercise. Breathing better influences everything in your system and is the key to maintaining homeostasis. Respiratory drive is what alerts our nervous systems to be aroused or relaxed; and we have the power to alter those signals irrespective of our circumstances. It’s always useful to look under the hood of a car to understand all the mechanisms and relationships that drive the vehicle, but most people can end up getting by knowing about the wheel, accelerator, brakes and gears. This toolkit will look at 5 different principles (and accompanying popular techniques) that can get you on the road to breathing better.