I remember a visit to the Doctor in my teenage years. He looked barely out of medical school, and when he told me that the pains in my chest were because I was not breathing the right way I managed to raise an eyebrow and say “Thank you.” The next Doctor I saw about the same complaint gave me medication for acid reflux and I was left feeling the previous Doctor must have got his degree from a cereal box promotion. Now I wonder if that Doctor was on to something?

Breathing is something I feel like I must be pretty good at by now. I’m alive, so I must be doing it right? Well, as with everything, it is a bit more complex than that.

Breathing exercises are something a lot of people choose to do prior to coaching to relax, focus, or mentally prepare. In recent times awareness of the impact of breathing has gained traction in the popular media from Ted Talks on YouTube to books like ‘Breath’ (2020) by James Nestor (and shortlisted by The Royal Society for their Science Book Prize in 2021).

My own recent journey has involved taking some of Nestor’s (2020) ideas, particularly his recommendations for nose breathing while exercising, and chewing to develop my jaw. I have stayed away from some practices Nestor tried such as taping my mouth shut at night and a recent article on the RNZ website interviewing a sleep physiologist strongly advised against the practice as it can be dangerous (Bhatt, 2024). The wise decision being to discuss anything you are going to try to change physiologically with your Doctor first, he was able to discuss how some products such as the tape that goes across the bridge of your nose may be more effective for sleeping and exercising.

I’m finding yoga breathing exercises in the morning are working well as a preparation for the day. I do ask myself if I am getting a benefit because I have read that I will get a benefit, but the time it takes is worth the feeling I am getting so it will stay part of my day for this year at least. Everybody is different though so you may want to discuss with your Doctor what will work for you. For me, I will re-evaluate the practice and costs/benefits at the end of 2025.

REFERENCES

Bhatt, J. (2024, September 19). Can mouth-taping lead to a better night’s sleep? RNZ. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/528424/can-mouth-taping-lead-to-a-better-night-s-sleep

Nestor, J. (2020). Breath. Riverhead Books.