Short Stuff: Getting Winded

As we try to lead healthier lives, one thing we rarely consider is being mindful of how we breathe. Science journalist James Nestor argues that while the power of the breath is central to many Eastern traditions, it’s been largely ignored in the Western world. Modern medicine treats chronic congestion, sinus infections, and lung disease but puts little emphasis on teaching people how to breathe correctly. However, Nestor asserts that by learning how to breathe well, we’ll improve our well-being, balance our emotions, and find more energy to live the lives we want.

This guide will explain what Nestor says about how we’re breathing wrong, how we can do it better, and what amazing impact the power of breath can have over the body. We’ll also explore the underlying science of breath, hear what medical research says about Nestor’s claims, and delve into specific breathing techniques that the author recommends.

Do your genes control you, or do you control them? In The Biology of Belief, developmental biologist Bruce Lipton challenges the notion that genes determine our destiny and argues that we have more control over our health and genetic expression than we think.

Lipton is known for his groundbreaking stem cell research at Stanford Medical School and his work in the field of epigenetics. In this book, he presents evidence from his research on cellular life to support the idea that our reality is created by how we interpret and react to our environment. This means that our thoughts have a more powerful influence on us than we tend to recognize.

In this guide, we’ll explain how Lipton arrived at his insights through his knowledge about the functions of cells. We’ll compare Lipton’s ideas to other research that examines the mind-body connection, and we’ll explore resources that could help mitigate the faulty subconscious programs that influence our lives.

Trauma can stem from abuse to a severe car accident to wartime combat—and cause a lifetime of flashbacks, nightmares, isolation, insomnia, hypervigilance, and rage. In The Body Keeps the Score, the author explores how diagnosing and treating trauma has evolved as new technologies, research, and fields of science emerged.

Trauma’s impact is not only mental, emotional, and neurological, but also physiological: Trauma rewires the brain to put people in a constant state of stress or numbness, leading to a host of physical problems.

In this summary, you’ll learn:

• Why trauma survivors feel like their trauma is never-ending
• How flashbacks make parts of the brain shut down and others to go into overdrive
• Why some trauma survivors can’t recognize themselves in the mirror
• How activities like choral singing, yoga, and theater can be therapeutic

Do you struggle with overcoming negative patterns of thought and emotion? In Becoming Supernatural, Joe Dispenza explains how you can break free from these destructive thought-feeling patterns by using meditation and visualization to create a new reality and manifest your dreams. He calls this “becoming supernatural” because using the power of your thoughts alone to transform your physical reality will appear to the average person as beyond human.

Joe Dispenza is a chiropractor, author, and self-help speaker with research interests in epigenetics, quantum physics, and neuroscience. Dispenza draws on this eclectic knowledge base to outline a powerful plan for personal transformation.

In this guide, we’ll explain Dispenza’s premise that our experiences are determined by deeply-embedded patterns of thought and emotion that can trap us in vicious cycles of negativity. As we explain Dispenza’s methods for overcoming these patterns, we’ll discuss related scientific research and explore the relationship between his ideas and certain Hindu and Buddhist concepts.

Imagine there was a miracle cure that could help you feel less stressed, lose weight, sleep better, run farther without losing your breath, and live longer. According to breathing coach Patrick McKeown, not only does this cure exist, but it’s also free to anyone with a set of lungs—it’s practicing proper breathing. He says modern living conditions cause the average person to breathe too much, but by training yourself to breathe less, you can greatly improve your physical fitness and overall health.

In this guide, we’ll explain why excessive breathing results in less oxygen getting to your body, and you’ll learn specific exercises for training yourself to breathe less. We’ll supplement McKeown’s advice with other tips that may help you get more out of his Oxygen Advantage program. Additionally, we’ll compare McKeown’s breathing techniques to other popular breathing exercises from experts like Wim Hof and Andrew Huberman.

As we try to lead healthier lives, one thing we rarely consider is being mindful of how we breathe. Science journalist James Nestor argues that while the power of the breath is central to many Eastern traditions, it’s been largely ignored in the Western world. Modern medicine treats chronic congestion, sinus infections, and lung disease but puts little emphasis on teaching people how to breathe correctly. However, Nestor asserts that by learning how to breathe well, we’ll improve our well-being, balance our emotions, and find more energy to live the lives we want.

This guide will explain what Nestor says about how we’re breathing wrong, how we can do it better, and what amazing impact the power of breath can have over the body. We’ll also explore the underlying science of breath, hear what medical research says about Nestor’s claims, and delve into specific breathing techniques that the author recommends.