03 Sep The brain-breath loop: change your breath, change your brain.

It’s funny how often people are skeptical about breathwork. Then as soon as I tell them a few facts about how breathing actually works, their whole attitude changes. They’re surprised. Intrigued. Because even though we breathe all day, every day, most of us know shockingly little about it. Here’s one of my favorite “well… did you know…” When we think of breathing, we typically think of the lungs. And while the lungs are a critical organ, they’re just the site where the gas exchange happens. Oxygen in, carbon dioxide out. But… they’re not what drives your breath. The real engine of your breath is in your brain. Deep in the brainstem, there’s a tiny cluster of neurons called the preBötzinger complex. It’s this group of neurons that generates the rhythm of your breath automatically, moment by moment. Here’s why this is so cool: The brain-breath loop is bi-directional. Your brain influences your breath. Your breath influences your brain. Meaning: Change your breathing pattern, and you change your brain activity. One of the most powerful ways to do that? Slow, nasal breathing. A few things happen when you breathe slowly, in and out through the nose: For one, you’re dialling up your prefrontal cortex. That’s the part of your brain that helps you focus, regulate emotions, and...