productive breathing

I’m a big believer in getting the basics rights.

Unfortunately, most people skip the basics (because its boring), and go straight for the advanced stuff.

When results lack, they try to compensate by looking for new techniques or systems.

In the world of self-improvement there’s no shortage of fancy techniques and systems you can try. But most people overlook one major productivity optimisation:

Your body and mind.

There are many ways to improve in this area, but today I want to focus on the most basics thing possible.

Your breath.

Getting the Basics Wrong

During my early days in self-development and entrepreneurship I was obsessed with optimising my productivity systems.

I would read articles and watch videos on what systems were the best. I would then study biohacking to optimise my body.

I would try various supplements to optimise my performance.

But I ignored the basics, like having a good diet and getting proper sleep.

As a result my performance suffered severely.

I realised that no amount of supplementation or fancy bio hacks could make up for me getting the basics wrong.

This eventually led me to crash.

I had to take a break from what I was doing and re-think my strategy.

When I got back on my feet I focused more on the basics.

I got into the gym. I started to eat healthy (chicken and broccoli, yum!). I prioritised sleep.

The results were shocking. My performance in terms of productivity skyrocketed.

I had way more energy to complete my tasks. But also more mental clarity which led to better thinking and execution of tasks.

However, it would take me another 5 years until I realised I was messing up one major aspect of the basics.

In fact, its was so basic I didn’t even consider it.

Level Up

Breathing is something we do everyday without giving it much thought.

However, through experimentation and studying breathing I have come to realise that manipulation of the breath can yield some amazing results.

And the most shocking part is that most of us breath “incorrectly”. Just by tweaking your breath you can drastically increase energy levels and mental clarity.

Best of all, it’s free to do. It doesn’t require anything. And you can do it anytime you want.

So how do you improve your breathing?

Let’s start with the most basic aspect of breathing.

And that is: you need to breath through your nose, and NOT your mouth.

You should only breath through your mouth for very specific reasons, otherwise nose only.

Your nose act as a filtration system and prevent dust and microorganisms to enter your lungs.

Go Deep

Stop what you are doing for a second. Notice your breath.

Do you notice how shallow your breathing is?

Notice how you are not using the full capacity of your lungs.

Now start taking a few deep breaths and notice how you feel.

Fill your lower lungs, middle, and the upper part of your lungs. All the way up to your lower throat area.

If you do this you will feel a big difference in your overall wellbeing. You will feel more alert and more energised.

That’s simply because you a flooding your circulatory system with more oxygen.

I would recommend that you to start associating work period with deep breathing to start with.

So whenever you sit down to do deep work, mind your breathing and take deep breaths.

This will feel unnatural at first. But with time it will come naturally to you.

This is a good place to start. But ideally you should mind your breath all the time.

Heal and Excel Through Breathing

Breathing techniques can be used for many things and the rabbit hole goes deep.

For now I just want to leave you with a couple of breathing techniques that have had a profound effect on my overall health, and as a consequence my performance.

The first breathing technique is one I do daily, and that is the Wim Hof method. I can’t imagine starting my day without doing some Wim Hof breathing.

It instantly energises me and gets me going first thing in the morning.

It has also been shown to lower inflammation in the body which is the root cause of a lot of illnesses.

You can find the instructions for doing it here:

Another breathing technique that has had a profound effects on my health is Reichian breathing.

I mention this technique here as it has helped my body self-heal and as a result operate more effectively.

This is a powerful technique that I recommend that you do no more than once a week.

You can learn how to perform the Reichian breathing here:

A New You

If you start being more mindful of your breathing I can guarantee that your energy levels and mental clarity will drastically improve quickly.

But you need to take this seriously. Otherwise you will not see the results.

You need to make this a new habits for it to work.

But once you have gotten a taste of having a fully oxygenated body, there is no going back.

Give it a try and let me know how you get on.

Until next time,

Nic