I want to share a little more about nasal breathing and health
Did you know it helps with posture and muscle function?
👃, spinal curves, jaw muscle tension
pharynx and larynx!
And also;
Ear health
👃 media
👃 tube dysfunction
Lung Health
👃 uptake
👃 infections
👃, lung disease
Nasal Health
👃mucus clearance
👃nasal microbiome
👃sinusitis
👃nasal allergy
Oral Heath
👃microbiome
👃gum health
👃tooth decay
Oral Motor Issues
👃abnormal tongue position and function
Throat health
👃dryness
👃infection
Sleep
👃 stable breathing and airway during sleep
👃 snoring and sleep apnea
Breathing
👃 Less hyperventiation, breathlessness and dysfunctional breathing
Growth of face, teeth and jaws
👃 face and palate
👃Straight teeth
👃Balance jaws
Maybe your priorities in life is not on nasal breathing and that’s ok.
For me in the year of 2016 climbing a mountain in December with minimal clothing at minus 17 degrees and 60kph chill factor (all I know it was very cold that my hair and eye lashes froze)
Was indeed a light bulb moment for me when I digested what happened because at the time I was in the moment and my thoughts quietened and my body took over
Until that day I never gave any credit to my body in a functional way. My neocortex ruled my life
My nose and nasal breathing was the only thing that got me up that mountain, since then it was my secret weapon that got me to run a marathon and ultramarathon because in 2017 people perception couldn’t grasp it
Why is it a secret? Why don’t more people know about amazing noses and nasal breathing?
In society, it has been forgotten or too busy to give it any value. I see many people are advocating their power over to societal norms today
Health is the new wealth - understand you have a beautiful intelligent body that is there for you! Science and research has not caught up yet.
Meanwhile I leave you full circle and bring you back into your neocortex;
Who/what funds the scientific studies?
When has science ever treated the root cause and not just the symptom?
From Nose to Nasal Breathing
Did you know nasal breathing is the ideal way to breathe most of the time?
👃The nose has many functions and affects many body systems in ways that support health.
For instance:
Athletic Performance
👃endurance and stamina
👃anerobic threshold
Brain and Nervous System
👃calm and clarity
👃brain function
Now at the time I didn’t know this information when I did my marathon and ultramarathon I didn’t train the conventional way, no running training.
My inspiration was Wim Hof, Wim says “feeling is understanding”
After my big relationship breakup, a year earlier (my ex wore the garmin watch, the heart rate chest monitor, had running music iPod, used the withings slept analyser, had the smart body scales, BP monitor and SAD light) I was more inclined to following feeling is understanding
The Wim Hof Method has 3 pillars, one pillar, the cold exposure. This for me was all about feeling is understanding, as I had a relationship with the cold I had a better relationship with self
That’s when I knew I was marathon ready!
Why am I saying this now?
At the time I thought I started from minus the start line, I was a paradoxical breather and hated the cold.
I unpacked one thing at a time and became aware my body wants to heal and i am there to assist it.
You do realise I didn’t run a marathon or ultra marathon to prove to you the WHM is an endurance tool?
Because back then I didn’t even know I wanted to be an instructor. I ran to heal my soul as I saw this as hours of Breathwork that’s it!
My journey has been from disconnect, confusion and control to mind, body soul and faith.
The WHM and Breathwork a powerful healing message. I learnt and still learning from source.
Go back to your why and let spirit (will power) lead the way..
Back to Amazing Noses
Back to amazing noses!
I mentioned only today our noses are awesome organs that have over 30 different functions!
👃Did you know the nose is a filter?
The nose can filter small and large particles including dust, mould, pollen and even environmental pollutants like smoke and some chemicals and prevents them from entering the lungs and the whole body
👃Did you know the nose is an air-conditioner?
It warms and moistening the air we breathe preventing dehydration in the body and reduces inflammation in the lungs.
👃Do you know the nose is the first line of immune defence?
It helps immune defence against bacteria and viruses, helping to control all types of infection of the respiratory tract.
I know the Wim Hof Method really helps with immune protection but when I’m not doing the Wim Hof Method, I’m breathing through my nose as I try to do what I can to face everyday exposures with resilience
My Amazing Nose
On the aesthetics side, apparently it’s a big one…
On the ancestral side, I have no idea, maybe from Portuguese descent?
From a functioning side, it works! (However not so good when near some cats!)
I had a ‘ahhh-ah’ moment when I learnt some of the functions of the nose - so I put my nose to the test and ran a marathon and ultra marathon without any conventional running training (Funny that I didn’t learn this stuff at private school).
👃Do you know the nose regulates our whole breathing system?
- Good breathing begins at the nose. When you breathe nasally you will have a better breathing pattern, with slower more diaphragmatic breathing and less tendency to hyperventilation.
👃Do you know the nose helps us to get more oxygen?
Increases oxygen uptake because the increased nitric oxide we get from nasal breathing helps to open up blood vessels in the lungs.
Why this now?
My earth suit it’s working for me…
…and how wonderful is that!
PODCAST: The Revital Health Podcast
PODCAST: Transforming Matters
PODCAST: In Full Swing
Becoming Superhuman|The Icewoman| Wim Hof Method
PODCAST: Journey To Authenticity
PODCAST: Personal Development Mastery
#018 Emma Estrela, part 1: on Wim Hof method, cold exposure & immunity, and the freedom of going 'off-grid'.
019 Emma Estrela, part 2: on Wim Hof method, breathing, and a breathwork practice for the podcast listeners.
March 2017: Life is worth living really well
Back in Cumbria, I continued my connection within nature. I felt different with more inner strength, connection and self-belief than I have ever had before; becoming comfortable in my own skin and trusting my gut feelings. The year before,
I had read some books on ultra-running and somehow the seed was planted that I could do this too.
I entered the Windermere Marathon and Lakeland Trails 55Km.
My excitement was less about placement; it was more about self-potential.
My physical advantage was that I had cycled often around the ‘honey pot’ of the Lakes District so I was not a couch potato to ultra.
The only problem was that I didn’t really enjoy running and the furthest I had run was approximately 9 miles, six months earlier.
If I am honest, I was secretly happy to have it confirmed that there was very little time to train the ‘conventional way’ for an endurance run. Upon this news, I decided to be different and train a very different way.
My training
I made my training about aligning myself with nature’s rhythms.
It was about investing in myself, stepping outside the conditioned mind, cultivating self-understanding and honing a positive mind-set.
Part of my investigation was to pioneer new ways of feeling relaxed and feeling abundantly connected to my body and to nature, in a way that could actually be simpler than what we have been taught in the past. As ground-breaking as all these technological innovations in tracking apps and GPS watches may be, I found it more powerful to have a more simple and primitive approach.
I knew that after my experiences in Poland and on the Camino that if you really wanted to soar, look within. Deep within. I knew I could do this.
Wim Hof Method Explained
The WHM can influence your immune and autonomic nerve systems by breath work. This method involves training and gradual cold exposure.
By bringing this all together this method, once learned, allows you to overcome extreme conditions and supercharge your immune system.
The basic method involves alternating between deep breathing and breathe holding. A simple and yet powerful practice.
With focus and commitment, you can learn to control your immune system and autonomic nervous system to improve your circulation, boost energy levels, improve concentration and focus, sleep better, put yourself in a more positive mood and take your performance to a higher level.
Get high on your own supply
Wim Hof Method - further reading
Wim Hof Method instructor profile - my profile
El Camino - Wearing shorts in Winter
January 2017: The Camino – the prelude of my self-actualisation
Walking the Camino and being outdoors, communing with nature on a daily basis allowed change to occur within me. When I realised there was something missing, I became more curious to finding out what it was.
Every day of my pilgrimage, I realised that the nature I was seeing on my route was becoming more inspiring and was teaching me to break down my thought loops and to ‘let go’ of what was no longer important to me. My mantra for the Camino was to live each day:
“Today is today and tomorrow is tomorrow”.
Each day, I adapted the Wim Hof Method to my Camino. My cold exposures were either cold plunges in rivers, cold showers or walking in shorts.
I adapted my ‘WHM breathing technique’ for the Camino and tuned my body and soul (as I did on the mountain in Poland), harvesting my inner strength.
So much so, I knew the weight of my rucksack so well I could tell I if was down to my last chocolate bar of 150g.
True method of knowledge is through experiment, don’t you agree?
The Day I changed my mind
December 2016: Mount Snezka – the day I changed my mind
The Poland WHM travel experience ended with a mountain climb to the summit Mount Snezka, wearing only shorts and a sports top. We did not make it to the summit that day due to terrible weather. Wim Hof often quotes “nature is merciless” and although that day I could not control the weather, especially the freezing cold winds, my walking meditation allowed me to truly surrender as I naturally, and consciously, reconnected with my physiology to endure the harsh weather. I focused on the one thing I could control: my breathing, and surrendered to everything else.
Together, my mind, body and breath were focused in each step I took. It’s a powerful state to be in when your whole body is acting as a single unit. The union gave rise to a different sensation (maybe it was the power of my mitochondria); every cell felt alive, combined with a quiet mind and a body that could cope; finally a truly peaceful moment. It was a coordinated homeostasis.
I became empowered and it was the start of my new chapter.
