As we remember Robert Redfern, on what would have been his 77th birthday this week, we wanted to focus on the exercise that was part of the foundation in all of his plans – healthy breathing.
We were pleased to read this week that the mainstream media are acknowledging how ‘slow deep breathing is like giving yourself a mini tranquiliser’ and how recent studies support this too.
This highlights how Robert, the founder of Naturally Healthy News, was truly one step ahead – as he always advocated for breathing correctly for good health and even recommended breathing exercises in his health plans.
Click here to see Part 1 of the Breathing demonstration
Click here to see Part 2 of the Breathing demonstration
We would like to thank you for continuing to read and interact with the Redfern newsletter each week. Natural health was Robert’s passion, and we are happy to continue sharing his advice with readers worldwide.
Are You Breathing Correctly?
Breathing is a simple activity that each one of us performs daily to stay alive. We do it automatically, without thinking about it. The trouble is that many of us are shallow breathing from the chest, which leads to feeling stressed and, eventually, diminished health.
Much is already known about focusing on the breath in mindfulness practices and yogic exercises, especially just practising a few minutes each day with slow, deep breathing exercises.
Slow Breathing’s Health Benefits
Science is now demonstrating that slow and controlled breathing can transform your health in various ways – including stress relief, improving your mood, and even helping you to sleep better.
By affecting special sensors in the brain that detect carbon dioxide levels in the blood, slow breathing exercises can help inhibit the release of a chemical messenger called noradrenaline, which can make us feel stressed and anxious.
While slow breathing can reduce noradrenaline levels, it also triggers the parasympathetic autonomic nervous system, which controls how the body works during rest. This can encourage your heart to slow down and your blood pressure to drop.
When done correctly, deep breathing exercises have even been shown to reduce the impact of chronic pain.
The Best Way To Breathe
Thanks to motivational speakers such as Wim Hof, many more people are experiencing the health benefits of practising specialised breathing techniques.
One of the most straightforward breathing techniques you can follow is to inhale deeply for a count of four, hold for two, and then exhale for a count of four. This is known as 4:2:4 and is often taught to military and emergency service personnel to reduce stress.
Robert Redfern, the founder of Naturally Healthy News, always recommended practising relaxed breathing from the diaphragm. This helps to clear out carbon dioxide and cortisol, promoting relaxation while allowing more oxygen to be transported throughout the body.
Practising diaphragmatic breathing encourages full oxygen exchange in the body. This breathing can slow the heartbeat and lower or stabilise blood pressure.
In his book, Helping Lung Health, By The Book, Robert suggested practising low-stress breathing by:
- Laying flat on your back on the floor, on a mat, blanket or a firm bed.
- You may want to place a small, weighted object on your belly button, like a heavy book.
- Take a deep breath through your nose so the book rises as your stomach or diaphragm fills with air.
- Hold this deep breath for a count of four and then release through your nose so your stomach deflates.
- Use this process to release tension as you exhale and repeat.
- In the exercise, your chest should not move to indicate relaxed, stress-free breathing.
Alongside deep breathing exercises, we also recommend following a healthy diet and lifestyle for the best results. In our recent blog post, you can read more of our lung health tips.
Recommended Reading
Helping Lung Health, By The Book
Find out how to improve your lung health naturally using the nutrition and lifestyle recommendations laid out in this book by Robert Redfern. Available from Naturally Healthy News and Good Health Naturally.
In particular, as suggested in the health book, the following nutrients
can support good lung health…
Nutrients To Support Deep Breathing,
as Recommended By our Sponsor,
Good Health Naturally
OxySorb™
A powerful sublingual liquid enzyme extracted from Norwegian seaweed may increase the body’s ability to absorb more oxygen. Recommended for best lung health. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans. 60ml/2 fl. oz.
Serranol®
A combination of four essential nutrients, including 160,000IU Serrapeptase per serving, 250mg Curcuminx4000, 50mg Ecklonia Cava Extract and 1000IU Vitamin D3. Recommended for natural anti-inflammatory support, which may benefit lung health. Suitable for vegetarians. 90 capsules.
Ancient Magnesium Oil Ultra, 100ml
Travel-sized Ancient Magnesium oil with OptiMSM, the world’s purest MSM, for maximum cellular absorption benefits. When applied to the chest, it may help to clear the lungs and support easy breathing. Suitable for Vegetarians and Vegans. 100ml.
