Dear Jim,
“Breathe how you want to feel.”
This sounds like a very simple, straight-forward idea.
Maybe you’re anxious and you want to feel more relaxed? Well, there is a breathing technique that helps you transition from being stressed to feeling calm.
Perhaps you’ve got brain fog and you want to feel more alert in order to learn something new? There’s a technique for that, too.
Maybe you’re restless but you desperately want to go to sleep. There are specific breathing exercises that gently sedate you.
Perhaps you’re exhausted but you still want to have a vigorous workout. You can leverage the breath to upgrade your energy level.
On the show today, I welcome Matteo Pistono. Matteo is a writer, meditation teacher, and conscious breathing guide. His book, Breathe How You Want to Feel offers a how-to manual for using your breath to hack your nervous system.
We inhale and exhale approximately 25,000 times per day. This essential activity is almost always happening below the crust of consciousness. In our conversation, Matteo unpacks what happens when we make this unconscious activity, conscious. He outlines the specific breathing techniques that induce specific subjective states of being.
Through consciously using different breathing patterns, force, and holds, we can optimize our ability to learn, exercise, sleep, and emotionally regulate.
Matteo and I discuss:

Breath awareness building

Understanding the dials of your nervous system,

The importance of nasal breathing,

How breath holds (even when very short) are a superpower, and

How to integrate optimal breathing throughout your everyday life, especially when you're sleeping
This was a fantastic conversation full of actionable information that you can immediately leverage for optimal health. Enjoy.
In love, include me,
Jeff