Breathe Less This Spring
The Nose Is Your First Line of Defense
Your nose is not just for breathing—it’s part of your immune system.
It filters the air.
It regulates airflow.
It protects your lungs from irritants.
When you breathe through your mouth, you bypass that protection.
More air enters.
More pollen enters.
More stress is placed on the system.
Nasal breathing slows things down and reduces the overall load on your body.
Spring, is amazing, maybe my favorite time of year, it brings a lot of good with it.
More light.
More color.
More time outside.
But it also brings something many people struggle with:
Allergies.
Congestion, irritation, and inflammation can make this season feel like something to get through rather than enjoy.
But there’s a simple place to start that often gets overlooked:
Your breath.
The Nose Is Your First Line of Defense
Your nose is not just for breathing—it’s part of your immune system, in fact, it is where the immune system starts.
It filters, conditions, cleanses, and prepares the air.
It releases Nitric Oxide to combat bacteria, viruses, mold, allergens.
It protects your lungs from irritants.
When you breathe through your mouth, you bypass that protection.
More air enters.
More pollen & pollutants enter.
More stress is placed on the system.
Nasal breathing slows things down and reduces the overall load on your body.
Less Breath, Better Function
One of the most helpful shifts you can make is this:
Breathe less.
Not by holding your breath aggressively…
but by reducing the volume of air you move.
When you breathe less:
You bring in fewer irritants
You improve carbon dioxide balance
You support better oxygen delivery
You reduce unnecessary stress on the system
It’s a subtle change—but a powerful one.
A Simple Practice: Short Breath holds.
Try this:
Sit comfortably and begin to gently sway or rock side to side.
Keep your breathing soft and quiet.
Every few breaths:
Exhale naturally
Pause briefly at the end of the exhale
Let the inhale return on its own
Stay relaxed.
Never force the pause.
Practice for a few minutes at a time.
This can help:
Open the sinuses
Reduce congestion
Improve tolerance to carbon dioxide
Bring the nervous system into a more regulated state
Supporting the System
You can also support your breathing and your body with a few simple habits:
Prioritize nasal breathing throughout the day
Wear a mask outdoors if pollen is high
Use a neti pot to clear the nasal passages
Try local raw honey as part of your routine
These aren’t complicated solutions—but they are consistent ones.
The Bigger Picture
Breathing is not just about getting air in and out.
It’s about how your body interacts with its environment.
When your breathing becomes more efficient, more subtle, and more intentional…
your system becomes more resilient.
Final Thought
The goal is not to breathe more.
It’s to breathe better.
And often, that starts with doing less.
Less air.
Less effort.
More awareness.
Breathe Less, Feel More
Instead of trying to control your breath…
Let your breath guide your body.
Let the ribs expand.
Let the body respond.
This creates change at a subtle level—what we might call the soma.
And subtle changes, practiced consistently, create meaningful results.
At first glance breathing seems so simple.
You Inhale.
You Exhale.
You Repeat.
But there is far more going and every breath we take can influencing our health either negatively or positively.
Breathing is subtle and very hard to really notice, but the way you breathe has a direct influence on how you feel, how you move, and how your body & mind function. Even a subtle change can create a massive shift.
The challenging part for many people is putting away any idea that we know how to breathe, you must unlearn what you know and approach with a beginners mind. Curiosity, awareness, perception, these are necessary skills that are further cultivated by practicing breathing,
Breath Is More Than Air
Breathing is not just about supplying the body with oxygen.
It’s an entire system that influences:
Your physical body (structure and movement)
Your Energy (life force ~prana)
Your chemistry (oxygen and carbon dioxide balance balance Ph)
Your nervous system (stress and regulation)
Your Mind (focus and clarity)
Every breath reflects your current state.
And over time, the way you breathe can either support your system—or slowly work against it.
The Problem: Too Much Breathing
Most people don’t realize they are over-breathing. This is so hard to witness and change, but it starts with that, witnessing the pattern and knowing that it can be improved… indefinitely.
It is so easy to over breathe, it happens all day as many of our 20-30 thousand breaths re unconscious and part of an unconditioned habit. In fact, over breathing can be as simple as a yawn or any mouth breath.
It doesn’t necessarily mean faster or heavy breathing (which is absolutely overbreathing), it just means that we are taking more in than our metabolic demands, essentially— more volume than needed.
This can lead to:
Increased tension & pain
Reduced efficiency
Nervous system imbalance
Increased inflammation
More air is not always better.
In many cases, it’s the opposite.
The Goal: Less, But Better
Breath reeducation isn’t about forcing technique. I must strain this: You cannot force a change! Consistency, patience, persistence and positivity are the foundation which rests upon the bedrock of curiosity and awareness.
It’s about slowly refining the system.
Two key things begin to change (that are not nose breathing and diaphragmatic breathing):
Your breathing becomes slower: the ideal rate is 6 breaths per minute
Your breathing becomes quieter: ideally no sound or very minimal
Less effort.
Less excess.
More efficiency.
A Simple Way to Begin
One way to explore this is by slowing your breath down.
Try:
Inhale for about 5–6 seconds
Exhale for about 5–6 seconds
Keep it soft.
Keep it quiet.
Let the breath feel smooth, like a wave, gently transitioning between inhale and exhale and exhale into inhale.
Nothing forced, just rolling like a wave, smooth in and out, you’re letting go, and surrendering any bracing.
Bringing Awareness to the Breath
You can also introduce a light ujjayi breath—a gentle narrowing in the throat. It creates a light sound within and is usually practiced during the exhale, but can be done on the inhale as well.
This can:
Slow the breath naturally
Reduce excess air
Improve awareness
Help the diaphragm engage more effectively
Used lightly, it becomes a tool for sensing—not controlling.
Important tip with this practice: make your ujjayi breath subtle and quiet. No one around you should hear you, the sound is internal. It is also called “ocean’s breath” since the sound is like the smooth waves of the ocean on the beach. Imagine that while practicing your breathing and you will feel everything slowing down~ body, breath and mind.
Let the Body Follow
Instead of trying to control your breath, which, again, is very hard to do when your awareness is on your breathing, surrender to the breath…
Let your breath guide your body.
Let the ribs expand.
Let the body respond.
Allow the breath.
This creates change at a subtle level—what we call in yoga the pranamaya kosha.
And subtle changes, practiced consistently, create meaningful + lasting results.
Final Thought
Better breathing isn’t about doing more.
It’s about doing less—more intentionally.
Breathe less.
Feel more.
And always…
Stay consistent, patient, persistent and positive.
Breath Basics: Why Less is More.
Breathing is something we do all day…
But rarely something we pay attention to.
Most people think better breathing means taking deeper breaths.
In reality, it often means the opposite.
Less breath.
Slower breath.
Quieter breath.
Your breathing is influenced by your body, your stress, and your habits—and over time, it can either support your health or slowly work against it.
Breath Is Movement
Breath is not just something you do—it’s something that moves you.
Every motion in your body is influenced by your breathing. Your ribs expand, your spine responds, your tissues subtly shift with every inhale and exhale. Breath is the body’s internal rhythm.
When breathing is restricted, movement becomes restricted.
When breathing is smooth, movement becomes fluid.
If you want to move better, it starts with how you breathe.
Breathing Is More Complex Than It Seems
At first glance, breathing looks simple: inhale, exhale, repeat.
But underneath that simplicity is a complex system influenced by:
Biochemistry (CO₂ tolerance, oxygen delivery)
Biomechanics (ribs, diaphragm, posture)
Psychosocial factors (stress, habits, environment)
Every breath reflects your internal state.
And over time, poor breathing patterns can reinforce tension, stress, and inefficiency in the body.
The Problem: Too Much Breath
One of the most common issues is over-breathing.
Not necessarily faster—but more volume than the body actually needs.
This can lead to:
Increased tension
Reduced efficiency
Dysregulated nervous system
The solution is not to take deeper breaths.
The solution is to take more appropriate breaths.
The Goal: Reduce Rate and Volume
Breath reeducation isn’t about forcing technique.
It’s about refining the system.
Two key variables:
Respiration rate (how fast you breathe)
Respiratory volume (how much air you move)
When both begin to decrease—naturally and without strain—the system becomes more efficient.
A Simple Exploration
Try this:
Count how many breaths you take in one minute
Then shift your breathing to:
Inhale: 5.5 seconds
Exhale: 5.5 seconds
Don’t force it.
Don’t make it big.
Let the breath become quieter.
Let the body move with it.
Let the Breath Move the Body
Instead of controlling your breath…
Allow your breath to guide movement from within.
This creates change at a subtle level of the body—what we might call the soma.
And subtle changes, over time, create profound results.
Final Thought
Less breath.
Less effort.
More awareness.
That’s where real change begins.