Discover the Secret to a Longer, Healthier & Happier Life (Hint: It’s in Your Breath)

We breathe (almost) automatically, without even thinking about it. It’s a function that most of us take for granted. 

But did you know that breathing (especially when done intentionally) is our built-in tool for promoting overall health and wellness, that can lead to you living a longer, happier life? Let us explain.

Breathing Affects How You Feel and Move

Breathing is a natural way to regulate your body. 

It affects your brain and nervous system, heart rate, blood pressure, stress levels, muscles, and bones, it even affects the function of organs like the liver.

So if you want to manage some aspect of your health – whether it's boosting brain power or improving athletic performance – taking deep intentional breaths is the place to start.

Breathing Gives Your Body Energy

Oxygen is the primary source of energy for the body. 

When you breathe in oxygen, it runs into your lungs where it picks up more oxygen before returning to your heart as blood. From there, it circulates throughout your body via arteries and veins so that cells have access to these vital resources, and of course energy. 

If you’re lacking in energy, deep intentional breathes are a great way to help your body reset.

Breathing Stimulates the Vagus Nerve

Breathing stimulates the vagus nerve, which is responsible for activating the parasympathetic nervous system. The vagus nerve also helps slow down your heart rate and lower stress hormones in the bloodstream. 

This relaxation response can be used to calm anxiety and improve mental health by increasing positive feelings like calmness, happiness and contentment.

Deep Intentional Breathing Has Endless Benefits

You know that breathing is essential for life, and that your body depends on oxygen to survive. But in today's fast-paced world you rarely take the time to breathe with purpose.

In fact, many adults are prone to shallow breathing as a result of stress or anxiety, which leads to poor sleep quality and even stress-related health issues like heart disease. 

Taking deep, intentional breaths can help you relax, reduce stress, sleep better, manage pain, increase energy levels, and improve the way you feel about yourself, among other health and wellness benefits. 

Want to See the Impact of Intentional Breathing in Real-Time?

When was the last time you stopped dead in your tracks to observe how many breaths you took in a minute? 

How about paying attention to how smoothly or unevenly your lungs filled up?

You may not even realize how often you are breathing shallowly or holding your breath until someone else points it out.

The good news is, there’s a simple way to monitor the impact of your intentional inhales and exhales, using iheart HRV, a new health paradigm based on Internal Mobility.

The free-to-download app pairs with a wireless finger sensor (aka an oximeter) that together, gives you real-time insights into your heart rate and breathing. 

The data you get in the app from the oximeter is easy to read, and accurately measures the effects of different relaxation techniques on your body, like deep intentional breathing.