In this episode, we talk with Jesse Coomer about the connection between breathwork, psychology, and longevity, and how certain breathing practices can extend our healthspan.
As a Human Performance Specialist, Author, and Founder of the Breathwork//Tactics program, Jesse has trained over the past decade athletes, CEOs, first responders, military, and everyday people seeking to optimize their performance, reduce their anxiety levels, and live a healthier life.
In this conversation, Jesse shares his personal journey towards living a longer and healthier life, after decades spent dealing with social anxiety through unhealthy coping mechanisms, including drugs and alcohol use. He explains how breathwork has helped him reconnect with his emotions, get his subconscious under control, and how it led him to healthier daily decisions.
We talk about breathing practices like the physiological sigh or the 4-7-8 technique that can lead to healthier daily decisions, with a long-term and net positive impact on our longevity.
By the end of this episode, you will know simple breathing techniques that you can use to make healthier lifestyle decisions, day after day.
Jesse Coomer's Journey with Breathwork
- Jesse Coomer shares his personal journey with breathwork. He struggled with social anxiety throughout his youth and used drugs and alcohol as unhealthy coping mechanisms.He realized in his late 20s that this strategy was not sustainable and began to explore healthier alternatives, including exercise.
- He found that exercise and other practices helped him feel better physically and mentally, leading him to make significant changes in his life, including becoming an English professor.
- Despite these positive changes, Jesse still felt a need to find a way to sit with his emotions and achieve inner calm. He began his journey with meditation but found it difficult to focus due to overthinking and rumination.
- He then explored yogic breathing (pranayama) and various styles of breathwork, including Wim Hof methods. This led him to research different modalities, philosophies, and principles related to breathwork and its impact on the body.
- He published his first book, "A Practical Guide to Breath Work," in 2020, sharing his knowledge and experiences.
Longevity and the Unconscious Mind
- Jesse emphasizes the importance of longevity, defining it as living a long and healthy life, not just a long life with potential illness or decline. He aims to live as long as possible while maintaining good health, hoping to experience what life looks like at 100 years old and beyond. He believes that health is paramount, as it allows individuals to fully experience life and enjoy their time.
- He also believes that breathwork can impact longevity and healthspan by influencing the unconscious mind. The unconscious mind processes the vast majority of information we take in, and it is responsible for bodily functions, including cell replication.
- Jesse argues that while we can influence these functions through medicine, supplementation, and diet, the unconscious mind ultimately determines how these things are used. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the unconscious mind's role in longevity, as it is often overlooked in discussions about health and aging. It is solely focused on the present moment and survival, not longevity.
- The unconscious mind reacts to thoughts and beliefs, even if they are about the past or future, by releasing energy for immediate action.This energy release, often experienced as stress, can be triggered by both positive and negative thoughts.
- Jesse suggests that breathwork can be a powerful tool for influencing the unconscious mind, which often prioritizes immediate gratification over long-term goals. He also believes that breathwork can help us make better decisions on a daily basis, leading to both immediate and long-term benefits.
- The unconscious mind can be trained to be more flexible and adaptive, leading to better decision-making. It often triggers quick, impulsive actions, which were beneficial in the past but can be detrimental in the modern world.
- Calmness leads to better decisions, reducing risky behaviors and increasing longevity.
- Rumination, or dwelling on thoughts, can lead to increased stress and energy expenditure, impacting sleep and overall health.
- Understanding the unconscious mind's role in our physiology is crucial for improving health and longevity.
Get to know about: Oxa Podcast Episode #7: Dean Stott on Breathing Techniques to Stop Panic Attacks
Small Wins and Implicit Learning
- Small, daily decisions, influenced by our unconscious mind, have a significant impact on our health and lifespan.
- Regular exercise, healthy eating, and sufficient sleep are fundamental for longevity, and breathwork can help individuals adopt and maintain these healthy habits.
- When individuals are stressed or facing difficult times, they often engage in unhealthy behaviors, such as overeating, drinking, or using caffeine. These unhealthy behaviors can have long-term negative consequences on health and longevity.
- Consistent wins, such as regular exercise or healthy eating, can lead to bigger wins and positive changes in behavior.
- Dave Ramsey, a financial expert, advocates for paying off the smallest debt first, even if it has a lower interest rate, as this creates a sense of accomplishment and motivates individuals to continue paying off debt. This approach, while seemingly counterintuitive, is effective due to the psychology of behavior change.
- That’s why Jesse emphasizes the importance of starting small and achieving small wins when making lifestyle changes. He uses the example of his own journey to fitness, where he started with 15-minute gym sessions and gradually increased his commitment. He argues that these small wins build momentum and lead to bigger wins, ultimately resulting in a healthier lifestyle.
Read about: How Breath Control Can Strengthen Panic Resilience: Techniques to Regain Calm and Control
Breathwork Techniques for Stress Management and Resilience
- Jesse discusses the use of breathwork techniques to manage stress and enhance resilience. He emphasizes the importance of regular breath practices to build a "language of breath" and improve the relationship with oneself.
- He highlights the "sniff, sniff, poo" technique, also known as the physiological sigh, as a way to stimulate the vagus nerve, reduce CO2 buildup, and mimic the calming effect of sobbing. He also recommends the 4-7-8 breathing technique, which involves inhaling for four seconds, holding for seven seconds, and exhaling for eight seconds.
- Both techniques are described as effective for calming the nervous system and promoting a sense of peace.
- The optimal number of repetitions for a breathwork technique is between four and eight times. After eight repetitions, there are diminishing returns.It is recommended to return to normal breathing or engage in another breathing style for about a minute after completing the breathwork technique.
Interoceptive Awareness and Heart Resonance Frequency Breathing
- A key aspect of breathwork is interoceptive awareness, which involves feeling and acknowledging emotions rather than trying to suppress them.
- Heart resonance frequency breathing, also known as coherence breathing, is a technique that involves inhaling and exhaling for equal durations, typically around 10 seconds per breath.
- The Oxa app provides biofeedback and guidance for heart resonance frequency breathing.
- The recommended starting point for heart resonance frequency breathing is to inhale for four seconds and exhale for six seconds.
- Regular practice of heart resonance frequency breathing can enhance nervous system flexibility, allowing for more fluid upregulation and downregulation of the autonomic nervous system. This practice also stimulates the ventral vagal system, promoting social engagement and improved decision-making.
Practical Applications and Recommendations
- Regular breathwork practices, such as bookending the day with sessions, can have a significant impact on overall well-being and longevity.
- Breathwork techniques can be applied to various purposes, such as managing insomnia, and their effectiveness stems from the power of breathing itself.
- Overloading oneself with too much breathwork practice can be counterproductive. But setting small, achievable goals, such as dedicating two minutes in the morning and two minutes in the evening to breathwork, can lead to greater consistency and progress.
- Over time, individuals will naturally find themselves wanting to dedicate more time to breathwork as they experience its positive effects.
