Slow and Steady Wins the Race

Did you know that studies show people who live the longest have the largest and healthiest lung function?

Speeding out of Caracas towards the Caribbean coast of Playa Cata was always an adventure.

Goodbye pollution, sin, corruption! Dad, sleeves rolled up, tanned forearm resting on the Chevy Nova’s open window, exclaimed.

Even in the mid-1970s Caracas was a grubby and dangerous city of excess. For a teenager like me, it was also full of shadows.

So leaving the bustling concrete city behind towards the viridian-blue waters of the Caribbean, meant living lighter and breathing freer.

The thrill of climbing the dense-cloud, cool Henri Pittier rainforest of winding mountain roads where I might hear and see giant butterflies, howler monkeys, toucans and parrots filled me with joy and anticipation.

But it was the ungainly sloth that fascinated me most. Up high in the cercopia trees, dangling upside down suspended from long limbs, seemingly carefree it munched the tender guarumo leaves.

Looking up through the shafts of sunlight that pierced the dense foliage of ferns, orchids, bromeliads, towering ceibas and guarumos, I hoped to catch a glimpse of the smiling, furry creature.

Beady eyes reflecting the tropical light, I related to these forest dwellers in their lack of urgency and slow-paced life.

My Venezuelan friend Juan told me it took each sloth some 30-days to digest a single leaf of the the giant guarumo or Kapok tree.

Photo by Sophia Müller on Unsplash

Observing them during my travels, I knew it took them at least a week to inch across one tree limb.

What I didn’t know then, though as a 15 year old I knew every word of the Bee Gees song How Deep is Your love and Debby Boon’s You light up My Life, was that high up in the trees these dopey, smiley, mammals were housing massive lungs crucial to their buoyancy and survival.

Yes, sloths swim too!

The size of a sloth’s lungs allows them to hold their breath for up to 40 minutes and go underwater too, where they are actually speedy swimmers!

Lungs, we all know, are crucial to survival!

“People who live the longest have the largest and healthiest lung function,” according to author and breathing expert James Nestor.

Lung function declines substantially as we age and the change begins at 30.

Women seem to suffer disproportionately because they usually start off with smaller lungs than men do. After 50, the decline can be steep and so too its impact on health.

Numerous studies show the correlation between diminished lung function and mortality risk.

So this is why I am turning more and more to breathing or pranayama practices, which yogis have been practicing for millennia.

“By proper practice of pranayama all diseases are eradicated, through improper practice, all diseases can arise,” according to the medieval text of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika.

And while the above is subject to debate, though hopefully not ridicule, breathing practices boost lung health and are crucial to health as they improve athletic performance, can regulate blood pressure, balance the nervous system and so help the immune system.

“By law of averages you will take 670 million breaths in your lifetime.Maybe you’ve already taken half of those…Maybe you’d like to take a few million more,” writes Nestor in his book Breathe.

Benefits of breathing practices: Keeps airways open longer, improves exhalation, helps with breath control and nervous system regulation.

1. Nadi Shodana (Alternate nostril breathing) from the Hatha Yoga Pradipika.

   A practice to balance the energies in the body (parasympathetic and sympathetic). First practice some breath awareness.

   • Lying down watch the breath, feel it as it lifts and then softens body. (5 minutes).

   • Then practice technique 1: Close off the right nostril with thumb of right hand. Breathe in and out slowly and calmly through left nostril ten times.

   • Seal left nostril with index finger and do the same with the right nostril. Notice how you feel after both practices.

   • There are more layers to this practice but stick with this one until you feel comfortable with it and notice its effects.

   • You can continue with this same practice but gradually increase the length of the inhales and exhales.

     

     Photo by Indian Yogi (Yogi Madhav) Breathing better

2. Box Breathing

   • Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds.

   • Repeat for several cycles.

   • Benefits: Enhances lung capacity, calms nervous system, improves breath control.

3. Deep Breathing with Hold or Kumbhaka

• Take a deep breath and hold it for 3–5 seconds (only if comfortable).

• Then exhale slowly for 5 seconds.

• Repeat 5–10 times.

• Benefits: Improves lung volume and alveolar recruitment.

While proper breathing will help boost health it is also important to complement practices with lifestyle habits:

• Regular aerobic exercise: Walking, swimming, cycling increase lung efficiency.

• Posture: Maintain good posture to allow lungs to expand fully.

• Avoid pollutants: Smoke, dust, and allergens impair lung function.

• Stay hydrated: Keeps mucus thin for easier breathing.

• Practice yoga or tai chi: Integrates breath control with movement.

If you have lung conditions like asthma, COPD, or heart issues, always check with your doctor or respiratory therapist before starting new breathing exercises.

Did you know that studies show people who live the longest have the largest and healthiest lung function?

This is what yogis attempt each time we step on the mat, to improve our breathing capacity through pranayama.

Have a great week and see you on the mat friends!

x

Jules

If you are interested in my new Breath and Be Course starting in November, email me at julesmto@gmail.com so I can add you to the wait list.