Perma Pastures Farm

In the post below: -why exhales aren't neutral -what cleanses your brain -why the WHM exercise is the opposite of what you need to do ___ In my masterclass I explain that no exhale is neutral. What does that mean? When you're breathing faster than metabolically needed, you'll inhale superfluous amounts of O2. That alone is no good, because oxygen oxydizes. But you will also, with each exhale, flush precious CO2 OUT of your body. CO2 your body needs to function optimally. Breathe too fast, day and night, without even realizing it, for decades, and one day your brain throws the towel. If your brain fights for CO2 then it fights for O2. And then the glymphatic system. Your brain not only needs a lot of energy, it needs constant cleansing from metabolic waste. So if you've heard of "lymhpatic drainage", think of glymphatic drainage as the same for the brain, except you can't help it the same way you can help lymphatic drainage through rubbing manoeuvers. People who breathe too fast breathe shallow. People who breathe shallow have weak diaphragms. The diaphragm is the main engine for robust, continuous cerebrospinal fluid movement. Weak cerebrospinal fluid movement means poor glymphatic drainage. Your brain gets swampy, with metabolic waste accumulating. Chronic poor glymphatic drainage means your brain cannot function properly and you end up with cognitive issues. So the primary key is a low respiratory rate. Not breathing slowly for a few minutes, 3 times a week. It's got to be reflexive, i.e 24/7, without having to do it consciously. Healthy slow breathing is diaphragmatic and - relatively - deep, ensuring strong cerebrospinal fluid movement. Again, slow breathing "breathwork" for a few minutes, 3 times a week, won't cut it. It's got the reflexive. 24/7. Contrary to a widespread myth, this doesn't happen just because of CO2 tolerance. There are more variables involved than that. I've talked many times about it. Then breath-holding. NOT the "Wim Hof method" way. Here's why: -hyperventilation dumps tons of CO2 out of your body. Exactly what you do not want. -hyperventilation done that way is in fact not as deep as people think, it's mostly done through upper respiratory muscles, not the diaphragm, so that's basically fast shallow breathing. -you hold the breath after an exhale. Well obviously, that's going to be shorter holds than if you were to start holds after a large inhale. If your goal is to retain as much CO2 as possible, it would make sense to: -breathe normally before holding your breath -take a large inhale so you can build up more CO2 and keep it longer in your body. Don't senselessly cheat on your breath-holding time by breathing hard, instead learn to quiet your mind and nervous system while CO2 accumulates inside your body, and do longer breath-holds because you're doing them with your lungs full instead of your lungs half empty. Then realize that it's not all about basic cellular physiology. The mind plays a huge role in your ability to hold your breath, but your mind needs to learn what to do. Being told to "just relax" is not receiving instruction. Being told to hyperventilate to magically hold longer is being given a cheap trick that you learn nothing from, and that prevents you from learning what matters, which is intentional self-regulation under stress.