Meredith’s Reviews > Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art > Status Update

More tl;dr: master alternate nostril breathing and tummo breathing, i.e. breath of fire.

More tl;dr: (4) Breathe your nose even when you exercise, knowing it will be hard at first. (5) Soft, processed foods have shrunk our mouths, causing malocclusion of our airways. So eat better and chew! This improves bone density, too.

So many prayer practices—Tibetan mantras, the rosary, Kundalini yoga’s kirtan kriya—produce an average of 5.5 breaths per minute. Scientific research shows this rate has an extremely healthful effect. “Prayer really heals. Especially when it’s practiced at 5.5 breaths per minute.”