The SHN #52: Buteyko Breathing and How to Decode Yourself

Welcome back to The Synergetic Health Newsletter! 

In this edition, I’ll discuss the health benefits of Buteyko breathing.

After that, a deep dive into ancient tools for self-discovery.

Finally, I’ll include some links to things I’ve found particularly interesting recently.

Joe Burt

💨 Breathe Less, Live More With the Buteyko Method

Do you suffer from anxiety, insomnia, asthma or other chronic health issues? The solution may lie in changing the way you breathe. The Buteyko breathing method, developed by Ukrainian doctor Konstantin Buteyko in the 1950s, is based on the idea that many common illnesses are actually caused or worsened by chronic hyperventilation - breathing too heavily and taking in too much air.

Dr. Buteyko noticed that sick patients in the hospital tended to breathe more rapidly and heavily, and that deliberately slowing and reducing breathing could quickly improve symptoms in conditions like asthma and hypertension. He theorized that "overbreathing" led to imbalances of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the body, which could trigger health problems.

The key to Buteyko breathing is to take smaller, slower, lighter breaths, with the aim of inducing a mild "air hunger." Breathing expert Patrick McKeown, founder of the Oxygen Advantage program, teaches that this controlled mild hypoxia helps increase carbon dioxide levels, which improves delivery of oxygen to tissues and organs. Over time, a daily practice of reduced breathing for several minutes can help reset the respiratory center in the brain.

Benefits reported by Buteyko breathing practitioners include:

• Reduced anxiety and stress

• Improved sleep

• Decreased asthma and hypertension symptoms

• More energy and mental clarity

• Better athletic performance

To try Buteyko breathing yourself, sit in a relaxed upright position and focus on breathing softly through your nose with your mouth closed. Aim to slow and lighten your breath until you feel a very slight air shortage, but don't push it to the point of major discomfort. Continue for 3-5 minutes. With regular practice, advocates say you can experience a positive impact on your health.

For a brief description of the method and some guided instruction, check out this video, “The Breathing Technique That Saved My Life.”

This style of breathing challenges conventional wisdom about taking big, deep breaths. Buteyko suggests that for many, the path to better health is not found in getting more air - but in breathing less. If you struggle with chronic health issues, it may be worth exploring how changing your breath could change your life.

To really get the full benefits of this practice, I highly recommend downloading the free Oxygen Advantage App. With this app, developed by McKeown, you can track your progress with the method over time and get a daily, individualized set of exercises to practice.

Additional Resources

Buteyko Breathing Exercises- Everyday Slow Breathing for Optimal Wellbeing

Quick Buteyko Breathing Technique for Busy Days

Unblock Nose in Five Minutes- Buteyko Breathing Method

Shut Your Mouth and Change Your Life, TED Talk w/Patrick McKeown

Deep Breathing is Bullshit

BBC Buteyko Documentary

🔮 Decode Yourself

Throughout human history, people have sought ways to better understand themselves - their personalities, strengths, challenges, life paths and destinies. While modern psychology provides its own frameworks for self-knowledge, many ancient traditions also offer fascinating tools for self-exploration.

In this post, we'll look at several divination and self-discovery methods that have endured through the ages. While not “scientifically proven”, these practices can nevertheless provide entertaining and potentially insightful ways to "decode" different aspects of yourself.

Astrology

One of the most popular divination arts, astrology looks at the positions of celestial bodies at the time of your birth to gain insight into your personality and life path. Astrology has roots going back to ancient Mesopotamia. Several branches exist:

• Western Astrology - Most popular in the West. Based on tropical zodiac (tied to seasons). Focuses on Sun sign with influence from Moon and Rising signs.

• Vedic Astrology - Traditional Hindu system. Uses sidereal zodiac (tied to constellations). Emphasizes Moon sign and planetary periods for predictions.

• Chinese Astrology - Based on 12-year lunar cycles represented by animals. Incorporates five elements (metal, water, wood, fire, earth).

While approaches differ, all look at celestial patterns to understand human experience. Basic things to know:

• Sun sign (based on birthday) reveals core identity/ego

• Moon sign reflects emotional self

• Rising sign (Ascendant - based on birth time/place) is your outward self

• Aspects (angles) between planets show challenges/opportunities

To get started, you'll need exact birth date, time and place. Websites like astro.com, alabe.com, cafeastrology.com and astro-seek.com can generate free natal charts and provide interpretations.

Numerology

With origins in ancient Greece and Babylonia, numerology finds meaning in numbers associated with your birth date and name. A few key numbers:

• Life Path (sum of birth date digits) - your life purpose

• Soul Urge (sum of name's vowels) - heart's desires

• Personality (sum of consonants) - outward persona

• Destiny (sum of all name letters) - opportunities in life

Two common calculation methods exist:

• Pythagorean (Western) - Assigns numbers to letters based on position in alphabet (A=1, B=2, etc). Single digit sums.

• Chaldean (Eastern) - Older system. Letters assigned to digits based on vibrational quality. Single digit sums except 11, 22, 33.

To calculate, assign numbers to letters, add digits together, keep adding until single digit reached (or master number in Chaldean). Use full birth name.

Sites like affinitynumerology.com, numerologist.com, worldnumerology.com and gematrinator.com have calculators, interpretations and more info on the systems.

You can also calculate the energy of your name. For example, my full name sums to 194, described as "the expression of personal sense of freedom, freedom to pursue interests at whim, freedom to travel and socialize at will, freedom from responsibilities, represents curiosity and interest in pretty much everything, self-reliant and self-determined." —This is exactly me.

Tarot

Tarot is a deck of 78 cards likely originated in 15th century Italy, later used for divination. Readers use the archetypal imagery to gain insight into past, present and future. While many spreads exist, popular ones include:

• Daily Card - Pull 1 card for overall theme of day

• Past/Present/Future - 3 cards showing trajectory of situation

• Celtic Cross - 10 cards for in-depth exploration of issue

Tarot decks include 22 Major Arcana cards representing key archetypes/life themes and 56 Minor Arcana showing day-to-day situations. Rider-Waite deck is popular for beginners.

Many related oracle decks now exist (ex: Angel Cards, Animal Spirit guides, etc.) with varying structures, themes and levels of interpretation required.

For card meanings and spreads, trulyteachmetarot.com and biddytarot.com are good resources. Tarot and oracle cards are subjective tools for guidance and reflection, not literal fortune-telling. I personally use the online app Voyager.

Human Design

Described as the "science of differentiation," this complex modern system combines ancient wisdom of I Ching, astrology, Kabbalah and more to map your unique energetic makeup. It aims to guide you on how to best make decisions, work with others and fulfill your potential. Key aspects outlined:

• Energy Type - How you interact with life force energy

• Strategy - How to make decisions that align with your type

• Authority - Your specific inner guidance system

• Profile - Roles you embody based on 12 archetypes

You'll need exact birth time for your free Human Design chart at jovianarchive.com or mybodygraph.com. Books like “The Definitive Book of Human Design” can help you decode your chart in depth.

I’ve also previously written about Human Design here and here.

Gene Keys

Created by Richard Rudd, Gene Keys is a spiritual system combining I Ching, astrology, and human genetics. It maps 64 Gene Keys to 64 hexagrams of the I Ching, with each Key representing a genetic codons holding a "higher purpose."

Your Hologenetic Profile is calculated from your birth time, outlining:

• Life's Work - Your overall purpose

• Evolution - Your journey of transformation

• Radiance - Your prosperity and well-being

• Purpose - Your creative fulfillment

• Attraction - Relationships and finding your tribe

Discover your free profile at genekeys.com. The Gene Keys book explores the system in poetic detail. I’ve written about the Gene Keys in the past here.

Other Tools

A few other self-discovery frameworks to explore:

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator - 16 personality types based on 4 dichotomies like Introvert/Extrovert and Thinking/Feeling. Take the test at 16personalities.com or mbtionline.com.

The Enneagram - 9 interconnected personality types based on core motivations and fears with spiritual growth paths for each. Tests at enneagraminstitute.com or eclecticenergies.com. “The Enneagram doesn't put you in a box, it shows you the box you're already in." - Ian Morgan Cron

The VIA Survey - Assesses 24 character strengths and virtues like creativity, honesty, leadership, etc. Take the 15 minute survey at viacharacter.org to discover your unique profile.

Astrological signs associated with Mayan calendar - 19 signs based on Mayan astrology, an ancient Mesoamerican system of astronomy and calendars. Find your Mayan sign at mayanmajix.com.

While some dismiss these esoteric arts as pseudoscience, they each offer a unique symbolic language for speaking about the human experience that still resonates today. Whether or not you fully embrace them, their archetypes and cosmic perspectives can serve as prompts for self-inquiry, revealing new dimensions of your personality, purpose and potential.

When approached with an open mind, these tools can be used for personal growth. As with all self-knowledge, take what resonates and leave the rest. At the very least, you'll come away with a richer understanding of how our ancestors sought to decode the mysteries of the self - and perhaps gain some wisdom for your own self-discovery journey.

This post was inspired by the video “How to Decode Yourself” on the YouTube channel Decode Your Reality, “where we explore the hidden meanings behind the world we live in through the Mystical Arts, Alchemy and Mathematics.”

Gurdjieff on Astrology

I recently finished the book “In Search of the Miraculous” by P.D. Ouspensky, which is “hailed as the the most valuable and reliable documentation of G. I. Gurdjieff's thoughts and universal view.” A fascinating person, read more about him here.

In the book, Gurdjieff acknowledges that astrology has a valid foundation when it pertains to a man's essence. He states that at the moment of birth, the planets can influence a person's essence, which consists of innate qualities and potentialities. However, he emphasizes that astrology does not account for the development of personality, which is shaped by external influences and personal experiences over time.

For individuals who have undertaken significant inner work and developed their consciousness, Gurdjieff believed that the deterministic aspects of astrology diminish. He proposed that through self-knowledge and inner development, one could rise above the mechanical influences of the stars and planets.

Gurdjieff taught that an awakened individual, who has achieved a higher state of being, could transcend the astrological influences that typically govern an ordinary person’s life.

𝕏 Thread of the Week

🥃 Don’t Mix Fried Foods and Alcohol: If you're planning on enjoying a few drinks, be mindful of the foods you pair with your alcohol. Chris Masterjohn, PhD, suggests that consuming foods high in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), such as fried foods, nuts, and seeds, while drinking alcohol may put additional strain on your liver. On the other hand, foods rich in saturated fats appear to be less damaging in the presence of alcohol. So, the next time you're out for drinks, consider opting for foods lower in PUFAs to help protect your liver.

🕶 Blue Light Glasses Work: A randomized control trial concluded that “at the end of the study, the amber lens group experienced significant improvement in sleep quality relative to the control group and positive affect. Mood also improved significantly relative to controls." I wear my blue blocking glasses every night and I’m doing my best to continue advising you to do the same. It’s so cheap and easy— there’s just no reason not to do this if you want better health. Here is a great article to find a pair for you: “Top Five Blue Light Blocking Glasses.”

🌿 THC Has a Negative Impact on Sleep Quality: Matt Walker, author of “Why We Sleep” and leading researcher in the field, discusses in this podcast how THC has a detrimental impact on REM sleep. While THC can induce sleep— it actually reduces REM sleep and quality— “affecting cognitive and emotional stability the next day.” Since just a 5% reduction in REM sleep correlates with a 13% increase in mortality risk, this is a big deal. In my personal experience of using THC and measuring levels of REM and deep sleep at night, I can confirm that using THC absolutely reduces REM, according to Oura ring measurements.

🔗 One Hitters

✈️ A personal report on airports, fasting, supplements, self-experimentation, and circadian rhythms. (Educational Thread)

💪 I’ve been doing this shoulder exercise, the Lu Raise, in my upper body workouts. (Video)

🤯 “On Having No Head” book summary (Article)

✔️ That will do it for this time! Hopefully you got some value out of it. If you have any questions/comments/things you’d like to learn more about please don’t hesitate to reach out.

🔗 If you know anyone who loves learning about these types of topics, send them this link!

📰 To read all past newsletters, go here.

📖 Read “Accelerated SELF-Development” and the accompanying "Resources”