The SHN #4: Who Is Yogananda?, Mouth Breathing, and Peeing Sitting Down

Welcome to another edition of The Synergetic Health Newsletter! 

In today’s edition, I tell you to keep your mouth shut :)

After that, I’m going to share with you about a famous spiritual “guru”, Paramahansa Yogananda, who left an indelible mark on the West.

Then I will let you know what is making women fat. (and men too)

Finally, I’ll include some snack size tidbits.

Cheers,

Joe Burt

The Nose Knows

Yoga instructors, meditation teachers, exercise scientists, ENT doctors, holistic health coaches, Qigong masters, and numerous more health and wellness practitioners all preach the transformative power of nasal breathing.

Your nose is a versatile dynamo, doing more than just inhaling air. It acts as a natural air purifier, warming and moisturizing every breath you take. Additionally, it releases chemicals that regulate heart rate, lower blood pressure, and provides various other benefits. By neglecting nasal breathing and relying on mouth breathing, you miss out on these essential advantages.

In the popular book “Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art,” author James Nestor cites research that when we mouth breathe we are more likely to snore, develop dental issues like crooked teeth or a narrow jawline, and have sleep apnea.

He also claims that mouth breathing can contribute to a range of health problems, like asthma, allergies, anxiety, and heart disease.

Plus, people will call you mouthbreather behind your back. Since it's generally more appropriate to address breathing habits in a compassionate and informative manner, I present to you this post instead.

Listen to James Nestor talk about his book and the power of breath on Chris Williamson’s podcast, Max Lugavere’s podcast, and the Chase Jarvis Show.

It’s estimated that around 50 percent of us breathe mostly through our mouths. Reasons for this include various medical conditions, pollution, and stress. The problem is, the more you do it, the worse it gets.

Everybody’s favorite health podcaster, Andrew Huberman, says that mouth breathing during sleep is not just undesirable, it’s actually dangerous. For a super deep Huberman dive into breathing, check out this podcast.

Some Benefits of Nasal Breathing:

-Improves facial structure (Link).

-Boosts nitric oxide, which influences immune function, weight, circulation, mood, and sexual function.

-22% more efficient than mouth breathing, making breathing easier.

-Enhances your body’s ability to access the oxygen in your blood.

-Engages and strengthens your diaphragm, which is an integral muscle of the core and necessary for the stability of your spine.

-Can improve mental focus and boost coronary artery blood flow when performed during exercise.

-Improves athletic performance, cognitive function, and carbon dioxide levels.

-Filters out dust, bacteria, virus and other airborne particles from inhaled air.

-Your relationships if you snore 🙃 

How To Shut Yo’ Mouth

During the day, make a conscious effort to keep your mouth closed. Use nasal strips if you have airway blockage, practice different nasal breathing techniques, maintain good posture, and practice this to restore nasal breathing.

The simple exercise in that last link, from well-known breathing educator Patrick McKeown, could be the answer you’ve been looking for if you have chronic air obstruction, or a go-to exercise for when you experience nasal congestion.

During exercise, use nasal breathing as much as you can tolerate. Avoid using your mouth unless absolutely necessary. Want to read more about the benefits? Check out this study, this study, this study, and this study.

At night you can “hack” your situation to ensure you breathe through your nose. The #1 thing to try is mouth taping.

Trust me, your partner will love this 😂 This simply involves putting a piece of tape over your mouth. You don’t have to cover 100% of your mouth, but by covering a majority your body will naturally resort to nasal breathing.

You can use a piece of durable cloth tape, a way too expensive mouth tape specifically made for this purpose, or an even more expensive oral device that not only supports nasal breathing but also proper tongue posture and jaw alignment.

All these options will take a few days to get used to but it’s a pretty simple habit that you can try and see if it works for you.

Taping your mouth at night has been studied to improve sleep apnea conditions and reduce snoring. However, more studies need to be done to prove effectiveness in other areas. Mouth taping is a popular tool among the biohacking crowd. In my personal experience, I’ve noticed an increased ability to nasal breathe throughout the day, which is enough a reason for me to continue the practice.

Paramahansa Yogananda (1853-1952) was the first yoga master of India to take up permanent residence in the West. Hundreds of thousands filled the halls of American cities after his 1920 arrival as he spread his message of a non-sectarian, universal path of Self-realization.

Considered one of the preeminent spiritual figures of modern times, his well-known admirers included Henry Ford, George Harrison, Steve Jobs, and Mahatma Gandhi. In fact, Jobs gave all attendees of his 2011 memorial service one parting gift, a copy of Yogananda’s book “The Autobiography of a Yogi”, which has sold over 5 million copies and has been translated into at least 34 languages. (can read online for free here)

His organization, the Self-Realization Fellowship, has over 500 ashrams, temples, centers, and meditation circles around the world. In Yogananda’s own words:

His teachings deeply resonated with Western seekers, despite the dominance of Christianity and the rampant xenophobia of the times. The bridging of Eastern spirituality with Western thought planted the seeds of a spiritual awakening, fostering a profound shift in consciousness throughout the West.

Preaching a method for attaining direct personal experience of the Divine, rather than bowing obediently to an external, judging God in the sky, Yogananda gave seekers a direct, relational path to a higher power. This approach has empowered millions in its 100+ year history.

Now for the fun part. In his Autobiography, Yogananda shares various accounts of miracles and extraordinary experiences. These include:

-Levitation: Yogananda describes witnessing his guru, Sri Yukteswar, float above the ground during deep meditation. (if this sounds crazy to you, there are a ton of first-hand accounts of levitation, the best being “The Man Who Could Fly”)

-Materialization of Objects: The swami shares instances where saints and yogis manifest objects seemingly out of thin air. This included the creation of fragrant flowers, fruits, and even valuable jewels. There was a 2011 study that showed an Indian spiritual teacher materializing an object in his throat.

-Healing Miracles: Yogananda recounts stories of miraculous healings performed by yogis, including the restoration of health to individuals suffering from severe ailments and diseases through the power of divine intervention. This is so commonplace in energy medicine that, to me, it’s easily believable.

-Communication with Masters: He describes his own experiences of communicating with spiritual masters, including his encounters with the revered yogi Babaji (the “deathless guru”) and received his direct guidance and teachings. Some organizations “claim that a student can communicate with Babaji directly during their first initiation.”

-Visit with Saint Therese Neumann: This wild visit ended with Yogananda and his American associate Richard Wright witnessing the lady Saint bleeding continuously from her lower eyelids, blood-drenching a cloth wrapped around her head from the stigmata wounds of an invisible Crown of Thorns, and with a redly splotched garment over her heart from the wound in the same spot where Christ’s body “suffered the final indignity of the soldier’s spear thrust.” Lost you but curious? Read more here and here.

While the meditation and yogic practices that are taught through the Self-Realization fellowship are fine and can be learned here, my main reason for introducing you to this key figure in the spiritual history of America is to show what’s possible.

Levitation? Communicating with 500 year old spiritual masters? Spontaneous no-touch healings? A woman saint going into a weekly trance where she loses 10 pounds of blood: “As a helpless onlooker, I observe the whole Passion of Christ.”?

These types of stories are littered among all the spiritual and religious traditions of mankind (Jesus healing the sick by just saying so, I’m looking at you). I cannot confirm or deny their validity, but I can tell you that the world we’re walking around in is WAY MORE than just what we can see, touch, feel, smell, and hear.

I will illuminate this invisible world the best that I can moving forward, with no affiliation, no bias, only personal experience and deep curiosity.

In addition to his Autobiography, you can check out a book of Yogananda’s Collected Talks and Essays or watch the documentary about his life and influence, “AWAKE: The Life of Yogananda.”

Artificial Light At Night Makes Woman Fat

The light you allow into your life and WHEN you allow it is a scientifically validated mechanism contributing to weight gain and obesity, according to this study.

Diet and exercise are not the only factors when it comes to adding the pounds. In this study, woman who had either a light on or the TV on in their room while sleeping gained 5kg (11lbs.) more than woman who don’t. This highlights that any kind of artificial light at night increases your risk of gaining weight or becoming obese.

"In this cohort study of 43,722 women, artificial light at night while sleeping was significantly associated with increased risk of weight gain and obesity, especially in women who had a light or a television on in the room while sleeping. Associations do not appear to be explained by sleep duration and quality or other factors influenced by poor sleep."

To remind, your “light diet” is incredible important to work on. You “should consider” sleeping in a dark room, you “should consider” to either shut the TV off early in the night or wear blue light blocking glasses while watching, you “should consider” turning your phone red at night.

If you have artificial lighting in your house switched on at night, know that even your exposed skin’s photoreceptors pick up that light and throw your system off balance. If you must have your lights on, consider wearing pajamas to block your skin from getting the direct artificial light.

All the tips in my last newsletter and in my light article will help.

Boys, I hope you don’t think that you’re off the hook. This study only looked at women, but the results would be similar if not the exact same (caveat- I’m not a scientist).

Did you watch the sunrise/sunset this past week? Did you expose your skin to at least some UV light? How about at night, did you minimize your blue light exposure? I hope so :)

I Have a Confession to Make: I pee sitting down (when at home). Along with over 70% of Japanese men, I avoid a potential mess every time I use the bathroom. Me and my Japanese brethren have improved urination and bladder emptying, to go along with more hygienic bathrooms.

I enjoy reading “longevity” books, but it’s impossible to know if what they’re doing to themselves NOW will actually end up extending their life, or if what they’re doing is ass backwards. As with everything, take with a grain of salt. The best longevity “hacks” remain exercise, a sensible diet (zero to minimal processed foods, total caloric intake in line with bodyweight and activity levels), and being in a proper circadian rhythm. (the best hangman word in existence is rhythm, 2nd best is popcorn).

Vitamin D Controls Tumor Growth in Breast Cancer: This study says simply “Women with low levels of vitamin D have a higher risk of developing breast cancer.” How in the world can you get more Vitamin D? 😉 

You Can’t Screw This Up: Adam Bornstein has been a fixture in the online diet and exercise space forever. Having consulted with the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger and LeBron James, Bornstein is known for simplifying the habits and frameworks required to make lasting lifestyle changes. His new book, “You Can’t Screw This Up”, is a culmination of many years in the health and nutrition trenches.

Please feel free to respond to this email!

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, pass it along!