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About ten years ago I wrote a series on longevity. Since then, my thinking has changed a little and the world has changed a lot, so I decided it’s time to revisit the topic. Most importantly, I’ve wanted to get our community to focus on reasons to live rather than the fear of dying. My recommendations so far have been: (1) Love life and live for the present (2) Work, stretch, and relax all parts of yourself (3) Dance with consciousness (4) Reduce media consumption (5) Pay attention to your breathing (6) Eat less (7) Prioritize community and service (8) Exchange love and touch (9) Optimize your sleep (10) Laugh more (11) Keep your heart open. You can read each of these articles on our site.
This week we’ll look at some Daoist perspectives on longevity. Longevity and immortality are goals mentioned frequently in early works of Daoism (Taoism). I have translations of old texts that detail methods for avoiding an early death: withholding ejaculation; drinking elixirs made from special herbs, metals, and animal parts; performing certain rituals at auspicious times; and wearing magical amulets. I’m not entirely convinced that these approaches prevent death, but I do have great reverence for the way of life Daoism prescribes, the essence of which is beautifully conveyed in the ancient books Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching), Yi Jing (I Ching), and Zhuang Zi (Chuang Tzu). I recommend everyone has a copy of at least the first of these.
#12: Simplify.
One of the virtues mentioned in Dao De Jing is jian which means simplicity or frugality. It’s pretty much the antithesis of the trend among modern humans to be perpetually busy and acquire ever more stuff, more complexity, and more information. We tend to believe we need to do more and accumulate more in order to be safe, knowledgeable, in control, approved of, and happy. I would guess that most of us also have a hidden belief that our acquisitions will tether us to life and protect us from death. In practice, however, the more we subtract from our physical and psychic hoard, the freer we are, and the less encumbered our lifeforce is.
Frugality isn’t just a matter of being economical with money. It means not seeking to acquire what we already have or don’t need. It means curtailing useless expenditures of energy. It means not generating needless complications. It means keeping life simple by knowing what matters most and consistently prioritizing that above all else. It means utilizing the currents of life to get where we want to go. Dao, like water, takes the simplest path – the path of least resistance. Speaking of which . . .
#13: Go with the Flow / Don’t Resist.
I could write a whole book on this concept, but in the spirit of simplicity I’ll keep it brief. Going with the flow could be seen as an extension of simplicity, but it’s worth exploring this idea separately because it’s just so important. The nature of life is to change and flow, yet one of our primal impulses is to resist, to say, “No” to everything that makes us uncomfortable. It’s natural to do this, but it almost never improves our circumstances or experiences.
If we momentarily resist something and then relax and accept it, we get right back into the flow. But when resistance is held in a prolonged way – like longstanding grievances, fears, ongoing stresses, etc. – it becomes pathological. Resistance eventually leads to stagnation, and stagnation – whether physical or psychological – squelches the flow of life and feels bad. It can make us sick in all sorts of ways. Sadly, we tend to resist feeling the discomfort that stagnation causes, which of course leads to more resistance and more stagnation.
The solution is to stop resisting. Feel willing what’s happening in your body – including the felt experience that arises whenever you resist something. Get to know this feeling and see how readily you can relinquish it. It’s also worthwhile to dive into the feeling and see what it can teach you about yourself. What happens when you “turn toward it” and let yourself be curious about it? We have a workbook called Freedom to help you through this process.
#14: Be One with Nature.
The natural world birthed the human species and all other lifeforms that share the planet with us. It provides for all our needs. Everything – even the “manmade” stuff – is supplied by Nature. And yet, it’s easy as a modern human to live in a way that’s utterly disconnected from it.
When we’re disconnected from Nature we lose something – a source of calibration and wisdom. It’s like a nutrient deficiency that hasn't yet been defined by science. When we reconnect with Nature there are measurable positive impacts on our physical, psychological, and spiritual health. Cultivating reverence for Nature and our place in it can profoundly change our lives. It slows us down. It helps us pay attention to the details. It gives us perspective. It reminds us to be fascinated. It’s a wonderful, perennial teacher.
If we endeavor to live a longer, richer life, we might start by asking, what is this life thing? What are its patterns and cycles? How and why does it start and end? What are its limitations? What feeds it and stifles it? It’s fine to consider the ideas of doctors, scientists, philosophers, preachers, and spiritual gurus. But we’ll only get a narrow slice of the truth if this conversation is limited to what other humans think about humanity. It’s like trying to fathom Pakistani culture without actually visiting Pakistan.
When we enter direct conversation with the natural world and life itself, we find there’s no end to what we can learn and how we can grow. The deepest revelations can’t be conveyed through an intermediary.
We belong to Nature, not the other way around. Remembering our place in the natural world gives us a sense of wholeness and belonging; of being fully alive; of being part of something infinite and undying; of being supported and guided. It also prompts us to recognize that the way we treat our world has a direct impact on the whole system – ourselves included – and this makes the longevity conversation more holistic. Instead of asking, “How can I get more life?” we find ourselves asking, “How can I honor my species … and all species … and this magnificent planet … and the Source of everything?”
Be well,
Peter
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I was wandering around in a hardware store the other day, feeling rather hot and stuffy in my mask – and also a little anxious – when I realized my mouth was wide open. I shut my mouth, which required me to deepen my breathing through my nose, and soon my mask felt less stuffy and the anxiety was gone. It occurred to me that I mouth-breathe a lot when I have a mask on, and I’ve resolved to stop.
A few years after moving to Colorado I realized that I had been mouth breathing while asleep and increasingly while awake, too. During the same period of time, I noticed my sleep had been worse, I felt more anxious, I had a harder time concentrating, my energy was lower, and my gums had receded significantly. It might sound like a stretch to attribute all of that to breathing through my mouth rather than my nose, but I’m convinced that mouth breathing was a contributing factor.
Mouth breathing begets more mouth breathing. When we breathe through our mouth over years, the facial structure can change – especially in children. The face may become longer and narrower. The palate narrows too, which causes a higher arch, infringing on the airways above. Teeth become crowded and crooked. The tongue drops to the floor of the mouth all day instead of resting against the upper palate, and this can contribute to sleep apnea and snoring.
Mouth breathing tends to be more rapid than nose breathing, which may promote a feeling of anxiousness and may be misdiagnosed as Attention Deficit Disorder. Breathing through the mouth is less efficient at oxygenating the body than nasal breathing. Mouth breathing can raise our blood pressure. It causes dryness of the mouth, bad breath, and increased susceptibility to tooth decay and gum disease.
When we breathe through the nose, we inhale more of a gas called nitric oxide (not “laughing gas” which is nitrous oxide) that is produced in the paranasal sinuses. Nitric oxide kills bacteria. The nose also warms and filters incoming air. For all these reasons, nasal breathing reduces our chances of getting sick via airborne germs. In terms of spreading sickness to others, we exhale many fewer “respiratory droplets” through the nose than through the mouth. Some doctors propose that nasal breathing is an easy intervention to reduce your risk of contracting COVID-19. If wearing a mask causes you to mouth breathing, this may partly or significantly negate the protective value of the mask. I recommend trying to remember to breathe through your nose especially in public spaces and when wearing a mask.
Nose breathing carries the nitric oxide from the nasal airways down into the lungs, where it decreases blood pressure and increases oxygenation of our tissues. When we mouth breathe we don’t get these benefits. Interestingly, studies have shown that humming increases nasal nitric oxide production, so your homework assignment is to hum throughout the day.
For most mouth breathers, switching to nasal breathing is mainly just a matter of remembering to do it. But there are three times when it can be more tricky: while sleeping, while congested, and while exercising.
If you keep your mouth closed while sleeping, chances are you’ll sleep better, snore less, wake up with sweeter breath, and without a sore throat. Some scientists have also proposed that mouth breathing during sleep increases the need to urinate during the night, so switching to your nose may reduce your trips to the bathroom.
I’ve found that blowing my nose before bed and simply intending to keep my mouth closed while asleep works fairly well. If that doesn’t work for you, consider taping your mouth closed. I know it sounds weird and perhaps unpleasant, but it’s not bad. Just use a small piece of medical tape (about an inch) vertically over the center of your lips. 3M paper tape is a good choice. If this makes you psychologically uncomfortable, try taping your mouth half an hour before going to sleep so you can get used to it. Or try taping just one side of your mouth. (Don’t tape your mouth if you’re drunk or have a health issue that may necessitate an urgent need to open your mouth or an obstruction of your nose. It’s also a good idea to leave at least a corner of your mouth not taped.) Having a bedroom that’s cool, airy, and clean will help.
It’s totally normal to breathe through your mouth while engaged in intense exercise. Just watch people jogging down the street and note how many have an open mouth. It takes practice and effort to break yourself of this habit, and it may feel at first like you simply can’t get enough air in through your nose. But you’ll find that your nasal breaths are longer and deeper. Your breathing rate will slow down considerably and so will your heart rate. Plus, you’ll get more oxygen into your body and at the end of your workout you’ll feel invigorated.
If you have a hard time breathing through your nose because you’re congested, there are a few options. Obviously if you’re sick you may just have to wait for it to pass, and if you have allergies you’ll have to do your best to avoid allergens and treat your allergy symptoms with whatever works (some natural options include quercetin, nettle extract, liposomal vitamin C, n-acetyl cysteine, and a supplement called Antronex made by the company Standard Process [I have no relationship with them]).
But simply breathing through your nose anyway can often encourage it to clear. At the beginning you may have to enlist your mouth to assist, but if you continue to breathe exclusively through your mouth your nose will be less apt to clear. Just try to breathe through your nose and notice its ability to clear itself.
Finally, there are some specific breathing techniques for unblocking your nose, one of which is simply to hold your breath for as long as you can while nodding your head up and down or swaying your torso from side to side, then releasing the breath through the nose. Within five breaths this usually works. Here’s a video of it. You may also benefit from nasal rinsing (AKA “neti”) followed by nasal lubrication. We make a Nasal Oil for this purpose which I formulated.
I would love to hear about your experience with mouth breathing and nose breathing. Share with us in the comments section.
Be well,
Dr. Peter Borten
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When I was learning acupuncture I heard about a phenomenon called “needle shock” (AKA “vasovagal response”) where someone suddenly feels lightheaded, nauseous, or passes out when a needle is stuck in their body. It’s rare and usually harmless but pretty unpleasant for the person experiencing it. So all interns were instructed in ways to alleviate it – have them lie down, take the needle out, press on certain points, etc.
During my internship I was paired with another intern who was rather eccentric but full of good ideas. As we were stepping into a treatment room, I mentioned that the woman we were about to treat had a history of needle shock. He smiled at me and said, “I saw that in her chart.” Then he pointed to the pocket of his lab coat which seemed to contain a small ball. I didn’t have a chance to ask what it was as we greeted the patient.
We made sure the woman was lying down and relaxed before inserting any needles, but as soon as the first one went in her face turned pale and her skin became cold and clammy. As she told us, “I’m going to faint,” and I scrambled to remember what to do, my partner pulled out a small orange and tore open the peel right beneath her nose.
She looked a bit shocked but also awake and clear. Immediately the color came back to her face and she appeared more grounded. “Is that an orange?,” she asked, “I feel better.” We proceeded to insert another dozen-or-so needles and she did fine.
This kindled my interest in aromatherapy, a field that was rather small at the time but has exploded in the decades since. Meanwhile, numerous studies have shown that inhaling citrus oils can have positive effects on mood.1 In one, patients in a dental office who were exposed to orange oil felt less anxious.2 In others, inhalation of bergamot oil (the bitter orange that gives Earl Grey tea its characteristic flavor) has demonstrated benefits against anxiety and depression.3
For what it’s worth, I think it wasn’t just the biological effect of orange oil that produced the dramatic shift in this patient, but also the role of the unexpected, the value of distraction, the intense stimulus of the release of orange oil beneath her nose, and perhaps her own positive associations with the scent. But these factors are part of what makes aromatherapy fascinating. It’s not just a matter of physiological impact, but also the roles of memory, association, and pleasure.
Generally speaking, all the citrus peel oils – orange, bergamot, lemon, lime, grapefruit, and tangerine –have these calming/uplifting effects when inhaled, with slight nuances between them. (I think of tangerine as the most uplifting and lime as the most calming, but you can experiment and see for yourself.) Diffusing a combination of a few – or using citrus peel or essential oil around the house, in homemade cleaners, as a spritz for laundry, or in your drinking water – is often most effective.
Despite my love of essential oils, I don’t feel altogether great about the aromatherapy field today. As a medical system, it’s in its infancy. There’s very little historical use and literature on essential oils and not much of a scientific framework for when and how to use which oils. They’re often overused, taken internally without good evidence of safety, and touted as panaceas. Much of this trend has been promoted by the manufacturers and multi-level-marketers of the oils. Essential oil production can also be rather wasteful. In many cases it takes vast amounts of dry plant matter to produce a minuscule amount of essential oil, which is really something of a luxury.
So I recommend treating these oils as the precious and potent substances they are. But I have less concern with citrus oils because they’re cheap, abundant, and generally very safe. Squeeze (the orange side of) an orange peel at a candle flame and you’ll see it flare – that’s orange oil, and there’s lots of it. The citrus oils are easily cold-pressed or distilled from peels, which are often left over from juice producers anyway. The main constituent of these oils, a compound called d-limonene, is used as a cleaner and degreaser and is also taken internally in capsules for alleviating heartburn, dissolving gallstones, and may have some value in cancer treatment.
Two caveats though: (1) citrus oils on the skin can sometimes cause irritation or make it easier to get a sunburn (this is probably more common with cold pressed citrus oils and less common in steam distilled citrus oils), (2) citrus and many other essential oils may be toxic to cats, so be safe if you have feline companions.
Enjoy the spring weather with the bright scent and uplifting effect of these amazing peels!
Love,
Peter
- Agatonovic-Kustrin, S. Anxiolytic Terpenoids and Aromatherapy for Anxiety and Depression, Springer, 18 Apr. 2020, link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-3-030-42667-5_11.
- Lehrner J;Marwinski G;Lehr S;Johren P;Deecke L; “Ambient Odors of Orange and Lavender Reduce Anxiety and Improve Mood in a Dental Office.” Physiology & Behavior, U.S. National Library of Medicine, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16095639/.
- Watanabe E;Kuchta K;Kimura M;Rauwald HW;Kamei T;Imanishi J; “Effects of Bergamot ( Citrus Bergamia (Risso) Wright & Arn.) Essential Oil Aromatherapy on Mood States, Parasympathetic Nervous System Activity, and Salivary Cortisol Levels in 41 Healthy Females.” Forschende Komplementarmedizin (2006), U.S. National Library of Medicine, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25824404/.
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About ten years ago I wrote a series on longevity. Since then, my thinking has changed a little and the world has changed a lot, so I decided it’s time to revisit the topic. Most importantly, I’ve wanted to get our community to focus on reasons to live rather than the fear of dying. My recommendations so far have been: (1) Love life and live for the present (2) Work, stretch, and relax all parts of yourself (3) Dance with consciousness (4) Reduce media consumption (5) Pay attention to your breathing (6) Eat less (7) Prioritize community and service (8) Exchange love and touch (9) Optimize your sleep (10) Laugh more (11) Keep your heart open. You can read each of these articles on our site.
This week we’ll look at some Daoist perspectives on longevity. Longevity and immortality are goals mentioned frequently in early works of Daoism (Taoism). I have translations of old texts that detail methods for avoiding an early death: withholding ejaculation; drinking elixirs made from special herbs, metals, and animal parts; performing certain rituals at auspicious times; and wearing magical amulets. I’m not entirely convinced that these approaches prevent death, but I do have great reverence for the way of life Daoism prescribes, the essence of which is beautifully conveyed in the ancient books Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching), Yi Jing (I Ching), and Zhuang Zi (Chuang Tzu). I recommend everyone has a copy of at least the first of these.
#12: Simplify.
One of the virtues mentioned in Dao De Jing is jian which means simplicity or frugality. It’s pretty much the antithesis of the trend among modern humans to be perpetually busy and acquire ever more stuff, more complexity, and more information. We tend to believe we need to do more and accumulate more in order to be safe, knowledgeable, in control, approved of, and happy. I would guess that most of us also have a hidden belief that our acquisitions will tether us to life and protect us from death. In practice, however, the more we subtract from our physical and psychic hoard, the freer we are, and the less encumbered our lifeforce is.
Frugality isn’t just a matter of being economical with money. It means not seeking to acquire what we already have or don’t need. It means curtailing useless expenditures of energy. It means not generating needless complications. It means keeping life simple by knowing what matters most and consistently prioritizing that above all else. It means utilizing the currents of life to get where we want to go. Dao, like water, takes the simplest path – the path of least resistance. Speaking of which . . .
#13: Go with the Flow / Don’t Resist.
I could write a whole book on this concept, but in the spirit of simplicity I’ll keep it brief. Going with the flow could be seen as an extension of simplicity, but it’s worth exploring this idea separately because it’s just so important. The nature of life is to change and flow, yet one of our primal impulses is to resist, to say, “No” to everything that makes us uncomfortable. It’s natural to do this, but it almost never improves our circumstances or experiences.
If we momentarily resist something and then relax and accept it, we get right back into the flow. But when resistance is held in a prolonged way – like longstanding grievances, fears, ongoing stresses, etc. – it becomes pathological. Resistance eventually leads to stagnation, and stagnation – whether physical or psychological – squelches the flow of life and feels bad. It can make us sick in all sorts of ways. Sadly, we tend to resist feeling the discomfort that stagnation causes, which of course leads to more resistance and more stagnation.
The solution is to stop resisting. Feel willing what’s happening in your body – including the felt experience that arises whenever you resist something. Get to know this feeling and see how readily you can relinquish it. It’s also worthwhile to dive into the feeling and see what it can teach you about yourself. What happens when you “turn toward it” and let yourself be curious about it? We have a workbook called Freedom to help you through this process.
#14: Be One with Nature.
The natural world birthed the human species and all other lifeforms that share the planet with us. It provides for all our needs. Everything – even the “manmade” stuff – is supplied by Nature. And yet, it’s easy as a modern human to live in a way that’s utterly disconnected from it.
When we’re disconnected from Nature we lose something – a source of calibration and wisdom. It’s like a nutrient deficiency that hasn't yet been defined by science. When we reconnect with Nature there are measurable positive impacts on our physical, psychological, and spiritual health. Cultivating reverence for Nature and our place in it can profoundly change our lives. It slows us down. It helps us pay attention to the details. It gives us perspective. It reminds us to be fascinated. It’s a wonderful, perennial teacher.
If we endeavor to live a longer, richer life, we might start by asking, what is this life thing? What are its patterns and cycles? How and why does it start and end? What are its limitations? What feeds it and stifles it? It’s fine to consider the ideas of doctors, scientists, philosophers, preachers, and spiritual gurus. But we’ll only get a narrow slice of the truth if this conversation is limited to what other humans think about humanity. It’s like trying to fathom Pakistani culture without actually visiting Pakistan.
When we enter direct conversation with the natural world and life itself, we find there’s no end to what we can learn and how we can grow. The deepest revelations can’t be conveyed through an intermediary.
We belong to Nature, not the other way around. Remembering our place in the natural world gives us a sense of wholeness and belonging; of being fully alive; of being part of something infinite and undying; of being supported and guided. It also prompts us to recognize that the way we treat our world has a direct impact on the whole system – ourselves included – and this makes the longevity conversation more holistic. Instead of asking, “How can I get more life?” we find ourselves asking, “How can I honor my species … and all species … and this magnificent planet … and the Source of everything?”
Be well,
Peter
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