How to Lower Your Blood Pressure with a Simple Exercise from James Nestor 

Thank you for a great insight into breathing lovely video to listen to but at 4 minutes you did say double the amount of inhale if you want to relax . I think you meant to say double the amount of exhale if you want to relax

Very nice video, but what is absolutely superb is James Nestor's book BREATH. I am an MD in Internal Medicine, have learned a lot about Yoga too, and yet I learned quite a bit from the book. Anyhow here's an anecdote which explains that unless accompanied by great relaxation, just counting the breath isn't going to do it. A patient of mine aged around 70 came to me (this was about five years ago; I retired three years ago) for a routine check. Her BP was 240/120, a dangerously high BP. She had no symptoms at all! My first thought was to rush her to the nearest emergency room but I said, no we can handle this. I had her lie back on the exam table and raised the head end up a bit. I had her relax, put her right hand on her belly, and encouraged her to relax, relax, and breathe gently into her belly. I did not have her count her breaths. The focus was on relaxation and gentle belly breaths. I used my watch and had her do this for exactly three minutes. Checked her BP right after, and it had come down to 140/90. BP DOWN BY ONE HUNDRED POINTS SYSTOLIC IN THREE MINUTES!!! But I was not at all surprised. Inner, unexpressed stress causes havoc to the body. It really does.

Yes..thankyou! When i,m having an anxiety attack..the slow breathing does help!

I do breathing every day 5-6 in and the same out for about 20 min. Had a high blood pressure for which doctor prescribed pills. I am 85, my entire life had headaches. Not any more. Stop measuring blood pressure. Walking also helps.

I have read your book and using some of your methods. Thank you for helping so many by sharing your knowledge.

Thank you for all advices

hi very well explained----- I mean very well explained. This speaker is not only funny at the beginning, but he definitely has a way to get you to pay attention with what he is saying--its his personality, his manner and his voice. Great job. Tricia in Hawaii

Thank you so much, you’ve helped me a lot

Thank you so much, this is so good and easy to do.

I do it and it works every time!

Glad to see someone is drawing attention to breath control again. It is an indispensable part of Yoga and martial arts and used to be taught in our classic western schools of fitness and physical culture. Thanks for the tip on lowering the blood pressure I have been looking for something on that as I am starting to have issues with it at my age.

Thanks Mr Nestor,read your book a couple of months ago, brilliant 👏

Thank You😊

Great video thank you 😊

Thank you

This really does work!💞

Hi James, I'm currently reading your book in Spanish -titled RESPIRA- and it's awesome. It has to be red very slowly, looking at the interesting references in the second part of the book. I recommend it and I'm pleased to listen to you thanks to attractive videos, like this. Keep helping everyone.

I'm 58 years old with high blood pressure I keep it down with this and other techniques. 🧘🏾‍♂️

Excellent! This has been working for me and it's nice to know some of the science behind it. Thanks!

Thank you for this. I've been doing 4,7,8 deep breathing exercises.

Thank you for teaching me to breath correctly 🙏

thank you sir!

I've been having some blood pressure issues and I'm doing at home monitoring so my doctor can see the results. After watching this video and practicing what you said, this is the first time in the last 100+ BP measurements I've taken that I'm below 130/85

thank you so much! I've read your book, but it's great to listen to you.

A big thank you.

Thanks....

Thank you, Mr. Nestor, for putting in the work so that the rest of us may breathe a little (or a lot) easier. What a game-changer!

Ty!

Life saving video

Good advise! It seems to work for me!

Thank you Mr. Nestor. Your book and videos have had a profound effect on my life.

I'm shocked, it worked, thanks very much!

Awesome James,Thank you!!

Thanks so much. This is very helpful!

I’m so thankful I found this. I constantly hold my breath

btw in blood pressue readings: no need to record b4 & after ..strap on a smart watch with H/R sensor ... and watch it happen....!

I have tried all kinds of things for blood pressure. The deep breathing thing doesn't work for me. What works (for me) is to let my body "die" (eyes closed, barely breathing and my body is limp and lifeless). Then my BP goes down and my heartbeat is near 50 BPM. My BP goes down to as low as 117/65. Now-a-days, when I do this "exercise," I often start seeing vivid images and close ups of people places and thing and strangely different than reality. - Years ago, I practiced the Silva Mind Control bio-feedback device where you could hear your EKG heartbeat and you consciously made the beeping go lower and lower. It can be done. But it is mentally exhausting and not relaxing at all. - Once a year, truck drivers have to take a physical exam. I tell big, fat, truck drivers to lay on their left (heart) side and teach them how to be dead for 15 minutes and then I take their BP. It works for them too. -

Can i just always inhale 3 seconds and exhale 6 seconds? Its so calming. I love it. It helps me with my anxiety

Did 170 down to 140 easy, but have to keep at it. Need to remember make a routine of it to mindset it.

thanks a bunch; my heartbeat sometimes scares me, it is so loud; I've not known what to do. slow breathing!

I like the USED stickers and library spine labels on the books behind him. An honest man!

I get low blood pressure when I am dry fasting if i do a longer in breath will this raise it?

Life changing breathwork. It’s allowed me to stop taking blood pressure medicine. Thank you !

I wish u put a cd and RU-vid session guided to relax breathing

I breathe this way when I take my daily 2 mile walk. Afterward, my blood pressure is usually much lower. I'm trying to train myself to breathe this way as much as I can during the day because I tend to tense up and hold my breath at my desk.

I had anxiety dissorder panic attack too once my bp was 100/150 then istart brisk walking hard exersises breathing under 7 in one minutes now my bp is 60/110 at any time resting heart rate 45...50 breathing works a lot for bp sure

Thanks for making this video. Sounds crazy this morning I was 140 over 78, (its lunch time now) I did your breathing 4 in 8 out got me down to 108 over 64...thanks I'm going to start doing this 3 times a day thank you so much for sharing this knowledge!

can i know when you said exhale ; is through the nose or mouth? Tq

This is yoga basically and it is 5000 years old yoga which is done in india. Pranayam has lot of breathing techniques .

Pranayama is the mother of this knowledge about breathing

How often do you do breathing techniques?

Great

It works! Thank you

Top!!

I have to inhale 10, exhale 20 to really feel it. I practice yoga and diaphragmatic breathing but not consistently enough to not have hbp. This way also helped with a migraine when combined with stretching. thx!

I live on a hill and have to do this to make it up whenvi manage to go down . At 81 it does help me to just walk.

The Japanese Rinzai Zen tradition has known about this method for centuries. It is actually called 'sussokan' and is practiced during meditation. Thanks for bringing it to more people now.

Re the confusion. It's simple. If you're breathing 2 in 4 out, double them both, so 4 in 8 out.

Do you exhale through mouth or nose ?

Cheers

Hello from Malaysia. May I ask. Is this exercise only lowering your blood pressure temporarily ?

I would have thought exhaling longer is better to lower blood pressure. Dr Richard Brown has used the 5 or 6 breaths a minute equal lengths for trauma, used following 9/11 with patients. It definitely got me out of tachycardia at a conference on mental health in London..

I’ve been doing this buteyko breathing. I think it’s same.

thank xou so much

His does this compare to the 4,7,8 where the 7 indicates duration breath is held .

Thank you for your kindness help🙏. I would like to know after I do this breathing technique 2 minutes, my B/P going down, but it comes up again after a few minutes. So how many times I have to do breathing to keep my B/P not go up again? Best Regards mr James Nestor.

What did I do wrong? When I practice this coherent breathing method (6 seconds slow in - 6 secondes slow out), my blood pressure doesn't go down. It increased fom 127:93 (before) to 142:97 (after). It seems like the breathing method leads to the opposite.

Hello:). Excellent. Consider doing a video of relaxation. As you speak.

An ENT discovered a partially deviated septum 4 years ago and did nothing about it, along with chronic sinusitis. I have this tremendous head pressure that affects sleep, breathing and brain fog. These breathing techniques are hard to do. The one nostril always feels congested and the deep inhalation triggers pressure all over the head. My throat is also tight and can't generate deep nose breathing. The only way I can generate a really good deep breath is through the mouth. When I nap during the day I can catch myself snoring. It feels like a shift in sinuses. At night I might but I sleep a little deeper so I would not know. I am certain that unless there is night time congestion I normally sleep mouth closed and through my nose, albeit very shallow. I've also realized recently that either my tongue has widened or my mouth has narrowed because I find myself constantly biting the sides of my tongue with my back and side molars.

this is real im 29 and had 140/105 for two days no drop and i did this and went to 120/75 . i dont know why bp is high mb bad diet but this thing lowered it for now, thank you!

I play clarinet so longer exhale than inhale is normal for me

Damn That shit Worked WOW! 15 points exactly Thank You... I never breathe correctly... I needed this

I think he misspoke at the end....he meant double the time it takes to exhale, not inhale.

Breathe in and out through my nose or mouth?

In through nose and out through mouth?

Breathe in nose and out mouth?

I think you stated it backwards near the end. Double the time to exhale rather than inhale. Correct?

please make one video on NINJA OKINAGO BREATHING, NO ONE FOCUS ON THIS METHOD.

I was skeptical until I did it. My systolic drops a good 10 to 15 pts and diastolic about 5 pts

its too simple 4 people think it means anything.... just like when a doctor 20 years ago told me to chew my food longer. If worked, fixed years of indigestion and bloating overnight. Its not even something new, ie. yoga, but its about we humans evolving away from ours instincts. Now there a topic for another book.

Subbed you

So it’s suppose to breathe in with nose and exhale with mouth or with nose itself? I know it’s a dumb question but just to confirm that’s it…Thanks in advance!

Stephen elliot coherent breathing

Exhale out of the nose or?

Do we increase the inhale to calm? I thought the opposite is true.

Wim Hof method

I do controlled breathing exercises before I get out if bed in the morning and my body is so full of oxygen that it makes my muscles act like they are only ten years old. I'm much older than that.

Question is exhausting with mouth open or close?

120/80.... My blood pressure reading today. 150 kgs.... Using nose breathing

Inhale nose exhale mouth?

Thank you..you are a handsome man..no disrespect..

👏👏👏

I’ve been doing this for years it has benefits but my blood pressure is still very high made no difference at all.

3min28 double the time you exhale and not inhale as said. Before going to bed

I am +70 and my blood pressure and pulse are at zero, what should I do??🤣🤣 Joking😂

Perhaps Professors at Colombia University are just quoting from the Ancient Indian practice of Pranayama, they haven't discovered anything new

I am reading comments about your book on blood pressure but no one mentioned the name, I would like to get it, can you tell me the name of your book?

yup no real right or wrong ... 500 waYs 2 do it ... keeps u stimulated & complements yr mood on any given day.... :)

*3:32**, did he mean to say EXHALE???!!!*

And if you have low blood pressure, then what?