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Breathing Tests to aid high blood pressure, anxiety, energy, weight loss, stress management, sleep, speaking, singing, longevity, sex and much more.









Michael Grant White, The Optimal Breathing Coach.
704.597.6775 Eastern Time Zone

Breath is life. How good is
YOUR breathing?

For some, breathing development is of the utmost importance, right now. For everyone else it is an indispensable aid to superior health, peak performance, and life extension. The breathing pattern to the right may be too fast or too slow for you but try breathing with it anyway. How does it make you feel? Energized? Calm? Anxious?

It is just a beginning introduction. Like a friendly handshake and eye contact leading to a deeper relationship with you and your breathing and many other incredible possibilities.

Oxygen is our primary source of energy by over one hundred thousand to one and the lungs are the primary oxygen provider.  If you do nothing about it, 45% of your lung volume is gone by age 70!  As you age, cells in your lungs start to die off faster than you replace them. The same occurs with you lungs. They shrink in size and ability to absorb oxygen. The smaller your lungs, the greater your chance of getting sick or dying – of almost ALL causes!

Is the way you breathe making you sick, stealing your energy, hampering your productivity or shortening your life? We can’t use a clock or a scale or a ruler for things like being honest, persistent, kind, or tidy but with many other things in life if you can't measure it you can't manage it.

YOU can make shrinking lungs – and shortened "healthspans" – a thing of the past!

But first find out how good your breathing is compared to others.

How good is YOUR breathing?
Take our Free Breathing Test and see!

Take 20 minutes to find out. Receive your answers and our recommendations immediately.

  • Could any of your health, wellness, or performance goals be hindered by incorrect breathing?
  • Do you have restricted, shallow, under, or overbreathing?
  • Do you have or suspect a breathing problem?
  • Take this free breathing test. Then learn to feel and perform better!
  • You will receive answers and recommendations to your home or office email address.

Did you know that findings resulting from a 5,200-person clinical study group observed over a 30-year span showed that pulmonary function measurement is an indicator of general health and vigor and literally the primary measure of potential life span?
Go straight to test or  scroll down

Did you know that the average person reaches peak respiratory function and lung capacity in their mid 20's? Then they begin to lose respiratory capacity: between 9 and 25% for every decade of life! So, unless you are doing something to maintain or improve your breathing capacity, it will decline, and with it, your general health, your life expectancy, and for that matter, your spirit too!

Did you know that given an optimal diet, the respiratory system should be responsible for eliminating 70% of your metabolic waste? The remainder should be eliminated through defecation 3%, urination 8%, and perspiration 19%. So, if you think that going to the bathroom everyday is important, or that working up a good sweat now and then is healthy, think again about the value of full free optimal breathing!

Did you know that most people have unhealthy breathing habits? They hold their breath or breathe high in the chest or in a shallow, irregular manner. These patterns have been unconsciously adopted, accidentally formed, or emotionally impressed. Certain "typical" breathing patterns actually trigger physiological and psychological stress and anxiety reactions!

For good to optimal health, you must:

  • Learn how well you breathe.
  • Learn what that may have to do with your overall state of health.
  • Learn how to develop your breathing to optimize it, increase your energy, improve your health, and strengthen everything else that is affected by good or bad breathing. Breath is life.
  • Pay particular attention to the answers that contain UDB.

Heart attacks, cancer, strokes, pneumonia, asthma, speech problems, and almost every disease known to mankind is worsened or improved by how well we breathe, the quality of our respiration.

According to several European medical doctors and numerous Taoist, Buddhist, Hindu, Hawaiian, and Native American healers and spiritual teachers, there are at least 200 conditions of life and diseases that relate directly to incorrect breathing. America's own Dr. Andrew Weil states that "Improper breathing is a common cause of ill health."

Self-evaluation of respiratory deterioration was significantly predictive of death from all causes. Kauffmann F, Annesi I, Chwalow J - Epidemiological Research Unit INSERM U 209, Villejuif, France. European Respiratory Journal 2090 Nov; 2822:2888-2828

People who breathe optimally rarely or never get sick. They live a lot longer too!

If you can't measure it you can't manage it.
There are ways of your telling yourself how good your breathing is and the relationship to how long and healthy you may live due to good or bad breathing. There are simple painless breathing skills, techniques, exercises, non-exercises, drugless and dietary ways of rapidly developing your breathing regardless of who or where you are and what condition you are in.

No time for the tests now, maybe later.  Subscribe me

To reduce possible distortion of your answers, we suggest you take the tests no more than once in 24 hours.

Please don’t try too hard. Use the tests as a way to learn more about your own current way of breathing. And whatever the numbers seem to tell you, don’t be frightened or elated by the results. Clearly, you would not be exploring breathing if you didn’t already know or sense that your own breathing is not as complete, natural, effective, and free as it could be, no matter what the test results tell you. With breathing, it may or may not serve you to compare yourself with someone else. What is most important is to feel each day that your breathing is becoming freer, stronger, more like yourself, and more natural.

Tests for Limitations, Causes, and Positive Indicators of Optimal Breathing Functionality A-Z

© 2012 Michael Grant White. All rights reserved.

Please answer the questions below, and fill out your name and e-mail address at the bottom of this page. As soon as you finish the test, you will be forwarded to your test answers and our recommendations. You will also receive a copy of your answers and our recommendations by email.

You will not be put on any email list. You will have to subscribe separately of you wish to receive our free newsletter.

A. Breathing Volume and Oxygen Uptake Efficiency

Lie, sit or stand. Standing is best, sitting next. If you stand, then bend your knees very slightly. Take as large an in-breath as possible and then as as fast as you can but still be understood, quickly, quietly, cleanly, and clearly as you can (like an auctioneer who is almost whispering or a speed talker but still clearly understood), count up to as high of a number as you can on this one long extended exhale. Be sure to count out loud, do not just count in your head. Squeeze that last bit of air out with your stomach muscles pulled inward to get to as high a number as possible. Note the number down and try it again. Try it a third time if you think the number will be much different.

Do not:

  • Inhale during counting
  • Skip any numbers
  • Hold your breath
  • Breathe IN and count at the same time
  • Whisper
Do:
  • Start again at 1 if you reach 100
  • Make sure you include the beginnings of each number such as the thirty in thirty-three.
  • Repeat the tests in the same position you were in for the previous tests.
OK, try it now.

How high a number did you reach in that ONE long exhaled breath?

Answer #A
Keep Going!

B. Complete Breaths at Rest

While standing, sitting, or lying down, observe your natural breathing pattern at rest. Using a watch, count your complete breaths in one minute. A complete breath is one inhale and one exhale and possibly a pause at the end of the exhale.

How many complete breaths did you have in one minute?

Answer #B
Keep Going!

C. Breathing Pauses

The breathing pause refers to any period of time between the end of a natural exhale and the beginning of the next inhale. That is, a period of time when the breathing seems to PAUSE and not do anything at all. If the next inhale begins immediately after the exhale before, then there is NO breathing pause.

Observe your natural breathing pattern at rest, and notice whether or not there is any pause for a second or more between the exhale and next inhale.

Do you have this much breathing pause or not?

Yes     No
Keep Going!

D. Breathing Pause Extension

At the bottom or end of a natural exhale, resist breathing in as long as you possibly can, even when moderate discomfort arrives, but without trying to exhale further and/or tightening your stomach muscles. Do not do it so long that you pass out. Time it in seconds.

How many seconds long is your extended pause?

Answer #D
Keep Going!

E. Unbalanced Breathing

1. Accessory Breathing Muscles

Stand and look into a mirror or close your eyes and feel what occurs or ask someone to observe you, or recall similar situations in the past. Take a very deep breath, as deep as you can. When you breathe in very deeply:

a. Do you raise your collar bones?
b. Do you raise your shoulders?
c. Do your neck muscles bulge out?
d. Do your ribs flair outward at bottom during inhale?
e. Do you get a headache when trying to breathe deeply?
f. Do you get dizzy when trying to breathe deeply?
g. None of the above

2. Day To Day Breathing Experiences That Seem Too Often or Excessive

a. Shortness of breath
b. Cannot walk and talk to someone at the same time without becoming short of breath
c. Any hobbies affected by breathing?
d. You can become severely out of breath when engaged in heavy exercise.
e. You have to breathe harder than normal when walking on inclines or when you are hurrying on level ground.
f. You can still function adequately, but you cannot keep up with people of your own age and physique during a stroll on level ground.
g. Even the mildest exertion makes you out of breath. You cannot walk one city block or climb a flight of stairs without stopping to gasp for air.
h. Hold breath a lot
i. Gasping
j. Breath heaving
k. Wheezing
l. Breathing is heavy or labored
m. Breathing is forced instead of easy and effortless
n. Breathing is jerky, erratic, or irregular
o. Breathing is shallow
p. Frequently have tentative or hesitant breathing
q. Breathe through mouth often
r. Hyperventilation or overbreathing
s. Breathing is easily audible
t. Sigh or yawn often
u. Often catch yourself not breathing during waking hours
v. Feelings of suffocation
w. Breathing feels small, unsatisfying, or inadequate
x. Breathing feels weak or like it's barely there
y. Breathing is suppressed or held back
z. Breathing seems to go in the wrong place or just doesn't feel right
aa. Are you frequently concerned or worried about your breathing?
bb. None of the above
Keep Going!

F. Belly or Chest Breather?

Stand and place your left hand on your chest and your right hand on your belly. Now breathe in. Does your left hand rise first?

Yes (Chest)    No (Belly)
Keep Going!

G. Physical Restrictions

Take the deepest in-breath you can and see if you experience:
  1. Shortness of breath, unsatisfying breath, breathlessness, or air hunger
  2. Can't catch breath or deep breathing curtailed, can't get "over the hump"
  3. Breathing feels stuck
  4. Feel a hitch, bump or lump right below your breastbone when you try to take a deep breath
  5. Breathing feels like a series of events instead of one smooth internally coordinated, continuous flow
  6. Breathing is labored or restricted
  7. Tightness, soreness or pressure in the chest or below breast bone
  8. Sore deep pain feeling like a band across the chest
  9. Pulsing or stabbing feeling in and around ribs
  10. Tense overall feeling
  11. Side stitches
  12. Chest wall tenderness
  13. Chest is large and stiff
  14. Sunken or depressed chest
  15. Scoliosis or abnormal curvature of spine
  16. Jaw tension
  17. Shoulder tension
  18. Stiff neck
  19. Tightness around the mouth
  20. Tension around the eyes
  21. Lump in throat
  22. Wear tight or restrictive clothing including belts and bras
  23. Washboard abs
  24. None of the above
Keep Going!

H. Posture

1. Waking hours

a. Do you slouch, slump, bend forward, lean to one side, or sit/lie in a twisted position often?
b. Do you look down towards the floor or ground often?
c. Do you have good, relaxed, non-slouching posture?

2. Sleeping hours

Do you sleep on your (check any that apply):

a. Back
b. Side
c. Stomach
Keep Going!

I. Sitting Positions

Do you often experience:
  1. Get drowsy driving a vehicle
  2. Often fall asleep while sitting up when you would rather have watched the program, heard the speaker, seen the game, etc.?
  3. Get really bad jet lag
  4. Do you sit in a car, bus, train, plane or office seat more than a few hours daily?
  5. None of the above
Keep Going!

J. Positive Breathing Factors

1. Good Breathing Mechanics

Which of the following describe your usual breathing?

a. Satisfying
b. Deep and easy
c. Easy
d. Smooth and fluid
e. Balanced
f. Full
g. Free
h. Effortless
i. Relaxed
j. Strong
k. Abdominal, belly, or diaphragmatic
l. Through nose
m. Quiet
n. None of the above

2. Day To Day Conditions Associated with Good Breathing

a. You are never sick AND you do not take any prescription or over-the-counter medications
b. You wake up refreshed
c. You have steady to great energy throughout the day
d. You recover quickly from physical exertion or stress
e. You have a good mood and positive can-do attitude
f. You are clear-headed
g. You have a strong and free self expression and self esteem
h. You use your breathing to focus and center yourself to stay in present time
i. You recognize that fear, anger, rage, gasping and breath heaving and extreme forms of excitement such as exhilaration may invite restricted breathing and you know how to offset this
j. You recognize cold or clammy hands, muscle tension, and high blood pressure as signs of stress and control your breathing to help reduce them
k. You use easy, balanced, deep breathing as a means of helping your body heal itself of physical, as well as mental, and emotional, pain
l. You avoid polluted environments and minimize your contribution to air pollution
m. You have 5 or more healthy relationships with other human beings
n. None of the above
Keep Going!

K. Diagnosed Conditions

1. Diagnosed with (by a Physician or State Licensed Alternative Health Practitioner):

a. Abnormal ECG changes
b. Addictions to substances (eg. cigarettes/nicotine, alcohol, recreational drugs, etc.)
c. Addictions to activities (eg. over-work, over-achievement, compulsive gambling, spending money, sex, anger management issues, etc.)
d. Allergies
e. Anxiety and/or panic attacks
f. Asthma
g. Attention issues (ADD, ADHD, Dyslexia, etc.)
h. Bowel disorder
i. Bronchitis
j. Cancer
k. Chronic fatigue
l. Circulation disorder
m. COPD or other respiratory dysfunction
n. Depression
o. Diabetes
p. Eating disorder
q. Emotional disorder
r. Emphysema
s. Gland disorder
t. Heart disease
u. High blood pressure
v. Hypochondria
w. Liver disorder
x. Nervous system disorder
y. Obsessive/Compulsive disorder
z. Organ disorder
aa. Osteoporosis
bb. Overweight or Obese
cc. Phobias
dd. Skin disorder
ee. Speech or voice disorder
ff. Post Traumatic Syndrome (PTSD)
gg. Sleeping disorders
hh. Stomach disorder
ii. Stroke
jj. Thyroid disorder
kk. None of the above


2. Medical Care

Are you presently

a. Taking prescription medications?
b. Taking over-the-counter medications often?
c. Under a medical doctor's or alternative practitioner's care?
d. Planning immanent medical testing?
e. Received recent thoracic surgery?
f. Planning surgery?
g. None of the above

Keep Going!

L. Body Signals

  1. Frequent colds or flu (at least once a year)
  2. Chronic cough
  3. Clear throat often
  4. Headaches
  5. Get tired from reading out loud
  6. Chronic pain
  7. Reduced pain tolerance
  8. Repetitive strain injury
  9. Pain between the shoulder blades
  10. Aching, stiff, or weak limbs
  11. Cramps in belly or below sternum
  12. Lower chest, upper abdominal pain or tension
  13. Chest pain
  14. Back pain
  15. Phantom pain
  16. Excessive stress
  17. Pregnant
  18. Hormonal fluctuations
  19. Do you find that you often press your tongue to the top of your mouth?
  20. Grind or clench teeth
  21. Seizures, epileptic, grand mal, etc.
  22. Sallow complexion
  23. Blurred vision
  24. Sinusitis
  25. Hiccoughs/hiccups
  26. Dry mouth
  27. Nausea
  28. Irregular heartbeats or heart palpitations
  29. Resting pulse rate over 62
  30. Trembling/twitching
  31. Shivering/sweating
  32. Sweaty, clammy, or cold hands or feet
  33. Tingling in the hands and around the mouth
  34. Numbness
  35. Are you ticklish in the rib area?
  36. Bluish cast to lips
  37. Cold temperatures make breathing more difficult
  38. Often shift your weight from side to side while standing
  39. None of the above
Keep Going!

M. Mental Signals

  1. Poor memory
  2. Negative attitude
  3. Racing thoughts
  4. Confusion or disorientation
  5. Trouble concentrating or easily distracted
  6. Light headedness, feeling spaced out, dizziness
  7. Black-out/fainting
  8. Hallucinations
  9. None of the above
Keep Going!

N. Emotional Signals

  1. Anxiety and/or panic attacks
  2. Depression
  3. Apprehension, phobias, or excessive fear
  4. Low self esteem
  5. Excessive shyness
  6. Emotional swings
  7. Grief or loss of loved one
  8. Perfectionism
  9. Hyper-vigilance or Type A
  10. Road rage
  11. Excessive anger
  12. Abusive to others
  13. History of being abused
  14. Recreation drug usage
  15. Teenage stresses
  16. Extreme recent stress or emotional trauma
  17. Job loss or change
  18. Facing retirement
  19. Relationship troubles
  20. Impatient
  21. Irritable, short tempered, or overreacts
  22. Always on the run or in a hurry
  23. Apathy
  24. Get nervous easily
  25. None of the above
Keep Going!

O. Sleep and Energy

1. Sleep Quality

a. Do you snore?
b. Do you often suddenly wake up not breathing (ie. apnea)?
c. Do you often have trouble falling asleep at night?
d. Do you wake up in the middle of the night often?
e. Do you not sleep deeply or soundly enough?
f. Do you often have nightmares or bad dreams?
g. Do you wake up tired a lot?
h. Do you need to take naps often?
i. Do you take any sleep medications?
j. None of the above

2. Energy and Vitality

a. Work a night shift
b. Wake up tired
c. Energy is low
d. Just want more energy
e. Want increased sexual energy
f. Blood sugar is low
g. Fatigue
h. None of the above
Keep Going!

P. Food and Nutrition

1. Specific Foods

Indicate which of the following you consume on a regular basis.

a. Red meat (eg. Beef, pork, deer etc.)
b. Breads, cereals, grains
c. Pasteurized or homogenized dairy products
d. Chocolate
e. Refined sugar or artificial sweeteners
f. Salt your food before tasting it
g. Fried foods
h. Processed foods
i. Caffeine
j. Alcohol
k. None of the above

2. Water

How many 8-ounce glasses of water do you consume daily?

Answer #P2


3. Sunlight

Do you get less than 20 minutes of direct sunlight a day?

Yes   No
4. Raw and Cooked Foods

How much of your diet consist of fruits, vegetables, soaked or sprouted nuts, seeds, or grains that are raw (that is, uncooked, not canned, not frozen, and not processed)?

Note: Food items such as irradiated foods, breads, cereals, potato chips, roasted nuts, pasteurized milk, pasteurized orange juice etc. are NOT raw foods.

Less than 75%    75% or more
Keep Going!

Q. Bowel Movements

1. How often do you have a bowel movement?

Answer #Q


2. Do you often force a bowel movement?

Yes    No


3. Do you often spend more than 2 minutes on the toilet at one time?

Yes    No
Keep Going!

R. Digestion

  1. Ulcers
  2. You don't chew your food very much?
  3. You fall asleep or get very tired after meals?
  4. You eat quickly and talk a lot at meals?
  5. You drink liquid(s) during meals?
  6. You eat proteins, starches, grains, or fruit in any combination in the same meal?
  7. Reflux/heartburn
  8. Candida (diagnosed)
  9. Frequent air swallowing and/or belching
  10. Irritable bowel syndrome (diagnosed)
  11. Yeast infections
  12. Constipation
  13. Bloatedness
  14. Diarreah often
  15. Excessive gas (more than 10 times daily)
  16. Take stomach medicine such as Tums, Rolaids, etc?
  17. None of the above
Keep Going!

S. Environmental Risk Factors

1. General Environment

Are you often:

a. In an area with bad outdoor pollution/smog, etc.
b. In a building or home without open windows
c. In a building or home with indoor pollution
d. In a dusty home, office, or neighborhood
e. In a building or home with mold or mildew
f. None of the above
2. Exposure to Specific Substances

Have you been repeatedly exposed to:

a. Animals
b. Asbestos
c. Birds
d. Candles or incense
e. Cigarette or other tobacco smoke
f. Detergents
g. Fibers or fiber dust
h. Gasoline
i. Chemicals- Industrial, landscape, house-hold, environmental, or war-time
j. Mines/foundry
k. Paints or glues
l. Parasites (inside or outside the body)
m. Sandblasting
n. Solvents
o. Sprays/aerosols
p. Welding
q. Wood dust or smoke
r. Other possibilities of noxious exposure
s. None of the above
Keep Going!

T. Allergies

  1. Air Allergy -- Toxic/Pollutants
  2. Fragrance
  3. Food
  4. Skin
  5. Pollen/weeds
  6. Animals
  7. Do you sometimes get a stuffy or runny nose even when you don't have a cold?
  8. Clears throat often
  9. None of the above
Keep Going!

U. Smoking

1. Do you smoke tobacco, marijuana, hashish, etc.?

Yes    No


2. If you smoke, are you planning or trying to quit?

Yes    No
Keep Going!

V. Tasks, Abilities and Skills

1.Tasks and Abilities Needing or Wanting Improvement In

a. Sing, speak or play musical instrument better
b. Sports performance enhancement
c. Improved concentration
d. Better meditation
e. Improved stamina
f. Improved coordinated movement
g. Improved physical flexibility
h. Reducing performance anxiety
i. Increased productivity
j. None of the above

2.Voice Quality

Check any that apply

a. Clear, natural, dynamic, strong, or smooth
b. Weak, thin, whispery, strained, or squeaky
c. Nasal, throaty
d. Nervous quiver
e. Mumbles, slurred speech, or monotone
f. Stutters
g. Choppy, disconnected, fragmented speech
h. Hoarse, raspy, broken, or crackly
i. Breathy
j. Clears throat often
k. Nodules
l. Laryngitis
m. Spasmodic Dysphonia
n. Feel short of breath when speaking or singing
o. Other
You are almost finished

W. Exercise

  1. Sedentary-little to no exercise-desk job, etc.
  2. Somewhat active-light exercise or sports such as walking or light weight training 1-3 days a week
  3. Active-moderate exercise or sports like cycling, skiing, tennis, heavy weight training 3-5 days a week
  4. Very active-Hard exercise, life saving, hospital emergency room, police, firemen or sports such as soccer or basketball 3-5 days a week
  5. Extremely active-Hard & daily such as training or professional athlete
Keep Going!

X. Weight Loss Goals

1. Present height:

feet    and    inches

OR

centimeters

2. Present weight:

pounds

OR

kilograms

3. How much weight would you like to lose?

pounds

OR

kilograms

Keep Going!

Y. Desired Longevity

1. Present age

2. Sex: Male or Female


3. Science has proven that your breathing quantity and quality largely control how long you will live. Imagine your last day on earth. To what age do you wish to live?

years old

One last question

Z. Top Priority

The last question and most important. Which wellness or performance issues would you like to improve first? In the three boxes below, type your top three, in order of importance. If some were not included in the above tests answers, then add them too.

I want to improve:

#1:
#2:
#3:


Are there any comments you have about anything that was not included in the test?

Enter comments here
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The breathing improvement techniques, practices and products outlined in this publication are extremely gentle, and should, if carried out as described, be beneficial
to your overall physical and psychological health. If you have any serious medical or psychological problem, however, such as heart disease, high blood pressure,
cancer, mental illness, or recent abdominal or chest surgery, you should consult your health professional before undertaking these practices.

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