Breathwork with Niraj Naik

What Breathwork talked about

Niraj Naik discussed his development of Soma Breath, a rhythmic breathing method set to music combined with breath retention, which he says was studied by Cambridge researchers and produced altered-state experiences he compares to those from psychedelics like psilocybin. He traced his interest in breathwork back to being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in 2010, an illness that left him housebound for nearly a year.

He argued that intermittent hypoxia created by extended breath holds acts as a positive stressor on the body, prompting mitochondrial renewal and stem cell release, and described mitochondria as becoming 'fat and lazy' from constant oxygen supply. He also discussed how rhythmic breathing to music can trigger a release of anandamide, dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins, and touched on how nostril dominance relates to left- and right-brain activity and can be influenced through sleeping position or targeted breathing.

The show

The Total Entrepreneur is a weekly conversation with founders, researchers, and health experts about what actually moves entrepreneurial performance across mind, body, spirit, and business.