The Benefits of humming for a healthy life

The Benefits of Humming

Humming might seem like a simple, even absent-minded habit—but it turns out this gentle, soothing sound can offer a surprising range of health benefits for both body and mind. Whether you're humming your favorite tune or just a single tone, here's how this small act can make a big difference:

1. Activates the Vagus Nerve

Humming stimulates the vagus nerve, which is responsible for calming the nervous system. This can help reduce stress, lower heart rate, and promote a sense of well-being.

2. Improves Sinus Health

Humming increases airflow in the sinuses and helps open blocked nasal passages. This can support sinus drainage and may reduce the risk of infections or chronic sinusitis.

3. Promotes Deep Breathing

The act of humming naturally encourages slower, more conscious breathing. This supports better oxygenation, reduces anxiety, and can even help with conditions like high blood pressure.

4. Supports Vocal Cord and Throat Health

Humming gently exercises the vocal cords and can be a helpful warm-up for the voice. It's also soothing for the throat and may ease discomfort in people who talk a lot during the day.

5. Increases Nitric Oxide Production

Research shows that humming significantly increases the production of nitric oxide in the nasal passages—by up to 15 times. Nitric oxide has antiviral and antibacterial properties, supports immune function, and helps regulate blood flow.

6. Boosts Mood and Mental Clarity

Humming can release endorphins and create a meditative, mindful state. This helps lift mood, reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, and improve focus.

7. Enhances Meditation and Relaxation

When used in practices like yoga or mindfulness meditation, humming (such as chanting “Om”) can deepen the relaxation response and bring greater mental clarity and spiritual connection.

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In Summary:
Humming is a simple, accessible, and free tool to improve your health—physically, emotionally, and even spiritually. Next time you’re feeling tense, congested, or just need a mood boost, try humming for a few minutes. It’s a small act that hums with healing power.

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 Here are reputable sources supporting the benefits of humming:

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1. Activates the Vagus Nerve & Reduces Stress

• Source: Porges, S. W. (2011). The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological Foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self-regulation.

  • This foundational work explains how vocalizations like humming stimulate the vagus nerve, enhancing relaxation and parasympathetic nervous system activity.

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2. Improves Sinus Health & Nitric Oxide Production

• Source: Lundberg, J. O., & Weitzberg, E. (1999). “Humming greatly increases nasal nitric oxide.” American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 160(2), 911–914.

  • DOI: 10.1164/ajrccm.160.3.9811072

  • Found nitric oxide levels in the nasal passages increase 15-20x during humming, supporting sinus health and antimicrobial defense.

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3. Promotes Deep Breathing & Calms the Mind

• Source: Lehrer, P. M., & Gevirtz, R. (2014). “Heart rate variability biofeedback: how and why does it work?” Frontiers in Psychology, 5, 756.

  • Explains how slow, regular breathing (as with humming) calms the autonomic nervous system and enhances mood.

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4. Enhances Mood & Emotional Wellbeing

• Source: Kraus, T. et al. (2007). “Music in the treatment of depression.” Neuropsychobiology, 55(4), 193–200.

  • While this study focuses on music, it highlights how vocal sounds (including humming) stimulate endorphin release and improve emotional regulation.

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5. Vocal and Respiratory Benefits

• Source: Titze, I. R. (2000). Principles of Voice Production.

  • Discusses how vocalizations like humming warm up the voice and maintain vocal fold health.

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6. Meditation & Humming (e.g., “Om”)

• Source: Kumar, V., Nagendra, H., & Naveen, K. V. (2010). “Immediate effect of ‘OM’ chanting on cardiovascular parameters and heart rate variability.” Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, 54(2), 132–136.

  • Shows that chanting “Om” reduces heart rate and increases mental calmness, similar to effects from humming.

Winning is important to me, but...

 

Phil Jackson has won 13 NBA championships: 2 as a player and 11 as a coach.

So he sure knows how to win, but more important than that is his approach and what he has to say about winning which is important to living a good life...

Phil Jackson is known for his "zen" approach to the game of basketball. He coaches about focusing on the We rather than the me. A lesson for a team sport as well as for life in general. 

He has written a thought-provoking memoir in which he shows how he encourages his players to work with a clear mind - not thinking, just doing. 

Sacred Hoops: SPIRITUAL LESSONS OF A HARDWOOD WARRIOR by Phil Jackson.

"An earnest and refreshing answer to the dollar driven soullessness of modern professional sports." -- People

Phil Jackson is an American original. A two-time All-American at the University of North Dakota, in 1967 he was drafted by the New York Knicks, where he played for 11 years and was a member of the 1970 and 1973 championship teams. 

Jackson guided the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships in his nine years as head coach from 1989-1998, and guided the LA Lakers to three titles as their head coach from 1999-2004.

You can find out more about the book here. It can be purchased on kindle for only 2.99 or also as a paperback. 

Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson aka the Zen Master.

Philip Douglas "Phil" Jackson (born September 17, 1945) is an American professional basketball executive, former coach and former player, currently serving as president of the New York Knicks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). 

Jackson was the head coach of the Chicago Bulls from 1989 until 1998, during which Chicago won six NBA championships. His next team, the Los Angeles Lakers, won five championships from 2000 until 2010. 

Jackson in 2009

In total, Jackson has won 11 NBA titles as a coach, surpassing the previous record of nine set by Red Auerbach. 

Jackson is known for his use of Tex Winter's triangle offense as well as a holistic approach to coaching that is influenced by Eastern philosophy, earning him the nickname "Zen Master".

Jackson cites Robert Pirsig's book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance as one of the major guiding forces in his life. He also applies Native American spiritual practices as documented in his book Sacred Hoops. He is the author of several candid books about his teams and his basketball strategies. 

In 2007, Jackson was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. In 1996, as part of celebrations for the National Basketball Association's 50th anniversary, Jackson was named one of the 10 greatest coaches in league history. He retired from coaching in 2011 before joining the Knicks as an executive in March 2014.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 

Photo by Keith Allison from Baltimore, USA (RO9A3387) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

“There’s a Zen saying I often cite that goes, “Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.” The point: Stay focused on the task at hand rather than dwelling on the past or worrying about the future.”
― Phil Jackson, Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success.

12 creative little libraries from around the world.

Our cities are full of large libraries that are amazing and free, but here we have chosen to share the little tiny libraries that are springing up everywhere. These libraries can be created by anyone, anywhere and each one has a story to tell about the love of books, the love of sharing, and a sense of community.

Hundreds of little libraries have been created but not all of them have been photographed and shared. That’s why we set out to find as many little libraries as we could. We love how they add uniqueness to the areas of the cities and suburbs where they are found. We really enjoy the creativity that has gone into making these libraries and have included what we feel are the most creative from around the world.

We hope you enjoy this list of the most creative little libraries from around the world.

We would love to add more. Did we miss any from your neighborhood? Feel free to submit pictures at our Facebook or Twitter feeds to be added here or let us know in the comments below.

Tree stump library



Robot library Monica Thompson

Tardis in Kenmore Washington, USA. Jennifer Brozek

Wizard of Oz Tornado library Pomeroy Street MASSACHUSETTS, USA

Space age library

 

Winchester, Texas USA. 'We decided to build a library that reflected our small community.
A chicken coop theme fit us perfectly!' - Margaret Atkins.



Created by Stereotank, a public installation project providing New Yorkers
with a spontaneous opportunity to read a book.

Tree trunk library in Jackson Street Seattle, USA

Library in a phone booth

Public Bookshelf created in a bus stop in the city of Porto Alegre, Brazil

Book house in Maleny, Queensland, Australia.

 

Houston, Texas USA. A boat-shaped Library at the church for Clear Lake Community.
Diane Jones.

 

If after seeing these cute and worthwhile structures you may feel inspired to build your own out of an old cupboard or some other creative design in your head. There are people who can help you with the considerations that you may yet have not thought apart like "how do I keep my little library protected from the rain? " or "how wide should the shelves be to house most books?"

Little Free Libraries & Tiny Sheds: 12 Miniature Structures You Can Build is highly recommended, as the book you need, by The Little Free Library organization. Yes, there is an organization! They are a nonprofit organization based in Hudson, Wisconsin, USA. Little Free Library (LFL) is an award-winning nonprofit organization at the center of a global literacy movement. Find out more about it here.

This book is produced in cooperation with Little Free Library, and is a builder's complete source of inspiration and how-to knowledge. Illustrated throughout with colorful step-by-step photography and a gallery of tiny structures for further inspiration, Little Free Libraries and Tiny Sheds covers every step: planning and design, tools and building techniques, best materials, and 12 complete plans for structures of varying size and aesthetics. In addition, author and professional carpenter Phil Schmidt includes information on proper installation of small structures and common repairs and maintenance for down the road. You can check it out or purchase it here. 

Little Free Libraries and Tiny Sheds book cover

If you liked this article you may also like History of the Little Free Library which includes the benefits of running a little library.

History of the Little Free Library

IMAGE: Little Free Library

 

In its most basic form, a Little Free Library is a box full of books where anyone may stop by and pick up a book and bring back another book to share. It's a  neighbourhood book exchange. It’s a place where neighbours share their favourite books.

In 2009, Tod Bol decided to build a model schoolhouse as a tribute to his mother, a former school teacher who loved to read. He built it from recycled materials, filled it with books and placed it in his front garden in Wisconsin, USA with a sign that read ‘Little Free Library.’


Tod Bol's 1st little library

He made more little houses and gave them to family and friends and the idea for a global network of Little Free Libraries was born.

The most often quoted benefits of Little Free Libraries

• People meet more neighbours and passers-by than they have in years.
• They often spend time getting to know people as well as books.
• They value the free-wheeling exchange of books, especially because they are often surprised by the variety and quality of the collections.
• They like giving as much as –or perhaps even more than—taking books.
•  Little Free Libraries are likely to have a positive influence on community quality of life and social capital.
• Small, local business owners report that Little Free Libraries help them attract and keep customers.
• Children, youth and adults of all ages and backgrounds can share in the give and take. People of widely diverse socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds participate in this grassroots effort.

You can find out more about the Little Free Library here .

This is linked up at Read With Me

Awarded for services to the environment

Alison Teese was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for services to conservation and the environment at the 2015 Australia Day Awards. The OAM list provides national and formal recognition for Australians who have made a significant difference to their communities.

Alison Teese is a farmer who has been recognised for setting up a philanthropic trust to preserve the nation’s native eucalypt trees. She was raised on a dairy farm in Gippsland, Victoria, in Australia, and her early life shaped her passion for the land and natural science. Her work involves a range of projects that extends from creating bird habitats to conserving native trees.

In 1989, Alison became one of the founding members of the Moolort Landcare Group and still remains an active member today, as she continues to raise awareness of the environment including climate change and land management.

 

Landcare Australia Limited is the leading not-for-profit organisation responsible for raising awareness and funding for the Landcare movement.

 

SOURCE: Landcare's facebook page

 

Living plants generate electricity

A new type of sustainable energy is now available. Living plants are creating clean, renewable, sustainable, efficient, bioenergy.

Bioenergy is renewable energy made available from materials derived from biological sources.

Plant-e is a company that develops and produces products in which living plants generate electricity. To find out more please watch this video.

Reviving vital traditional knowledge

Slava Cheltuev, is a Telengit community leader and shaman from the Russian Altai Mountain's high altitude Kosh Agach district. 

Whilst traversing Altai's sacred lands, he reflects on our 21st century world and stresses the importance of reviving vital traditional knowledge - age-old wisdom that instruct the respectful and harmonious relationship between local environment and human behaviour.

Find out more from the man himself in the video below.

 

Pay it forward

International Pay it Forward Day is 

Thursday, April 28, 2016

Pay it Forward Day UK

Pay It Forward Foundation

Pay it forward is an expression used when someone who is done a good deed repays it to others not the original benefactor. The concept is old, but the term is quite recent:

• First use of the term may have been by Lily Hardy Hammond in her 1916 book In the Garden of Delight: "You don't pay love back; you pay it forward."
• The Pay it forward concept was the key plot element in an ancient Greek play from 317 BC called Dyskolos by Menander.
• The concept was described by Benjamin Franklin, in a letter to Benjamin Webb dated April 25, 1784:

I do not pretend to give such a deed; I only lend it to you. When you [...] meet with another honest Man in similar Distress, you must pay me by lending this Sum to him; enjoining him to discharge the Debt by a like operation, when he shall be able, and shall meet with another opportunity. I hope it may thus go thro' many hands, before it meets with a Knave that will stop its Progress. This is a trick of mine for doing a deal of good with a little money.

• The term "pay it forward" was used by Robert A. Heinlein in his book Between Planets, published in 1951
• In 2000, Catherine Ryan Hyde's novel Pay It Forward was adapted into a film of the same name, starring Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt and Haley Joel Osment. It describes creating a social movement of doing good deeds to make the world a better place.

Beautiful bicarb

Beautiful bicarb - Otherwise known as Bi-carb Soda or Baking Soda is cheap, easy to use and enviro friendly.  It has a myriad of uses.

Bicarb can:

• Deodorise your carpet - sprinkle on and leave 10 minutes, then vacuum .
• Absorb food odours - put a small container full in the fridge.
• Remove insecticides and pesticides from fruit and veg - wash produce in warm water which has bicarb in it.
• Restore stained tea cups - apply with a damp cloth and rub and rinse
• Clean juice, wine, and coffee stains from material - rub the spot with bicarb made to a paste with water before washing.
• Kills fleas - apply to pet's fur, wash off to prevent skin irritation.
• Clean iron plate - Mix to paste, rub on surface of iron, wipe off.
• Unclog and freshen drain - 1 cup baking soda and boiling water. 
• Mildly exfoliate your face - add  a few drops of water to bicarb to make a paste - rub on and rinse off.
• Prolong the life of cut flowers - Add a teaspoon of baking soda to a vase of freshly cut flowers.
• Whiten teeth - put bicarb and a drop of water on your toothbrush and scrub teeth about once a week.
• Clean kitchen benchtops - sprinkle with bicarb and add white vinegar - scrub and wipe off.
• Clean and shine Chrome - with Bicarb applied on a damp cloth.
• Remove sweat odours from fabrics - add bicarb to your laundry dispenser.

Do you have a use of beautiful bicarb that you can add?

Pictures of cute animals actually improve our concentration

Looking at pictures of cute animals captures our attention and improves concentration as a result and mental dexterity. "For future applications, cute objects may be used as an emotion elicitor to induce careful behavioral tendencies in specific situations, such as driving and office work," wrote Hiroshi Nittono of Hiroshima University who with his colleagues researched cute animals.

Keeping plastic out of the ocean

"California is the first state to ban throwaway plastic bags, but this move started in the cities. San Francisco was the first U.S. city to ban the bag back in 2007. Today, more than 150 cities and counties are implementing bans or fees on bags to reduce plastic waste, including Chicago, New York, Austin, Dallas, much of Hawaii, and Washington, D.C. Scaling these changes up to the state level—especially in a big, coastal state like California-- makes a real difference in protecting our oceans. Keeping 13 billion bags out of the water every year is a very good start."

Want to read the full story? Go to the post by Peter Lehner October 7, 2014 in Bag Bans Will Keep Harmful Plastic Out of the Ocean

You can make a safer world for kids

Every parent, grandparent and carer wants to keep their child healthy and safe...right? Well here is a wonderful resource that can help you make a safer world for children - 

A Parent’s Guide to Keeping Your Kids Alive and Safe

To use the actual guide go here

This informative page has been created by physicians at ACLS Medical Training. It describes some simple steps parents can take to help make children safer including helmet safety, kitchen safety, seat belt and child passenger safety. 

The fun thing is that it is all done through an interactive page that outlines 14 tips you can use to make your world a safer place for children. How to approach a strange dog, how to keep your internet safe, the best placement for smoke detectors in the home are all explained.

This factual addition to your safety knowledge provides useful reminders with links to expert, up to date and more detailed information on each of the topics seen in the image. A Parent’s Guide to Keeping Your Kids Alive and Safe helps make a safer world for kids. 

The good news is that you can help protect children from injury by being informed.  

A water bottle with edible packaging

Ooho is a spherical membrane for carrying water, which can be eaten after drinking the contents.

Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez, Guillaume Couche and Pierre Paslier created the biodegradable packaging using a combination of brown algae and calcium chloride. To drink, you simply suck on the membrane and pour the water into your mouth. The packaging can then be either eaten or thrown away.

Each Ooho bag costs  0.02 USD to make. Ooho could soon be the cheap, environmentally friendly alternative to the plastic bottle.

The video shows the invention in action.

Vitamin D: The good news is it is free

The good news is that Vitamin D is free!
It is free as we get vitamin D from sunshine.

Recently I had a blood test and discovered I was deficient in this important vitamin. How can this be when I live in Australia one of the sunniest places on the planet? Well, I was wearing a hat and sunscreen! 
So now it is official - stop wearing your hat because we need to get our daily dose (if possible) of vitamin D.
In the summer we need 15 minutes of sun every day.  
In winter we need about 1 hour of sun every day.  

Vitamin D - what is it? 
 It is necessary for the normal growth of bones and teeth. A deficiency can lead to a softening of the bones called rickets. It helps maintain good levels of calcium and phosphorus in our bloodstreams. Medical studies have associated vitamin D deficiency with many things including autoimmune diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis, also cancer, heart disease, depression, diabetes and hypertension.

You can find more good news health stories at GNN Health.

I hope it is sunny where you are today. 

Have you heard of Zinio?

"To see magazines done correctly, look at Zinio" ~ Huffington Post

 

Zinio is all about digital magazines - thousands of them. There are magazines on news, politics, sport, technology, art, style, travel, history and so much more.

They are publishing magazines in the digital domain that you can download to mobile devices, tablets and desktops.

So besides being environmentally friendly they are definitely convenient and have some really cool features too like the Bookmark where you easily save your spot in the magazine you are reading at any time. There are over 5000 publications available in 33 languages and also some magazine articles are available free through the website or smartphone or tablet apps.

Try Zinio Now! Experience digital with a free magazine. Choose from BusinessWeek, Men's Health and more.

More than 3,000 articles are available free at any given time which is wonderful for reading when travelling or anytime. Go to Zinio website to have a look for yourself.

Oh by the way... I am an affiliate for Zinio

Promoter of Peace

Peace Pilgrim, in 1953, Toledo, Ohio, USA.

" In order for the world to become peaceful, people must become more peaceful." Peace Pilgrim.

At age 44, Mildred became Peace Pilgrim 
She put on a top on which she had sown her new name and set out to walk across America. She wore blue clothing because it was considered the international colour of peace at the time.
It was 1953 and Peace Pilgrim walked from California to New York, and from border to border, sharing the message of peace. Peace Pilgrim walked and spoke continuously across every state of America, and in Mexico and Canada from 1953 to 1981, when she died.

She was born in New Jersey, USA and given the name Mildred Lisette Norman.  She was married for 13 years to Stanley Ryder.
Her life was then changed by a mystical experience. In her book, she explains this "spiritual awakening" and the meditation practice that inspired her to start her walking journey for peace.
She vowed to "remain a wanderer until mankind has learned the way of peace, walking until given shelter and fasting until given food."

Read more about Peace Pilgrim: Her Life and Work in Her Own Words

“This is the way of peace: Overcome evil with good, falsehood with truth, and hatred with love.” Peace Pilgrim.

Get more news about peace at GNN.

How I changed my life

 

In the past I have made resolutions and never kept them. I have started diets and never maintained them. I have tried to get organized and de clutter my house and wardrobe but it all just seemed too hard.

Changing my life seemed complicated and my whole life seemed a complicated mess but without knowing I found a secret that changed my life.

You can read my full article about How I Changed My Life for Good by clicking here.

You know I chose this photo, the butterfly, because I do feel the freedom of a butterfly coming out of a chrysalis.

Easy Gym Free Exercises for Building Muscle

You might think that you can only build lean muscle by investing in home exercise equipment or a gym membership, but that’s just not true. While joining a gym can help a lot, it’s not a requirement; neither is buying equipment. Muscles grow when they’re faced with resistance, no matter where that resistance comes from. You CAN build muscle at home, with a few simple exercises and some dedication.

You can work all the major muscle groups without equipment, as long as you’re doing the right kind of workout. Exercises that work multiple muscles at one time are called “compound exercises”. These are a great addition to any workout, and can be modified to work muscles in different ways (you can do push ups with your feet or hands on a bench for instance). Squats, dips, bicycle crunches, lunges, and leg raises are all compound movements you can do without equipment. Here are some more:

Pushups: These are for the upper body, and they develop the muscles of the chest, the shoulders and the triceps. When you do a push up with proper form, your core (abdominals) has to work to keep the body stable. One of the best things about the push up is that it can be done anywhere there’s enough space for you to lay on the ground.
Click here for a video illustrating the correct form for a push up.

Pull ups: The only thing you’ll need to do pull ups is a bar that will hold your body weight. Doing a pull up the right way will work many different muscle groups, but the main one is the latissimus dorsi (your back); the biceps get some work in also. Your core has to work in order to keep your lower body stable.

Squats: It’s easier to do a body weight squat than you might think- it’s really no different than if you were using weights in the gym. To get an effective workout, do enough sets and reps to fatigue the muscles of the quadriceps. This is another exercise that’s effective mainly because it can be done anywhere. Alter the speed at which you complete the squats to challenge your muscles further.

Many people fail to complete squats correctly however; watch this video to perfect your squatting technique and prevent hurting yourself.

Lunges: Doing lunges without weights is still a great workout for the thigh muscles. As is the case with the squats, do enough reps and sets to fatigue your muscles to failure. This video will help you perfect your lunge.

Remember once again that whether you’re doing exercises with or without equipment, proper form is essential. The push up should be done in an even, steady motion. Start on your stomach, with your hands a bit wider than your shoulders. Your feet should be touching. Push your body up until your arms are straight, raising your hips enough to keep your back straight. Lower your chest until it almost touches the floor, and repeat. See the video above for further clarification.

You may not have barbells and weights at home, but there are plenty of things around your house you can use. Bottles of water, containers of laundry soap, heavy backpacks and even soup cans can all be sources of resistance. With a little ingenuity, a little space and a lot of dedication, you can get the lean muscle you want without the expense and hassle of the gym.

 

About the author:

When he isn’t down the gym trying to keep in shape Antony Belanger writes for Slimmers Digest – a blog that covers all topics regarding slimming products and weight loss.

9 uses for plastic bottles

Eco friendly design is all the rage so here we have some practical and some fanciful ways to reuse those empty plastic bottles we keep finding everywhere.

Plastic bottle boat crafted made by Rain Tree Lodge - on the island of Viti Levu, Fiji.

                                                  Plastic bottle car canopy

Light by May Lui



Make a bird feeder for your garden or patio

Trashy Glass Earrings use recycled plastic from a water bottle,

                         silver ear wires, and a few simple jewelry techniques.

Lesson on how to make a pair.



Vertical garden

Casa Ecologica de Botellas Plasticas
A whole house made from plastic bottles



Michelle Brand’s Cascade Chandelier.
 



Christmas wreath made by Dale Wayne

Do you have anymore great ideas for using plastic bottles?
Which of these designs do you like best?