There is an established idea that circulation is a winter problem.
Cold hands. Cold feet. A body that doesn’t warm up. And the usual conclusion: poor circulation.
It’s true — winter challenges circulation. But what I observe, and what physiology confirms, is that summer has its own circulatory challenges. And these are often ignored precisely because the heat creates the illusion that the blood is flowing well.
It’s not necessarily so.
Heat, circulation, and inflammation
When circulation is compromised — in any season — the result is always the same: accumulation. What doesn’t circulate, stagnates. What stagnates, inflames.
In winter this manifests as cold extremities, stiffness, slowness.
In summer it manifests differently: swelling, heavy legs, a persistent feeling of heat, unexplained fatigue.
These are different signs of the same problem.
Several weeks ago I wrote here about something that stuck with me: more than half of deaths worldwide today are related to chronic inflammatory processes. Not infections. Inflammation.
The world has changed. Infectious diseases are no longer the main enemy — medicine has learned to combat them.
The new challenge is the silent inflammation that slowly sets in over years, directly linked to how the body circulates, regulates, and regenerates.
Summer, with its heat, tendency to dehydration, and altered activity patterns, is a season in which this process can accelerate — without us noticing.
What does breathing have to do with this?
Counterintuitively, more than one might think.
Each exhalation activates the vagus nerve — the main regulator of the body’s inflammatory response. When breathing is dysfunctional, rapid, or done through the mouth, this mechanism does not work properly. The body remains in a state of chronic activation and stress, making it unable to resolve inflammation.
When breathing becomes coherent — slow, nasal, with inhalations and exhalations of similar duration — the nervous system self-regulates. The vagus nerve activates. The inflammatory response slows down.
It’s not a metaphor. It’s physiology.
A resource to explore this practically
This month I recorded two masterclasses on this topic — Introduction to Coherent Breathing and the role of breathing in inflammation and seasonal alignment.
They are live sessions, including guided practice, and were recorded.
I added a PDF reference guide with essential protocols to get started — the BOLT Test, the three types of breathing, and a daily practice chart.
The package is now available, with lifetime access and future updates included.
See you next week.
Best practices
Lourenço de Azevedo