Why should we care about breathing?
It’s a fair question to ask—we’ve been breathing all the time for a long time, and for most of us, it’s not going too badly. So why change anything?
Breathe less?
Well, most of us aren’t breathing in a way that’s optimal for our health and physical performance. The studies are clear: hyperventilation is a chronic problem in our modern societies, where stress is omnipresent and, above all, insidious. Admittedly, we don’t breathe all the time as if we were in a panic, but we breathe too heavily and too often without really realizing it. By breathing heavily, we maintain a state of constant alertness, with all that it entails: inflammation, elevated heart rate, low heart rate variability, poor sleep, hormonal imbalances, poor recovery, appetite disturbances, irritability, and so on.
It’s All About Oxygen
Wait, what do you mean—haven’t we all heard that we should take “deep” breaths to get enough oxygen? Well, that’s a huge misconception. Our body’s biochemistry is actually much more complex; our oxygen saturation is already over 95% under normal conditions (unless we’re at high altitude), so breathing more won’t actually bring more oxygen into our bodies. It’s by breathing less. And this is thanks to what’s called the Bohr effect, which states— in simple terms, that it is indeed a buildup of CO₂ in the blood that prompts hemoglobin to release the oxygen it carries so that it can supply all our tissues (meaning muscles, organs, the brain… everything in our body that needs energy).
Breathing less to nourish the whole body
The very wise Mr. Bohr, a Danish mathematician and biologist, explained this long before I did—it was in 1904, I believe: when we breathe less, when we take shallower breaths, when we breathe slowly, we increase the CO₂ level in the blood—and presto—oxygen molecules can be released to nourish our cells. Yum, yum—a virtuous cycle begins, one that also affects our parasympathetic nervous system, our attention span, and our entire physiology. We’re calmer and perform better athletically as well.
Why learn about breathing?
Honestly, doesn’t that make you want to learn more? That’s exactly what I offer in my 20-hour breathwork and pranayama course. Don’t be intimidated—pranayama and breathwork are just fancy terms for breathing exercises. And the course is designed for anyone who’s curious; I strive to make the explanations accessible to everyone. We’ll cover the biochemistry and biomechanics of breathing and the nervous system, and we’ll explore the energetic aspect. But above all, we’ll explore practical exercises that we can all incorporate into our daily lives and/or integrate into our workouts, yoga practice, and meditation. And yes, I hear the question—we’ll also cover trendy techniques, like the Wim Hof breathing method.
Sources of Inspiration
For this course, as in my daily practice of pranayama and breathwork, I draw on various sources: traditional pranayama from yoga and contemporary breathwork. Arguably the most significant influence is Patrick McKeown’s Oxygen Advantage method, cited repeatedly in James Nestor’s famous book *Breathe*, and he is undoubtedly today’s leading expert on healthy breathing. I’m currently being trained by Patrick as part of the Advanced Oxygen Advantage Instructor certification program. Well, in the small world of breathwork, that’s quite impressive, but that’s not the most important thing: I’m learning, reflecting, internalizing, testing, and in turn sharing—without claiming to be exhaustive, but with passion and enthusiasm.