The Power of the Breath

Many years ago, while reading The Oxygen Advantage by Patrick McKeown, I came across a story that perfectly illustrates the power of breathing.

In October of 1974, a man named Tom Piskey was shot point-blank in the chest while getting coffee with friends. The bullet nicked his lung and aorta. Miraculously, he survived and was running again within a month. However, the trauma left him with severely impaired lung function, and even moderate exercise caused his heart rate to spike dramatically.

During his recovery, Piskey discovered the profound benefits of proper breathing, particularly nasal breathing. Over time, he learned to regulate his breathing better, improve his efficiency, and lower his heart rate during exercise. Not only did he return to athletic activity, but he eventually became a highly accomplished endurance athlete, earning induction into the Triathlon Club of San Diego Hall of Fame and later coaching athletes as a UCSD Masters Triathlon coach.

Stories like this remind me that breathing is much more than an automatic function.

Breathing is energy.

Oxygen is one of the most accessible sources of energy we possess. It is available to us every moment of every day, regardless of where we are or what challenges we face.

The better we learn to control our breath, the better we learn to control our response to life.

Throughout many disciplines such as strength training, yoga, martial arts, meditation, psychology, and rehabilitation, the breath plays a central role. Breathing techniques can help calm the nervous system, reduce stress, improve focus, increase endurance, and even help us move deeper into stretches and mobility exercises.

One of the key concepts McKeown discusses is the idea of breathing less, slower, and quieter. By improving our tolerance to carbon dioxide and reducing unnecessary breathing volume, we can become more efficient and less reactive to stress.

I experienced this lesson firsthand while preparing for the StrongFirst Kettlebell Snatch Test—the famous five-minute challenge of performing 100 snatches with a 24 kilo kettlebell.

During the certification, we spent some time learning how to breath combines with movement. It quickly became obvious that breathing was not just something we do… it is a critical component of success.

When I returned home, I revisited The Oxygen Advantage and began applying many of its principles to my training.

I knew I had the strength.

I knew I had the power.

What I needed was to connect those qualities through the breath.

Eventually, everything came together.

I remember preparing for the test with breathing drills and movement practice before stepping up to the kettlebell. When the five minutes were over, I felt surprisingly fresh. In fact, I had to review the video several times to confirm I had completed all 100 repetitions because I didn’t feel nearly as exhausted as I had during previous attempts.

That experience reinforced something I continue to believe today:

Breathing is the bridge between mind and body.

It fuels movement.

It improves performance.

It calms the nervous system.

It centers us.

And ultimately, it connects us more deeply to ourselves and to the world around us.

So today, take a moment.

Slow down.

Breathe through your nose.

And remember that one of the most powerful tools for health, performance, and well-being has been with you all along.

Take a breath.

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Why Does Breathing Matter?

As we continue exploring the power of the breath, I would like to share a teaching that traces back thousands of years.

The Buddha referred to the practice of mindful breathing as Anapanasati, often translated as mindfulness of breathing. He described it as a direct path to calming the mind, developing insight, and cultivating awareness.

Why is something as simple as breathing so powerful?

Because breathing gives us direct access to our nervous system.

Through conscious breathing, we can influence our stress response, regulate our emotions, and bring ourselves into a calmer and more focused state. Slow, controlled breathing also stimulates the vagus nerve, one of the body’s most important communication pathways. Think of it as a switch that helps move us from a state of tension and alertness into a state of recovery, relaxation, and restoration.

This is one of the reasons I talk about breathing so often.

Whether in the gym, during mobility work, in a yoga class, or simply moving through daily life, the breath is always available to us.

When it comes to flexibility and mobility, breathing becomes even more important. To truly access a deeper stretch, the body must feel safe enough to relax. If the mind is tense, the body will be tense. If the body is tense, the muscles will resist letting go.

That is why I often say:

“Relax under tension.”

Learn to stay calm while your body is working.

Learn to breathe while you are challenged.

Learn to soften when every instinct tells you to tighten.

When we do that, movement becomes easier, flexibility improves, and we gain all the additional benefits of a calmer nervous system and a clearer mind.

This is something we will explore together during our upcoming Mobility and Flexibility Workshop. We will move, we will stretch, and perhaps most importantly, we will learn to breathe deeply and intentionally.

Because sometimes the doorway to greater movement isn’t another exercise.

Sometimes it’s simply the next breath. 🌬️🙏