I start every single morning with breathwork. It’s one of my non-negotiables.
Three rounds. Thirty deep breaths per round. Exhale and hold for two minutes. Then a full inhale and hold for a minute. Three rounds, every single day. No excuses.
It takes fifteen minutes and is well worth waking up fifteen minutes early to incorporate this into your daily routine.
It centers the nervous system, oxygenates the body and fuels the mind.
You need to breathe, on purpose.
Wim Hof, the master of breathwork, says it best: “Get high on your own supply.”
THE FORGOTTEN POWER OF THE BREATH
The average person takes about 20,000 breaths a day, almost all of them unconsciously.
We breathe shallow. We breathe fast. We breathe without thinking, and in doing so, we rob our cells, our organs, and our minds of one of the most foundational ingredients for health: oxygen.
Gary Brecka puts it simply: "The presence of oxygen is the absence of disease." That was literally the quote that sent me down the breathwork rabbit hole and encouraged me to add it to my daily routine.
When you learn to breathe deliberately, you take back control. Of your energy. Of your physiology. Of your life.
Wim Hof once said, “Breathe consciously and you will tap into the deepest parts of your physiology.”
Once you understand what happens when you breathe deeply, fully, and consciously, you’ll never skip it again.
The stress relief that comes from breathwork is great, but that’s not even the greatest benefit breathwork has to offer. Metabolic control, cellular oxygenation, mental clarity, immune regulation, and ultimately, freedom is what it’s all about.
Breathwork is how you get oxygen to your cells, deeply and consistently. And when your cells are saturated with oxygen, disease can’t take hold. Inflammation lowers. Mitochondria function better. Your nervous system stops freaking out. Your body starts healing. Your brain starts firing. And your spirit stops suffocating.
WHAT’S ACTUALLY HAPPENING IN THE BODY?
When you engage in intentional breathwork, several critical things happen at the cellular and systemic level:
- Oxygen floods the bloodstream. This improves the delivery of nutrients and removes waste more efficiently.
- Blood pH rises. Alkalinity increases, reducing internal inflammation.
- CO2 is released. Stored carbon dioxide leaves the system, reducing stress signals in the brain.
- The autonomic nervous system shifts. You move from sympathetic (fight or flight) to parasympathetic (rest and digest). This calms the body.
- Cortisol decreases. The primary stress hormone lowers, reducing systemic inflammation and reactivity.
- Heart rate variability improves. This is a direct marker of stress resilience and overall well-being.
- ATP production increases. When oxygen is more efficiently used by mitochondria, cellular energy improves.
- Mental clarity sharpens. More oxygen means better focus, improved mood, and faster decision-making.
This is why people say they feel more energized, less anxious, and more grounded after just a few minutes of proper breathwork.
Wim Hof often reminds us: "We can do so much more than we think. It's all within."
Breath is the medicine people should be consuming daily.
My Daily Practice
My meditation comes in the form of intense breathwork.
I lie down on my red light mat and go. Three rounds. Thirty breaths per round. In through the mouth, out through the mouth. Heavy exaggerated breaths both ways. Followed by a full exhale and hold for as long as I can, which is roughly two minutes, which took me some time to work up to. Even now, I may fall just shy, but that is my target. Then a deep inhale, and another hold for as long as I can, typically just over one-minute.
By the end, I feel present. Energized. Stable. Ready for whatever the day has to throw at me.
That fifteen minutes is one of the most important investments I make in my health each day.
If you’re not breathing well:
- Your gut is inflamed.
- Your sleep is shallow.
- Your immune system is compromised.
- Your testosterone is dropping.
- Your cells are aging faster.
You can eat the best food on Earth but if you’re in a chronic sympathetic state (fight or flight), you’re still breaking down faster than you’re building.
This is why breathwork is critical to a proper routine.
WHAT’S STOPPING YOU?
Seriously, what’s stopping you from starting tomorrow morning?
It seems simple, because it is.
It requires stillness, attention and commitment. And most of all, it requires a willingness to confront your own mind.
Breathwork is free and easy. There really is no excuse not to do it.
Yes, it requires discipline. There is no dopamine hit. No miraculous wave that will immediately cure you of all of your ailments. But if you stick with it, it becomes an anchor.
And in a world that pulls you in every direction, anchors are necessary.
WIM HOF
Wim Hof, known as The Iceman, is a Dutch extreme athlete who has pushed the limits of human performance through one thing: breath.
He holds over 26 world records. That includes running a half-marathon barefoot above the Arctic Circle and standing in ice for nearly two hours. None of it was done through shortcuts. It was breathwork, cold exposure, and focused mental control.
His method has been studied and proven to influence the autonomic nervous system and immune response. For years, science said that wasn’t possible. He not only showed it could be done, he taught others to do the same. That’s what makes it real.
Wim explains it simply. “When you oxygenate the body properly, you make it hostile to disease.”
He has taken groups of people into freezing temperatures, high altitudes, and deep breath holds. They didn’t just survive it. They adapted, quickly. The breath allowed them to stay calm, reduce stress, and improve how their body responded to pressure.
Wim Hof is proof of work. He didn’t just study breath, he lived it, tested it, and put it under stress. Ice, altitude, scientific scrutiny. Breath became the foundation for his strength, control, and resilience. And that same foundation is available to anyone willing to do the work.
OTHER BREATHWORK TECHNIQUES
Not all breathwork needs to be intense. Different methods serve different goals:
Box Breathing (great for stress management)
- Inhale: 4 seconds
- Hold: 4 seconds
- Exhale: 4 seconds
- Hold: 4 seconds
- Repeat for 3-5 minutes
Used by Navy SEALs.
4-7-8 Breathing (great for sleep)
- Inhale: 4 seconds
- Hold: 7 seconds
- Exhale: 8 seconds
Great before bed, especially for those with an overactive mind.
Wim Hof Method
- 30 power breaths (in through mouth, out through mouth)
- On last breath, exhale fully and hold
- When urge to breathe arises, inhale deeply and hold for 15-60 seconds
- Repeat 3-4 rounds
This can be paired with cold exposure for even greater impact on the nervous system and immune strength.
BREATH AND FREEDOM
We talk about freedom all the time. Freedom from systems. Freedom from toxins. Freedom from dependence.
But the most direct, daily form of freedom? Breathing deeply, consciously, and fully.
Most people live in oxygen debt. They live stressed, shallow, mouth-breathing lives. And they never realize that they’re suffocating from the inside out.
Intentional breathwork is a return to your biology, presence and peace.
You can live for months without food.
Days without water.
But only a few minutes without breath.
When you have your breath, you have clarity. When you have clarity, you can move forward with confidence. And when you move with confidence, you’re unstoppable.
DON’T WAIT
Start tomorrow.
Don’t overthink it. Don’t force it. Don’t complicate it. Just breathe. Sit or lie down, and breathe.
Three rounds. Thirty breaths. Hold. Inhale. Hold again.
Then watch how your day shifts. Watch how your mind steadies. Watch how your body thanks you. Practice this daily and watch the benefits compound and prove itself overtime.
You were Born To Be Free. And just like life itself, that starts with the breath.
Just breathe.