Breathing Habits of High Performers with Patrick McKeown

The Elite HRV Podcast: Heart Rate Variability, Biohacking Health & Performance, Quantified Self

In This Episode: Mouth-breathing evolved as a survival mechanism during "fight or flight". But today, because so many of us experience chronic stress and anxiety, mouth breathing is the dominant way in which we breathe - much to the detriment of our health and performance. In this episode, Patrick McKeown, International best-selling author of The Oxygen Advantage and one of the world’s leading breathing re-education experts, explains why breathing isn't just for Yogis and why high performers, creators, or anyone who wants to spend more time in flow states must learn how to breathe properly. Episode Guest: Patrick McKeown International best-selling author of The Oxygen Advantage and creator and master instructor of the Oxygen Advantage® technique, Patrick McKeown is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading breathing re-education experts. Over the past two decades, Patrick has trained thousands of people around the world to safely challenge their bodies and produce positive changes through breathing re-education. He teaches a new way to breathe, combined with specific exercises designed to improve blood chemistry. The result is an increase in oxygen flow to all the body’s systems, meaning greater endurance, strength, and power. Website(s): https://oxygenadvantage.com/the-breathing-cure/ https://buteykoclinic.com/buteykochildren/ Show Notes: 01:30 - Intro to Patrick 03:50 - Chronic over-breathing and breathing pattern disorders are extremely prevalent for people with anxiety or asthma. 06:00 What is dysfunctional breathing? And, how to screen for breathing pattern disorders. 09:00 - Stress, HRV and Breathing 12:50 - 3 Mistakes made when breathing 13:15 How nasal breathing differs from mouth breathing and why mouth breathing evolved. 16:00 The problem with mouth breathing 16:50 Why breathing is essential for high performers: focus, concentration and attention span 17:40 Why taking a full deep breath can be a big mistake. 19:00 - Air hunger stimulates the vagus nerve 22:40 - During sleep, what can we do to improve our breathing? 27:20 - LSD 39:00 - The founding father of sleep medicine 44:00 - The basics often get overlooked 51:00 - Tongue in the roof of the mouth 53:30 - Patrick's books and what they address 1:05:00 - Where to find Patrick's work