Breathe like a badass
By the end of this course, participants will:
Understand the Science of Breath: Learn the anatomy of breathing, how it affects your body, and how breath impacts health, mental clarity, and emotional balance.
Gain Practical Breathing Tools: Master breathing techniques to manage stress, increase energy, improve sleep, and enhance overall well-being.
Increase Self-Awareness: Develop a deeper understanding of your breath patterns and how they influence your physical and mental states.
Empower Your Health: Integrate breathwork into your daily life for long-term health benefits, including better lung capacity, improved focus, and reduced anxiety.
Learn to Teach Others: Equip yourself with the knowledge and tools to guide others in adopting breathwork techniques, whether in personal settings or professional environments.
Create a Relaxing Routine: Learn how breathwork can serve as a daily ritual to promote relaxation, focus, and mindfulness.
Assigned reading: Breath The New Science of a Lost Art
Breath explores how the human species has lost the ability to breathe properly over the past several hundred thousand years and is now suffering from a laundry list of maladies — snoring, sleep apnea, asthma, autoimmune disease — because of it. Nestor travels the world to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it. The answers aren’t found in pulmonology labs, as we might expect, but in the muddy digs of ancient burial sites, secret Soviet facilities, New Jersey choir schools, and the smoggy streets of Sao Paulo.
Drawing on thousands of years of medical texts and recent cutting-edge studies in pulmonology, psychology, biochemistry, and human physiology, Breath turns the conventional wisdom of what we thought we knew about our most basic biological function on its head.
When: Mondays 6-7pm PST
April 21 - May 26
Cost: $97
The Course Breakdown
Week 1: The Lost Art of Breathing (Chapter 1 & 2)
Objective: To introduce the science of breath, its history, and the consequences of modern breathing habits.
Chapter 1: The Breath of Life
The history of human breath: Why we’ve lost touch with proper breathing techniques.
The importance of breath in shaping our bodies and our health.
Chapter 2: The Breathing Revolution
How the Western world has strayed from natural breathing practices.
The impacts of mouth breathing vs. nasal breathing.
Understanding the Anatomy of Breathing
The diaphragm, intercostals, lungs, and nasal passages.
The importance of nasal breathing and the dangers of chronic mouth breathing.
Practical Exercise:
Nasal Breathing Awareness – Practice nasal breathing throughout the day, emphasizing the benefits of slow, controlled exhales.
Week 2: The Science Behind Breath (Chapter 3 & 4)
Objective: To explore the physiological and biochemical impacts of breath, and how it affects our health.
Chapter 3: The Lost Science of Breathing
How breath influences the autonomic nervous system (sympathetic vs. parasympathetic).
The role of oxygen and carbon dioxide in blood circulation and brain function.
Chapter 4: Breathing and Health
How improper breathing can lead to poor posture, digestive issues, and more.
The benefits of deep breathing for overall health, longevity, and immunity.
Practical Exercise:
Diaphragmatic Breathing (Belly Breathing) – Focus on slow, deep breathing to activate the diaphragm, reduce stress, and improve lung capacity.
Week 3: Breathing for Stress and Anxiety (Chapter 5 & 6)
Objective: To understand how breath affects stress levels and how to use breathwork for calming the mind and body.
Chapter 5: The Breath of Stress
The relationship between shallow breathing, stress, and the sympathetic nervous system.
How breath can be a tool to counteract stress and anxiety.
Chapter 6: The Power of Slow Breathing
The science behind slow breathing techniques, such as slow exhales, to lower cortisol and regulate heart rate.
Why controlling breath leads to calmness and emotional stability.
Practical Exercise:
Box Breathing (Square Breathing) – Teach how to slow the breath, reduce heart rate, and activate the parasympathetic nervous system.
Week 4: Breath and Energy (Chapter 7 & 8)
Objective: To explore how breath can be used to enhance energy, focus, and mental clarity.
Chapter 7: The Power of Oxygen
How breathing techniques can optimize oxygen flow to the brain and muscles, boosting energy.
The link between breathwork and peak performance.
Chapter 8: The Breath of Fire
The power of rapid, forceful exhalations and its connection to energy and vitality.
How specific breathwork can help overcome fatigue and improve physical performance.
Practical Exercise:
Kapalbhati (Breath of Fire) – A fast, forceful exhale technique to energize the body and mind.
Week 5: Breath and Sleep (Chapter 9 & 10)
Objective: To understand how breath influences sleep quality and how breathwork can improve rest.
Chapter 9: Breathing for Better Sleep
How breath can regulate sleep cycles and influence heart rate variability during sleep.
The importance of breathing patterns for deep, restful sleep.
Chapter 10: The End of Snoring
How nasal breathing can help with snoring and sleep apnea.
Techniques to optimize breathing during sleep for deeper rest and recovery.
Practical Exercise:
4-7-8 Breathing – A relaxation technique designed to calm the nervous system and promote sleep.
Week 6: Teaching Breathwork and Incorporating It Into Daily Life (Chapter 11 & Conclusion)
Objective: To learn how to incorporate breathwork into daily routines and share the practice with others.
Chapter 11: The New Breath Revolution
The global shift toward recognizing the power of breath and the rise of breathwork practices.
How breathwork is being integrated into schools, workplaces, and wellness programs.
Conclusion: Breathing for Life
The importance of maintaining a breath practice for mental, emotional, and physical well-being.
How breathwork can become an integral part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle.
Practical Exercise:
Guided Breathwork Session – John will guide a session sharing his unique breathwork style.
Discuss how to incorporate these practices into clients’ daily lives and teach others.