Do you use your breath to benefit you? Or do you not give it much thought? We spoke to Richie Bostock, aka The Breath Guy, who gave us the lowdown on the benefits of the breath.

By Richie Bostock

Before you begin reading, relax your shoulders, your upper back. Relax your neck. 
Take a deep breath in. Take a deep breath out. 

How often do you notice yourself breathing? Like, really notice? And when you do, do you just take it as a given and move on to more interesting thoughts? Breathing is the first thing we do when we’re born and last thing we do before we move on from this life, yet it’s something . We spoke to Richie Bostock, a breathwork expert who’s trained everyone fro Navy Seals to UFC fighters, and tech leaders at Google on how to use their breath.

Listen to the crazy Dutch guy!

For those of you who haven’t heard of Wim Hof, or his method of breathing, he is a Dutch extreme athlete who is nicknamed ‘The Iceman’ because he pioneers cold exposure for health purposes. He now trains people all over the world to regulate their autonomous nervous system which in turn helps to improve sleep, energy levels, boosted immune system and a whole host of other things. Wim has broken world records for his cold exposure, and has since helped countless people across the globe help manage their chronic illnesses like rheumatoid arthritis, and has given people a way out of chronic fatigue and burnout. 

Now, we may not all be diving headfirst into freezing cold lakes or creating snow angels in our birthday suits, but one thing we can take from his philosophy is that breathwork is such a powerful tool for wellbeing. 

“People don’t realise this, but we as a society chronically chest breathe. We need to start breathing diaphragmatically.”

Breathe to manage illness

Richie first got interested in breathing and the power it has to heal when his dad was diagnosed with MS, an autoimmune disease. This led him to go on a journey to discover ways to help his dad cope with symptoms in a more holistic way. After following Wim Hof’s training in Poland (think barefoot in the snow, bitter cold temperatures!), he fell in love with the endless possibilities our breath can bring.

Holistic method

Richie’s method of teaching breathwork to the wider world takes on a more holistic approach. Just like one medical treatment that works for someone might not work for another, the same goes for purposeful breathwork. His techniques range from just a few minutes of simple breathing (just like we do every second of the day, but placing our attention on it) to specific breathwork to release trauma, or even transcendental breathwork. 
Breathing affects every single system in our body, so we should stop seeing the breath as a given but rather an incredible (and free!) tool we can harness to impart some real change in our wellbeing. “People don’t realise this, but we as a society chronically chest breathe. We need to start breathing diaphragmatically.” It’s through this change in breathing that we can really start to expand from within - create more energy, think a little clearer, sleep a whole lot better. 

Richie wants this work to be accessible to everyone, anywhere, at any time. His upcoming book Exhale aims to be a practical and comprehensive map of the world of breathwork, to support beginners right through to a seasoned breathwork practitioner, Richie tells me“It’s the book I wish I had when I was starting out on my journey.”

Richie shares his top 3 tips for beginners below…

1. Recognise the impact your breath has

Recognition and awareness is almost always the first step in any change. Become aware of your breath, what it does to your sense of wellbeing and calm, observe how it feels.

2. Explore different techniques

even though we all breathe in and breathe out in basically the same way, when it comes to purposeful breathwork techniques it’s not a one-size-fits-all scenario. It’s about making your breath work for you, so whether that’s following the Wim Hof method or simply practicing a few rounds of box breathing, make it your own.

3. Aim for just 1-2 minutes a day

Start small and work up from there - by keeping it quick and simple, you’re more likely to keep up the momentum for days, weeks, months to come. This will spark greater change in your life!

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