Stay fit and healthy

How do conscious breathing, old traditions and modern training connect?

Patrick McKeown’s breathwork and qigong approach the body from different directions. Both invite curiosity about the interaction of breathing, movement and attention.

Here you will encounter the BOLT test, a gentle introduction to breath holds and the connection between traditional practices for caring for life and modern research questions.

Many people want to take action for their physical and mental health. In “Oxygen Advantage”, Patrick McKeown draws attention to an often overlooked foundation: breathing. He describes the interaction of nasal breathing, appropriate breathing volume and responding to the urge to breathe. China, Taiwan, South Korea and Cambodia also have rich cultures of breathing and movement practice. Qi Gong combines calm movement, posture, attention and breath. A walk through Taipei’s parks reveals how these exercises bring different ages together. In Chinese tradition, cultivating vitality, constitution and longevity are among their aims. Modern research examines particular forms of Qi Gong in relation to wellbeing, movement and quality of life. For us, this offers a valuable thought: caring for the body can become regular, consciously experienced practice. The body works as an interconnected system. Breathing, movement, nutrition and sleep help metabolism and recovery fulfil their functions. Breathing work addresses one part of that interplay.

First get to know your starting point. In the BOLT test, sitting calmly, measure the time after a normal exhalation until the first clear urge to breathe. McKeown uses this as a guide and for personal comparison. Take a comfortable position, supported sitting or lying on your back, and stay there for at least five minutes before starting.

• Inhale gently through your nose and exhale gently through your nose.
• After exhalation, gently pinch your nose with your fingers and keep your mouth closed.
• Count the seconds from exhalation until the first urge to breathe, such as abdominal contraction or flaring nostrils.
• The measured time is your score. Afterwards, breathe calmly again.

For a gentle introduction, sit comfortably and breathe normally in and out through your nose. After exhalation, you can pinch the nose briefly and release the pause at the first clear urge to breathe. Continue calmly; the next inhalation should remain as relaxed as before. Wait for your normal rhythm to return. This teaches familiarity with the urge to breathe without pursuing the longest possible hold.

Nasal breathing plays a role in Japanese martial arts and Chinese meditation traditions alike. Today, part of its physical function can be described precisely: the nose filters, warms and humidifies air. Nitric oxide produced in the paranasal sinuses travels with the breath to the lower airways and participates in physiological regulation. Antiviral effects of particular NO applications have also been studied in the laboratory. Such experiments concern the specific substance and concentration used; they describe conditions different from natural nasal breathing.

Breath holds are also researched in elite sport. Under defined conditions, they can provide a special training stimulus. One study of rugby players examined four weeks of repeated-sprint training with voluntary hypoventilation and found improved repeated-sprint ability. This specialised training is adapted with professional guidance to the task and the athlete’s tolerance for load.

In traditional Chinese thinking, Qi means life force. Breath and lungs occupy a special place: Qi is taken in through breathing and moved through the body. This language connects bodily experience and an approach to life. McKeown’s breathing work and Andrew Huberman’s research offer a modern physiological perspective alongside it. Among other practices, Huberman describes the physiological sigh for acute stress regulation and Yoga Nidra for deep rest. In his team’s 2023 study, brief daily breathing exercises improved mood; the exhalation-focused variant also reduced breathing rate particularly effectively.

Combine curiosity about ancient Far Eastern knowledge with new scientific findings. Discover breathing and movement practice that strengthens your daily life, and develop it patiently.