Breathing vs. Biomechanics

Should you focus on your breathing?

A number of folks have asked me about breathing.

And I believe a number of folks doing Reviv are also in communities like Whole Body Breathing, which i’ve had a quick look at but honestly don’t know that much about.

In any case I wanted to share some of what i’ve observed about breathing during this process the past decade.

First what are some of the popular schools of thought on breathing?

I asked ChatGPT this question and it gave me the following three schools of thought on breathing:

1. Biomechanical / Structural Perspective (Posture & Airway Health)

• Poor posture and structural issues (e.g., collapsed airway, mouth breathing) negatively impact oxygen intake and overall health.

• Nasal breathing is superior to mouth breathing for oxygen efficiency, nitric oxide production, and facial development.

• Correcting breathing patterns can improve jaw structure, sleep apnea, and body alignment.

Notable Figures & Methods

• Patrick McKeown – Oxygen Advantage (Focuses on nasal breathing and CO2 tolerance)

• Dr. Mew & Orthotropics – Argues that correct tongue posture & breathing impact jawline and facial structure.

🔑 Application: If you breathe improperly (e.g., mouth breathing, shallow breathing), it can weaken your jawline, cause poor sleep, and contribute to chronic fatigue.

2. Oxygen Efficiency & CO2 Tolerance (Performance & Endurance)

• Efficient breathing is not about taking in more oxygen but about using it properly.

• High CO2 tolerance allows better oxygen delivery to tissues (Bohr Effect).

• Training breath-holding and slow breathing enhances athletic endurance, focus, and stress resilience.

Notable Figures & Methods

• Buteyko Method – Focuses on nasal breathing, breath-holding, and reducing overbreathing.

• Wim Hof Method – Uses hyperventilation followed by breath-holding for endurance and stress control.

• Oxygen Advantage – Trains controlled hypoxia for increased CO2 tolerance and stamina.

🔑 Application: If you train CO2 tolerance, you can run longer, recover faster, and feel calmer.

3. Nervous System Regulation (Breathwork for Stress & Focus)

• Breathing affects the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and can activate or calm the body.

• Slow, deep breathing engages the parasympathetic nervous system (rest & digest).

• Fast or controlled hyperventilation can stimulate energy and alter mental states.

Notable Figures & Methods

• Box Breathing (Navy SEALs) – Inhale, hold, exhale, hold (e.g., 4-4-4-4) to enhance focus under stress.

• Pranayama (Yoga breathing) – Alternate nostril breathing (Nadi Shodhana) and Kapalabhati for energy and mental clarity.

🔑 Application: If you control your breathing, you can calm anxiety, improve focus, and enhance meditation.

So what you can take from the above is that obviously some people think that breathing is very important. And there are variations on how people think about it.

My experience on breathing

Breathing has never been a huge focus for me the past decade while unwinding this biomechanical puzzle, but I have made some interesting observations.

One of the positions i am often in while i do some of my jaw stretches is basically laying up in bed with my head against a pillow like the guy above.

And one thing i’ll do occasionally is watch my stomach go up and down as I breathe.

And what I noticed back in late 2021 when I was doing this one day was that my breathing was quite erratic and short.

I wanted to be able to take nice, deep breaths and breathe slowly but it was like my body just wasn’t wired to do that. And it wasn’t like I was stressed or excited. It was just a normal afternoon.

I repeated that a couple other times during that period and it was the same.

Some months ago in December 2024 I remember doing the same thing and this time my breathing was far deeper and more consistent. Still not perfect but a lot better than what I remembered visualizing in 2021.

I repeated it a few other days and noticed the same.

And so what I took from this is that my breathing had slowed and was much more consistent.

Now the thing to note is that my structure in late 2024 is far better than it was in late 2021. And as my structure improved, my breathing seems to have improved a lot despite the fact that I paid zero attention to it.

How I think about breathing

This story above leads to how I generally think about breathing. I consider it a function of these biomechanics and not really the cause of anything.

Kind of like tongue posture, which I also do not focus on.

These things improve as I improve the biomechanics of how my body works. And therefore there is not much sense in focusing on them.

Could focusing on your breathing a lot each day be helpful and create some change?

Possibly. I wouldn’t be surprised.

But do I think it is anywhere near the scale of change that happens when you follow the biomechanical principles I laid out with Reviv?

Nowhere close.

For example i’ve mentioned in the past that this biomechanical process seems to have restructured the whole area around my lungs and I felt for months like I was coughing stuff out that had been stuck in my lungs for years.

Would focusing on my breathing have achieved that? No.

Closing thoughts

For me breathing is something that should come naturally. You should not have to think about it.

We breathe when we sleep. You obviously cannot focus on it.

We breathe when we are working. You most likely cannot focus on it.

The amount of time that you can focus on your breathing, even if you are a disciple of some breathing method, is probably going to be max 10% or so.

I mean if you’re spending more than two hours focusing on your breathing in a day than you really need to find some better things to do. haha

And so anything that you do for two hours per day is going to be far less effective than something you do for 10+ hours a day, which is the amount of time you should be either wearing your Reviv or polymorph clipons.

Do not take this as me saying breathing is not important. It is of course important that you breathe well.

But I just do not think it is a good driver of change. Rather it more goes along for the ride.