It’s a simple but powerful way to improve your physical and emotional health…
I watched as a beginner student in my British Jiu Jitsu class struggled to control his opponent. No matter how many times he repeated the same technique, there was no power behind it.
Each attempt to block the punch, sweep the leg, and bring his opponent to the ground failed repeatedly.
Yet he kept trying, doing the exact same thing with no adjustment, as though pure repetition would magically lead to success.
Every time he stepped in close, trying to take down his larger and stronger training partner, the man barely moved. He just stood there, calm and amused, patiently smiling at the new student’s growing frustration.
Eventually, the student gave up. He wiped the sweat from his face and said what many self-defence students say when they hit a wall: “I’m just not strong enough.”
That’s when I called over another student.
She was smaller and less muscular, but her technique was sharp. She stepped in confidently and drove her opponent into the mat with speed and control. It was the kind of takedown that would instantly end a real street fight.
The difference came down to one small adjustment.
I told the struggling student the truth.
He was holding his breath.
As soon as I showed him how to breathe fluidly through the movement, everything changed. His power increased dramatically. He was suddenly able to control and take down someone who outweighed him by a good margin.
This isn’t just a martial arts trick. It’s a universal principle.
Boxers who breathe into their punches hit harder than those who hold their breath or breathe shallowly. Proper breathing doesn’t just support your strength. It releases it.
Breath is strange. We do it constantly, but often without thinking. It happens automatically to keep us alive. You can survive for weeks without food, days without water, but only minutes without breath.
And yet, despite its importance, most people don’t breathe well. The average person rarely empties their lungs fully. They breathe in short, shallow bursts into the upper chest. This limits oxygen flow and increases tension without them even realizing it.
But just a few minutes of intentional breathing each day can transform your physical and mental health. It can lower your blood pressure, ease anxiety, reduce inflammation, and sharpen focus.
Proper breath control isn’t just vital in martial arts. It plays a huge role in every physical activity—tennis, swimming, gymnastics, even something as seemingly low-impact as pickleball.
It’s also the foundation of practices like Yoga and Qi Gong, which have focused on breathwork for thousands of years.
Our forebears understood this deeply. Across multiple ancient languages, the word for breath and the word for spirit are identical. In Greek, it’s pneuma. In Hebrew, ruach. In Latin, spiritus. Breath and life force were seen as one and the same.
When I first started training seriously over 25 years ago, I discovered a traditional Indian exercise called Hindu Squats. I still remember my first attempt. I got through just thirty-two reps and felt like I was going to pass out. I was lightheaded, sweating, and gasping for air.
Today, I can do 250 reps without much effort. My heart rate stays relatively steady and returns to normal within a minute.
The key? Breathing.
I’ve learned to breathe into each repetition. I exhale completely and inhale fully. My breathing is loud, rhythmic, and powerful. It fuels my movement instead of fighting against it.
The difference is remarkable.
That’s why I even include breathwork in my hypnosis training. I instruct clients to take deep, steady breaths as they imagine change flowing into them. Just saying something like “breathe in all those wonderful changes” shifts their physiology. The breath anchors the suggestion into the body.
So if you want an easy, free, and incredibly effective way to improve your life, start by changing how you breathe.
There are dozens of free breathing techniques online. Search YouTube for diaphragmatic breathing, box breathing, or the Huberman method. Choose one that resonates with you and try it out for a few minutes a day.
Here’s a simple starting point: inhale slowly through your nose, then exhale even more slowly through your mouth. Make sure your exhale lasts longer than your inhale.
This activates your parasympathetic nervous system, which is your body’s natural calm mode. It lowers stress hormones, eases your mind, and helps you feel grounded and clear.
It costs nothing. It takes only a minute or two.
Start and end your day with a few slow, deep breaths.
You’ll feel calmer. You’ll think more clearly. You’ll move through the world with more grace and power.
Because real change, real strength, and real presence all begin with the same thing.
Your breath.
- Mike Mandel
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