Mindset

Breathwork for performance: a coach’s primer

Box breathing isn’t woo. It’s a vagus nerve hack with measurable effects on heart rate variability.

Breathwork has a credibility problem because it gets bundled with crystal healing. Strip the woo and you're left with a clinically validated tool used by elite militaries, surgeons, and athletes.

What's actually happening

Slow nasal breathing (4-6 breaths/minute) activates the vagus nerve, which signals your parasympathetic nervous system. Heart rate drops. HRV rises. Cortisol falls. Measurable in 90 seconds.

Three protocols worth knowing

Box breathing

Inhale 4, hold 4, exhale 4, hold 4. Used by Navy SEALs for tactical calm.

Physiological sigh

Two short inhales, one long exhale. Fastest known way to drop sympathetic activation.

Resonance breathing

5.5 breaths per minute (5.5s in, 5.5s out) for 10 minutes. Maximizes HRV. The most boring and the most effective.

Where it fits

Pre-training: physiological sigh to focus. Post-training: 10 min of resonance breathing accelerates recovery measurably.

Mobility before strength: rebuilding the foundation

Your range of motion is the rate-limiter for everything else. Loading dysfunction just compounds the problem.

The 80/20 of sleep: why most athletes get this wrong

Forget eight hours as a goal. The variables that actually predict recovery are different — and easier to control.

5 evidence-based recovery techniques every athlete should know

Beyond foam rolling — the recovery practices that actually move the needle for performance and longevity.

API smoke test — hello from Sanva

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