One day when I was driving home from work, I was listening to The Joe Rogan Experience Podcast (ep. #1301), and he was interviewing Laird Hamilton, one of the greatest surfers of all time. I was captivated by their discussion, especially when Hamilton shared what things and actions he felt propelled him to the top of his game. When he began talking about diaphragmatic breathing and how having defined abdominal muscles does not correlate to having strong breathing muscles and capacity, I experienced an ‘Aha! Moment.’ I learned that “you can actually have a six-pack and still have weak core stability.”  

Hamilton reveals that he learned this profound understanding of breathing from Dr. Belisa Vranich, a clinical psychologist, and world-renowned breath coach. He butchered the pronunciation of her name; however, it was not bad enough that I couldn’t find her by searching on Google.  I pulled over and immediately ordered Dr. Belisa’s two books, Breathe (the simple, revolutionary 14-day program to improve your mental and physical health and the more advanced Breathing For Warriors. Now that I consider Dr. B a friend, I know she couldn't care less about how Hamilton pronounced her name; most importantly, he captures the essence of her being and her key mantra: “Fix the way you breathe, and you will have a better life.”

As someone diagnosed with ADHD early on, reading has never been my strong suit. I probably read ten pages an hour on a good day. I surprised myself—reading both of Dr. Belisa’s books in one week! Not only was I flying through the content, but I was able to practice what I was learning as I read along. I began reducing my ventilations per minute by becoming a more efficient breather and potentially treating my learning disability; see my other article for more on that theory. An old Irish proverb claims, “What’s meant for you won’t pass you by.” This idea rang true regarding my ability to read—it turns out I just needed content that grabbed my attention. Thanks to Hamilton and Dr. Belisa, the hooks were in, and I wanted more. 

I learned about the Breathing IQ score and quickly realized that the world was breathing wrong, THE WORLD!  Well, not the world, but legitimately, nine out of ten people in the world, and that is being conservative. The passion radiating off the pages of Dr. Belisa’s books was pulsating through my body, and I needed more. I soon became a Certified Breath Coach under her instruction. With this new plethora of knowledge, I suddenly felt as though I was surrounded by people dying of thirst, but I had enough water to hydrate them; I felt compelled to share—and this is when Breathe In With Danny came to life.

You don’t have to dive into breathing the way I have, but if you begin tuning into how you breathe, you will see significant improvements. Join me on this journey and start living your best life!