Breathwork on Survivor

It has been weeks spent on the scorching beaches of Fiji playing the psychologically-draining reality TV competition Survivor, with barely any food and a constant battle with dehydration; Yet, I am smiling and robust with energy because I wield a source of power that the charismatic showrunner Jeff Probst can not strip me of: my breath. For years, I’ve studied and practiced breathwork and breathing mechanics, believing that it is the only mechanism that controls our response to stress; without connection to it, we are victims of circumstance. 

Every morning, my tribemate and dear friend Frannie and I harnessed this superpower that we all possess by engaging in various breathing exercises right there on the Fijian sand. I was thrilled not to be the only weirdo doing breathwork on the beach and that the universe happened to plop a research coordinator specializing in breathing and mindfulness breath by my side. Though we didn’t know it yet, our Soka tribe was instilled with this superpower from the moment we hit the beach. Though we ultimately could not win every challenge, our strength, energy, and cohesion, all driven by the power of our breath, led us to many incredible victories and many more lifelong relationships. 

I Knew from years of boxing and martial arts that breathing was imperative however, it was not until I was stripped of all my typical sources of energy, food, sleep, and enough water, that I truly understood the depth of strength we can tap into with the power of the breath. Our nervous system is largely responsible for energy distribution, burning copious amounts of energy while in a fight-or-flight state and preserving that energy during a rest-and-digest state. Through our breathwork, we manipulated this system as we pleased, as if opening and closing a faucet for water, while everyone else had to raise their hands and hope for rain. Everyone was born with this innate power, but it does not come without challenging yourself; although it sounds too good to be true, it certainly is not, dedicating time to focus on our breathing is not an easy task but the reward is life changing. The reward is life changing and perishable; if we do not use this gift we will lose it. So USE IT and as The Famous Iceman Wim Hof Proclaims, BREATHE MF!