Breathing. It’s something we all do, every second of every day, without thinking.
But for me, breathing was never something I could take for granted.
I grew up with asthma, constantly battling breathlessness and relying on a selection of inhalers to keep me going. As a kid, I didn’t question it, it was just something I had to deal with.
Fortunately, my mum was a nurse, and whether she instinctively knew what to do or just asked the right questions, she made sure I wasn’t completely at the mercy of my condition.
She put me into swimming classes from a young age, and without realising it, my breath training had already begun.
For years, swimming strengthened my lungs, and by the time I hit my teens, my asthma symptoms had disappeared.
Then, like a lot of stupid teenagers in the ‘90s, I did the one thing that made absolutely no sense for someone who had struggled with breathing.
I started smoking.
Destroying My Lungs, One Cigarette at a Time
I’d like to say there was a deep reason behind it, but honestly? Someone probably told me it was cool.
For nearly a decade, I smoked. Every cigarette adding another layer of damage to my lungs. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, I spent years working in construction, breathing in hazardous dust and fumes daily.
I convinced myself I was fine, until I wasn’t.
Twice, I ended up in hospital due to breathing issues caused by the environments I was working in. And still, I didn’t think about my breath in the way I do now.
That moment didn’t come until about seven years ago, when I stumbled across a Tim Ferriss podcast featuring Wim Hof, this crazy Dutch guy talking about the healing power of the breath and cold exposure.
Something clicked.
I had practiced breathwork before through yoga, but nothing had captured my attention quite like this. For the first time, I truly questioned the way I was breathing.
Relearning How to Breathe
I dove headfirst into the world of breathwork, cold plunging, and hyperventilation techniques. I trained with specialists around the world, experimenting with different approaches to breath training.
But the one that truly transformed my understanding?
This wasn’t just about breathwork for relaxation, it was about functional breathing, optimising performance, and rewiring the way we breathe for better health.
I became a Level 2 (Advanced) Instructor, and everything started making sense.
I retrained my breathing to overcome paradoxical breathing, bad habits caused by years of smoking.
I learned how to breathe properly at night, reducing snoring and improving sleep quality.
I saw first hand how breath control impacts fitness & endurance, boosting stamina in ways I never thought possible.
I realised how breath can give control in moments of stress, panic, or distraction, not just for me, but for the people I now help.
The breath is everything. It impacts our health, our focus, our energy, our emotions, yet most of us never stop to think about it.
Why I Created Oxygen Edge
My journey with breathwork wasn’t just about overcoming my own struggles, it became about helping others do the same.
Through Oxygen Edge, I work with people who want to:
Improve their breathing for better health and energy.
Overcome issues like snoring, sleep apnea, and stress-related breath dysfunction.
Enhance performance, endurance, and resilience through breath control.
Learn how to harness the breath to stay focused, calm, and in control.
I know what it’s like to struggle with breathing. I know what it’s like to feel limited by something so fundamental. But I also know that we can train our breath and transform the way we feel, move, and perform.
If you’re curious about breath training and want to experience the difference it can make, let’s talk. Drop me a message or check out the Oxygen Edge Coaching Programme here.
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