Mick Fanning says Breathwork is key to his success

Michael Eugene Fanning AO is an Australian professional surfer who was crowned champion of the Association of Surfing Professionals World Tour in 2007, 2009 and 2013. If you’re Australian, You will most likely know how much his career has been a massive success.

But did you know that he puts his breathwork practise as one of the critical foundations to his success?

Scoliosis is a curvature of the spine that, when is severe, can cause problems with lung capacity and the ability to breathe. In my clinical practice, I attend to many patients with scoliosis, with some of them suffering from shortness of breath that hugely impacts their quality of life.

Fanning, who struggles with scoliosis, was quoted saying.

“Breathwork is critical. You can change your moods, your thought patterns, just by concentrating on breath … and the better you breathe, the better you perform.”

He’s not wrong.

I work with many clients building a breath practice over eight weeks. Usually, by week 4 or 5, they begin to notice improvements in their mood, control their stress, and athletic performance increases because slowing the breath down during such practices improves oxygenation to the working muscles.

Just recently, I’ve been working with a 67-year-old male who has spent his whole life cycling around the world. Every year he travels to the USA to cycle along the west coast; however, since travel has halted, he has lost the enjoyment of riding for the time being. As a result, his fitness has deteriorated, and he was struggling with breathlessness, meaning that every time he goes to get back on his bike, he becomes concerned about the distance he can cycle.

Now at week six of my eight-week breathing program, he is considered better. Eric said to me today.

“I don’t understand, and I haven’t been doing any physical exercise yet my shortness of breath seems to have improved”.

Eric is up to 20 minutes of conscious breathing exercises per day split into two 10 minute sessions. My breathing protocols aim to create efficient breathing patterns, build tolerance a better tolerance to changes in physiology associated with exercise, which makes a more positive outlook on life. They also promote parasympathetic nervous activity that is calming and relaxing, often resulting in lower anxiety and better sleep.

It’s no wonder that Mick Fanning is a fan of Breathing with the pressures on him to make a return to professional surfing following his shark attack back in 2015.

You can check out the article on Fanning here – https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/health-and-wellness/mick-fanning-s-scoliosis-led-him-to-breath-work-now-it-s-key-to-his-success-20210420-p57kx4.html

And if you’re keen to learn more about breathing practice or enrol on my eight-week program, check out more information here – https://coaching.performancethroughhealth.com/

Kind regards

Martin