What the Breathwork Gurus Dont Want You to Know
Guest
Dylan McKay
Episode length
00:00:00
Hosted by
Martin I. Jones
Produced & edited by
Bess Manley
In this episode
The Hidden Science Behind Breathing Techniques That Could Sabotage Performance from a Special Forces Bomb Disposal Commander.
Join us as Dylan McKay shares insights from his unique background in military bomb disposal to challenge myths around breathing techniques. This episode explores how individualised breathing behaviours influence performance, safety, and recovery in high-stakes environments.
Key topics
The influence of breathing behaviour under pressure and in high-stakes decision-making
The importance of understanding individual differences in breathing responses to stress
The myth versus reality of common breathing techniques like box breathing, physiological sighs, and nasal breathing
The physiological complexity behind breath-hold skills like in freediving, and their relevance to performance
The critical role of psychological beliefs and behavioural lenses in breathing interventions
Risks and limitations of popular tools like capnography, Bolt score, and wearable sleep devices in performance contexts
The need for self-awareness and personalised training over generic techniques
How to approach breathing as a self-exploration process for better resilience and performance
Guest, cast & crew
Dylan McKay is a human performance specialist and faculty member of the Professional School of Behavioural Health Sciences. He is the founder of the Performance Breathing System®, an evidence-based approach to optimising health and operational performance through applied breathing science.
Dylan previously served as an EOD Commander in the New Zealand Special Forces and led the unit’s Human Performance Programme, with a focus on helping people operate effectively under pressure and recover from the operational demands. Today, he specialises in breathing science (not trend-led “breathwork”), using assessment-led education and breathing behavioural analysis to support practical, individualised change, particularly for people working in high-stress, high-reliability roles.
Resources
Chapters
01:14 Stress Breathing Is Individual
03:15 Dylan’s EOD Background
05:49 Why Box Breathing Took Off
08:58 Looking at Breathing Through a Behavioural Lens
10:38 Defining Dysfunctional Breathing
12:47 Physiological Sigh Mythbusting
15:07 Capnography and CO2 Reality
19:49 Nasal Breathing and Mouth Taping
21:53 Airway Structure vs Behaviour
25:57 Mouth Taping Risks at Night
27:29 Belief Versus Hype
28:38 Tummo Breathing
32:35 States Versus Traits
34:21 Capnography Vs Bolt Scores
37:44 Free Diving And Evidence
40:01 Breathing Bumper Stickers
41:14 Self-Awareness Practice
45:33 Wearables And HRV
49:59 Box Breathing Reality
52:22 Closing Thanks And Wrap
