First it was Oura rings. The England team were spotted sporting the popular smart rings that monitor sleep quality, body temperature, stress levels, and heart health to help wearers foster healthier habits and optimise performance. Now, it has emerged that the footballers are partaking in another popular wellness trend as they plough on through the Euros: breath work.
The team were pictured yesterday at their Blankenhain training base decompressing with breathwork guru Stuart Sandeman after Sunday’s gruelling match against Slovakia.
Sandeman has working in the field for over eight years, first discovering the benefits of breathwork after his girlfriend died from cancer in 2016, after which he took his mum to a breathwork lesson as a Mother’s Day gift and experienced a sense of catharsis. “A lot of emotion stirred, and my breath felt like it was released for the first time ever,” he told Allan Misner on the 40 Plus Fitness podcast.
He has gone on to become one of the UK’s foremost breathing coaches, hosting BBC Radio 1’s Decompression Session as well are writing the bestselling Breathe In Breathe Out and founding Breathpod, which hosts courses and retreats available both virtually and in person. Oh, and let’s not forget coaching Olympic athletes and now the England team.
But what are the benefits of breathwork, and how is it helping the England team gear up and unfurl after those intense matches? Stuart’s technique is described as “distinctive… designed to disrupt negative thought patterns, release tension, and increase flow,” which must be handy when the team are struggling out there on the pitch during a fraught game. Additionally, Sandeman has discussed wanting to use breathwork to help athletes breathe optimally for their particular sport.
Other skills Sandeman incorporates into sessions include visualisation and music, which he says “has the power to amplify, evoke, emote and help people transcend their ordinary state to improve mood, performance, and wellbeing.” Breathwork can also aid recovery — key in toggling between fight and flight and rest and recover states. “The autonomous nervous system is split in two halves… how we’re breathing really affects that on switch,” he told Misner. “Not only does breathing bring life into our body, but it triggers our state of being. It affects how we feel, how we think, how our system works.”
If you’re reading this thinking that you are of course currently breathing adequately, you’re probably wrong. Sandeman’s belief is that we are all born as babies breathing perfectly before “the life experiences, the stress, the emotions” constrict our breathing and form bad habits. Even things like “posture or clothing choice” can affect breathing, he warns.
But where to start when trying to remedy bad breathing habits? Sandeman suggests a good starting point is by focussing on breathing through the nose and not mouth, telling Mo Gawdat and Alice Law on Breathpod that “over time the carbon dioxide because of the pH will start to level out,” meaning a slower breathing rate, improved lung volume, and better circulation of blood oxygen.
And if you’re really serious about improving, you could try another wellbeing trend: mouth taping. When I tried it, I noticed improvement in sleep quality, which my Oura ring registered with approval. In fact, given the England team’s clear interest in biohacking, I wouldn’t be surprised if the next pictures of their health endeavours feature Southgate et al sporting surgical tape while getting some kip. You read it here first.
