Speed up your recovery with breathing
Learn how breathing and mental focus accelerate your recovery from an injury or surgery.
Injuries or, rather, lessons
If you are an athlete, sooner or later you will have to deal with an injury. It's almost inevitable, especially if you compete at a high level. And, if you ask me, recovering can be more challenging than any training, no matter how intense it is.
In my case, I've had many injuries, but the most serious ones that required surgery were in both shoulders (rare, because as a soccer player the norm is knees, but those are fine). My right shoulder dislocated three times, and the left one, eight. After my first surgery on the right shoulder, it took me almost 11 months to return to impact sports like surfing or playing soccer. But after the second one, despite the shoulder being much more damaged, I recovered in just 5 months.
What changed? I incorporated a method that combines breathing and mental focus into my rehabilitation. This taught me to manage pain better and reduce recovery time by half.
The magic combo: breathing + mind
Here is the process I followed, thanks to the guidance of my breathing coach, Gabo from @Breathouse.
Phase 1: Week 1 to 5
Do these exercises every day, one in the morning and one in the evening/night:
Exercise 1 - Stress Less Breathing:
A video on YouTube where the first minutes explain the science, and at minute 8 the guided practice begins. Once you master it, you can do it without the video and with your favorite music. I recommend this playlist.
Exercise 2 - Healing Power of Breath:
A series of recordings on SoundCloud. Listen to the whole series the first time to understand the dynamics. Then, repeat chapter 8, which worked best for me, although you can alternate between chapters 8 and 11.
Phase 2: Week 6 onwards
This is where things get more interesting: we integrate the Wim Hof method every three days. I practice it with the SoundCloud recordings of another one of my breathing mentors, Juan Pablo @ElSrDeLosHielos.
Recommended cycle:
Day 1: Stress Less Breathing in the morning and at night.
Day 2: Total Breaths from Healing Power of Breath in the morning and at night.
Day 3: Breathing from Wim Hof with @ElSrDeLosHielos in the morning.
And repeat the cycle until you are fully recovered.
And most importantly, integrate the power of your mind
Every time you do the exercises, visualize and feel how the air you breathe brings blood to the injured area or where the surgery was. Then, imagine how that area starts to repair and regenerate.
For example:
In the Wim Hof method, during the breath holds (when you hold your breath), visualize how all your blood flows to the injured area or the operated zone.
In the other exercises, visualize how, when inhaling, the blood accumulates in your heart and, when exhaling, reaches the part you wish to heal.
If you've read this far and love science, I recommend you keep reading, and if not, you already have the magic in your hands.
Why does it work and the science behind it?
Your nervous system has two main modes:
"Fight or flight" mode (sympathetic): The body uses energy for survival activities like running or fighting.
"Rest and digest" mode (parasympathetic): The body uses energy for essential processes like cellular repair and protein synthesis.
With slow, subtle, and diaphragmatic breathing, you activate the vagus nerve, which is responsible for putting your body into parasympathetic mode. This state accelerates the recovery process, as explained in the exercise Stress Less Breathing.
And why Wim Hof?
This method is known for its ability to:
Strengthen your immune system: Helps fight infections, which indirectly accelerates recovery.
Regulate cortisol: During practice, it increases cortisol in a controlled way, which activates the inflammation necessary to repair tissues. However, it regulates it during the rest of the day, preventing chronic inflammation.
That's why I recommend incorporating it in the advanced stages of recovery, when your body is already prepared to tolerate intense changes between the sympathetic and parasympathetic states and can safely manage spikes in cortisol.
I share evidence of two superhumans who inspired me:
Kasper Van Meulen: a breathwork practitioner who accelerated his recovery from arm surgery caused by an accident in a race. Listen to his podcast.
Joe Dispenza: a mindfulness and mental strength teacher who healed his spine after a triathlon accident. Check out this video where he explains.
And here is a list of scientific studies that support all of this.
P.S.
This blog is dedicated to a very special person who had an accident. Stay strong, my Val! And to all of you reading, I wish you a speedy and complete recovery.
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or health professional. This article is based on my personal experience and does not substitute medical advice. Always consult your doctor before trying any method or exercise, especially if you have an injury or medical condition.
