The breath revolution: How mastering respiration could transform health and recovery

Breathing expert reveals concerning trends and practical solutions at international wellness summit

At the HOLOLIFE Summit 2025 Europe in Tallinn last weekend, physiotherapist and breathing coach Maciej Szyszka delivered a compelling presentation on the critical importance of proper breathing techniques for overall health and wellbeing. His session, "AirFlowMed: Optimizing Respiration for Resilience and Recovery," combined alarming statistics about modern breathing patterns with practical solutions that attendees could immediately implement.

The modern breathing crisis

Szyszka opened his presentation with a sobering assessment of current breathing trends. "We have been measuring breathing for nearly one hundred years, and you can see that the pattern is changing," he told the audience gathered in Tallinn. "The big problem for people is that they are breathing more and more every year. From the thirties to the moment that we are here now, it has changed so that people breathe two and a half times more than they did in the 1930s."

This increased rate of breathing has serious consequences, according to Szyszka. When people breathe more rapidly, they exhale excessive amounts of carbon dioxide, which is actually necessary for oxygen delivery to cells. "We are in chronic hypoxia," he explained. "This is the name of the problem, and chronic hypoxia generates stress in our bodies. But this is the stress on the cellular level—the stress in the cells."

The childhood origins of dysfunctional breathing

Perhaps most concerning was Szyszka's revelation about how early these problems begin. Referencing a study that measured breathing patterns in 1,200 children, he reported that "dysfunctional patterns of breathing were in fifty-four percent of the children." These issues only worsen with age, particularly as children enter school and become more sedentary.

"In children aged between ten and nineteen, they have sleeping disorders in thirty-seven percent, and they have less concentration," Szyszka noted. "So there is a big problem with learning, and it will grow. If we don't focus on breathing, we will be in interesting times in a few years."

Breathing as the master key to bodily systems

Throughout his presentation, Szyszka emphasized how breathing influences virtually every system in the body. "If we can connect with our breathing, we can change how the heart is working. We can change the digestive system; we can change the hormonal system," he said. "Breathing is, as I say, like a master key: with breathing, you can open many gates with one key."

The Polish physiotherapist was particularly emphatic about the connection between breathing and sleep quality. He explained that mouth breathing during sleep dramatically reduces REM sleep due to elevated adrenaline levels, preventing proper nervous system regeneration. "After some time, you will have a different brain, and other diseases can develop from the sleeping disorder," he warned.

Practical techniques for optimal breathing

The highlight of Szyszka's session was a guided breathing exercise that demonstrated how to combine slow nasal breathing with controlled air hunger while maintaining muscular relaxation. Participants were instructed to focus on the temperature difference between cold inhaled air and warm exhaled air, creating what Szyszka described as "a special feeling, a special state—it is a meditation state."

"We are connecting two things: a big CO₂ level and relaxed muscles—two opposite things," he explained. "One is stressful, but one is relaxed. We want to connect these two things together."

The exercise appeared to have an immediate impact on attendees, who reported feeling calm, focused, and alert afterward. Szyszka emphasized that regular practice of this technique could significantly improve sleep quality, heart rate variability, and stress levels.

Innovation in respiratory training

Szyszka also introduced several breathing devices he has developed to help people incorporate proper breathing techniques into their daily lives. One nasal device, which he demonstrated during the presentation, creates resistance during breathing to maintain higher CO₂ levels in the body.

"It makes a similar effect—or maybe even the same effect—as this exercise you have done before," he explained. "But you can do it as long as you want during the day, and it will change your sleep... lower cortisol, and improve your HRV. When HRV is higher, life is longer—an important fact."

The power of internal solutions

Throughout his presentation, Szyszka continually returned to a central theme: the solutions to many health problems already exist within us. "People focus on everything outside, but they have everything inside them," he said. "But they don't use the special powers that they have."

His closing message to the HOLOLIFE Summit attendees was simple but powerful: "For me, the main thing is to teach them how to breathe without any devices... Build this potential that you have in your breathing, and your life will change. Remember that."

As health concerns continue to rise globally, Szyszka's message about returning to fundamental physiological processes like proper breathing offers a refreshingly accessible approach to wellness—one that requires no expensive equipment or medications, just consistent awareness and practice.

Frequently asked questions

How has human breathing changed over time?

Maciej Szyszka told the Tallinn summit that breathing has been measured for nearly one hundred years and that the pattern is changing: people breathe more every year, and since the thirties the volume has risen to about two and a half times what it was.

How common is dysfunctional breathing in children?

Szyszka cited a study measuring breathing patterns in 1,200 children, in which fifty-four percent showed dysfunctional patterns. He said the problem worsens as children enter school and become more sedentary, with sleeping disorders appearing among those aged ten to nineteen.

Why does he call breathing a master key?

Because it reaches nearly every system at once. Szyszka argued that changing how you breathe changes how the heart works, and the digestive and hormonal systems with it: one key that opens many gates. His session closed with a guided exercise built on slow nasal breathing.

About the event

This recap is part of the HOLOLIFE Summit 2025 Europe series, recorded in Tallinn on 14 and 15 June 2025. Read the summary of the whole event or join the next edition, HOLOLIFE Summit 2026 Amsterdam, on 14 and 15 November 2026.