The Oxygen Advantage: Proven Breathing Techniques
Original price was: $18.99.$12.69Current price is: $12.69.
Price: $18.99 - $12.69
(as of Jul 08, 2025 06:14:50 UTC – Details)
Description
Unlock your full potential by correcting a hidden problem: chronic over-breathing. In The Oxygen Advantage, expert Patrick McKeown reveals scientifically proven techniques to enhance your body's oxygen efficiency. Learn to measure your Body Oxygen Level Test (BOLT) score and use simple exercises, including simulated high-altitude training, to improve it. This guide is for everyone, from couch potatoes to elite athletes, seeking to boost energy, improve sleep, reduce anxiety, and dramatically enhance fitness and performance. It's a transformative approach to health, proving that breathing less, but more effectively, is the key to achieving more.
Product Details
- Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
- Publication date: November 29, 2016
- Edition: Reprint
- Language: English
- Print length: 368 pages
- ISBN-10: 0062349473
- ISBN-13: 978-0062349477
- Item Weight: 9.6 ounces
- Dimensions: 5.31 x 0.83 x 8 inches
Advantages
Based on scientifically validated methods, this book provides a clear program to improve your body’s oxygen use. The techniques are accessible to all fitness levels and can lead to significant improvements in health, weight management, and athletic performance. The inclusion of the Body Oxygen Level Test (BOLT) allows you to measure your progress objectively. Customer testimonials highlight fast, noticeable results in sleep quality, endurance, and even chronic conditions like snoring and asthma.
Our Recommendations
We recommend this book for athletes seeking a competitive edge in endurance and performance. Furthermore, individuals suffering from conditions like asthma, anxiety, or poor sleep will find practical, life-changing exercises within its pages. It's also an excellent resource for anyone looking to improve their general health, increase energy levels, and manage their weight through a simple, yet powerful, physiological approach.
Conclusion
The Oxygen Advantage is a groundbreaking and essential read that challenges conventional wisdom about breathing. It delivers a practical, science-based framework for improving nearly every aspect of your physical and mental well-being. By teaching you to breathe more efficiently, this book offers a powerful tool to enhance your health, fitness, and overall quality of life. It is a worthwhile investment for anyone serious about optimizing their body’s potential.
9 reviews for The Oxygen Advantage: Proven Breathing Techniques
Add a review
Related Products
no124c41 –
Wonderful Book
I remember that when I was a little kid it was fun to see how long I could hold my breath. Fast-forward to today, and holding my breath for a fraction of the time I did as a child is not fun- in fact it feels like a desperate “brush with death”! The main premise of this book is that we become adapted to over-breathing with significant diminishment of our health and well-being. For the specifics of how and why we have adapted to over-breathing, please refer to the book if you find this review interesting. I believe this premise that we have adapted to over-breathing is true and self-authenticating , from reading and working with the book. This book is truly transformative and deserves to be widely known.There are three components to the Oxygen Advantage program which addresses this over-breathing. They are explained clearly and supported with anecdotal and scientific studies, and tips and exercises are given to develop them. I appreciate the scientific explanation (which is not tedious), because it provides real support and conviction for engaging the process.The three components could be summarized as:1) Breathe through the nose while awake (including when exercising) and asleep2) “Breathe Light to Breathe Right”3) Increase your ability to comfortably hold your breath#1 Breathe through the nose- Personally I already took #1 for granted when I came across this book. The reasons for nose-breathing are explained thoroughly in this book, and a very persuasive case is also made in John Douillard’s “Body, Mind, and Sport”. Reading that book convinced me to learn to run without mouth-breathing, which has already convinced me that nose-breathing is calmer and healthier and more efficient than mouth-breathing. This book has shown me that I still have some work to do in this area, but what got me excited about the book immediately was working with breath holds. However, breathing through the nose at all times would have to be considered the most fundamental building block of the program, I believe.#2 Breathe Light to Breathe Right- In the book, a tai chi master is quoted as saying, “Generally speaking, there are 3 levels of breathing. The first one is to breathe softly, so that a person standing next to you does not hear you breathing. The second level is to breathe softly so that you do not hear yourself breathing. And the third level is to breathe softly so that you do not feel yourself breathing.” The author was told that at tai chi tournaments, judges pay particular attention to the breathing of the contestants, and if they can notice their breathing, points are deducted! More about this topic shortly.#3 Increase your ability to hold your breath- This topic is what initially captured my attention, because I experienced immediate positive effects from practicing breath holds. At my starting level, the exercises are simple and mild affairs, where the breath is held after an exhalation (while walking for example), only to the point of feeling a tolerable need for air (both words, “tolerable” and “need” being key). Breathing should be back to normal after the hold in 3 breaths or so, or the hold is overly intense.This simple exercise, practiced for 15 minutes a day, has had an immediate and continuing effect on my well-being. As the number of paces I can walk comfortably while breath-holding slowly goes up, so does the benign unfolding of this process. There are many things developing at once, but here’s an attempt to summarize my subjective experience so far:1) The exercise influences my breath to calm and slow down throughout the day. This has brought my attention to the real importance of “Breathe Light to Breathe Right”, which initially went over my head. A deep breath is not something I TAKE, or grab, or force, or make an effort to achieve. I do not get “more” by breathing more! (The specifics of the exercises are in the book, but as the author says, “Breathe Light to Breathe Right is not just an exercise, it is a way of life”.)2) There is a psychological stress around breathing that this process is helping to dissolve. The first tolerable need for breath is not a danger signal, any more than beginning to get hungry should lead to panic. As this stress unwinds, there is relaxation and calm mindfulness in its place, with more relaxation in movement and effort.3) I have an undeniable increase in physical well-being.Of course, everyone who works with this book will have a different starting point and experience of the process. I feel that it is a fantastic boon to discover that I have adapted to over-breathing in my life (just the opposite of what I have been conditioned to believe), and begin to unwind it. I think therefore it is only kind to recommend that anyone find out for themselves if they over-breathe. I don’t think there can be many more fundamental discoveries than this to make about oneself – perhaps one or two profound spiritual discoveries would fill the bill!There is considerable information presented on the health benefits of this program, with almost 300 references to supporting theories and compelling evidence. And there are recommendations for how practically everyone can safely engage the process, from someone in poor health to someone in superb physical condition. Check it out!
jb4u –
This works!
I’ve had asthma since age two and being very health oriented, have tried EVERYTHING to manage/cure my chronic condition for years. I’ve tried every supplement, tincture, pharmaceutical, long term allergy shots, you name it to no avail. I approached it by eliminating triggers like rag weed, pet dander etc, diet, and trying to get to the root of it by approaching it as an inflammatory situation. Nothing worked, it’s been decades of suffering and no help from docs. From reading this amazing , comprehensive book, I learned my approaches have all been short sighted and would never work long term because they didn’t get to the root of the problem. Remedies we’re temporary fixed. Asthmatics hyperventilate/overbreathe, they breath enough for 4-6 people , counterintuitive for those of us with constricted airwaves who believe we’re not getting enough oxygen . We have low CO2, which allows oxygen to come unbound from platelets so that we can oxygenate properly. When we overbreathe, the body in its need to hold on to CO2 from being over expelled, tightens airways and forms mucus. This book , through teaching a new way of breathing, resets the CO2 set point so the respiration center then allows airways to relax. I was at my wits end, using my inhaler 10-15 times a day, and even on waking in the middle of the night, to using it once or twice a day and I’m only 3 weeks in to reset my CO2 set point with these exercises. I’m already off my steroidal inhaler and still can’t believe it ! It’s astounding that doctors don’t know about the Buteyko method and it’s not taught everywhere! Another failure of modern medicine no longer interested in healing just increasing pharma’s bottom line . Asthma can be cured 100% by anyone who undertakes this method. If you’re like me,have searched and experimented endlessly and in vain , you will never need another remedy or drug.This author is a life saver and it will be the best money you’ve ever spent. The book is comprehensive and easy to read and understand. This method is for everyone not just asthmatics. It gives an edge for competitive athletes and everyone in between because once you understand the reason and method to allow oxygen to be released instead of circulating in your body, and how it relaxes your airwaves and strengthens them, you will enjoy better health and exercise endurance and recovery for life. What would you pay for an asthma cure? 500$ ? 1000$? 10,000$ ? I would have, happily. Now you have that for $10!!!! Patrick M. has changed and probably saved my life!
Al –
Do what the book says to do!!
I have had this book since 2017. I’ve read the book multiple times not because I couldn’t understand it but because it was very informative. As I started to apply what the author was saying I began to see a difference in my cardiovascular health. I would jog longer distances without feeling so out of breath and my everyday activities were a breeze to handle. Read the book then do what it says. Remember doing what the author is telling is a very important part. No action, equals no results.
Kindle Customer –
An exceptional book that everyone should read…
This is a well written book about how modern life has negatively disturbed the way that humans SHOULD breathe. This imbalance causes all kinds of health problems. Problems that can be avoided — or sometimes (but not always) corrected — by retraining yourself to breathe “lightly.” As a person who suffers from sleep apnea, I have found the exercises in this book to be invaluable in slowly correcting my breathing issues while I sleep. “Breathe through your nose and eat with your mouth.” You’ll understand why after you read this book.
Vincent –
Only after reading the book that I realized the significance of nasal breathing over mouth breathing. This improves a lot of the well being of my body.
Pascal R. Müller –
The following text was part of an e-mail sent to the author of the book in which I shared my experiences with him.I just wanted to share my experience with the breathing techniques with you and my thoughts about the innovative insights for people like me who don’t yet have any specific health problems. And I’m looking forward to stay healthy with all the great information out there, including your knowledge and your shared experiences with thousands of people, working with them and changing their lives to the better.For me the formula „Breathe Light to Breathe Right“ helped to get more focused in everyday live. I can concentrate better while working on my tasks on the computer. But more important, I first just had to stop breathing through my mouth while working on the computer. I would never have thought it myself that my mouth breathing while working impeded my concentration, my productivity and probably finally my career (or at least my wellbeing). I’m so glad that I discovered your book (thanks to Amazon recommendations).Now to my insights with breathing reduction and my heart rate variability, which captured my attention 3 years ago and began to really change the view of my health and my autonomy in this area of my life. With the HRV analysis using the Autonom Health tool and using the Elite HRV App on my iPhone, I found out that the best way for me to heighten my heart rate variability is to do the exercise „Breathe Light to Breathe Right“. Compared to a guided breathing session (with Elite HRV) my HRV is even better doing reduced breathing (contrary to the notion that coherent breathing with 3–6 breaths per minute is the best way to train your nervous system and heighten the HRV). It gets higher when my SpO2 drops to 93% and lower. Maybe it is a stress response and the effect is not the same in the long run as with the coherent breathing technique without breathing reduction?I’ve also been practicing the exercise „High Altitude Training“ since last Sommer and changed my BOLT Score from under 20 seconds to 30 until 40 seconds or more (additionally I keep this Score using a tape on my mouth while sleeping, as recommended by you). According to my HRV analysis with Autonom Heath, my health and my fitness is really good (unfortunately I just began to measure this seriously some weeks ago and not already last summer before I began to implement your exercises). However, I had some problems to heighten my BOLT Score sustainably and it dropped under 30 after having stopped the regular exercise of breathing light to breathe right (just keeping the mouth breathing day and night and High Altitude Simulation while walking at least 3–4 times per week). At the moment I do the exercise every morning and evening for 15 minutes and heightened the score to 40 seconds again, which corresponds with my feeling of being able to stay focused longer in my working day and to get things done better and with more energy and enthusiasm.
Cliente Amazon –
The book revolves around the promissing hypothesis that we should breathe using our nose, not our mouth. Besides, the author insists that it is wrong to take too much oxygen in so we should slow down our breathing rate. So far, so good. The problem is that everything the author says could have been said in the first quarter or first third of the book.The rest is just boring repetition. And even the first quarter or first third could very well be compressed a little by shaving off unnecessary information.I would not recommend buying this book.
Jon Snow On Ice –
This book can be a life-changer if applied in real life. It is written very clear in a quite humoristic style sometimes, which makes it a very ‘down to earth’ scientific book and very easy to read. You get lot of great scientific background information, case studies and exercises.It should be on everybody’s book shelf. And after reading, you can easily apply it in your daily lives, whether you’ re at work, playing with the kids, running, cycling, watching TV, and even sleeping!
Champa osel –
se vuoi conoscere il tuo respiro non troverai di meglio