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The Oxygen Advantage: The Simple, Scientifically Proven Breathing Techniques for a Healthier, Slimmer, Faster, and Fitter You Kindle Edition

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 2,277 ratings

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A simple yet revolutionary approach to improving your body’s oxygen use, increasing your health, weight loss, and sports performance—whether you’re a recovering couch potato or an Ironman triathlon champion. With a foreword by New York Times bestselling author Dr. Joseph Mercola.

Achieve more with less effort: The secret to weight loss, fitness, and wellness lies in the most basic and most overlooked function of your body—how you breathe. One of the biggest obstacles to better health and fitness is a rarely identified problem: chronic over-breathing. We often take many more breaths than we need—without realizing it—contributing to poor health and fitness, including a host of disorders, from anxiety and asthma to insomnia and heart problems.

In The Oxygen Advantage, the man who has trained over 5,000 people—including Olympic and professional athletes—in reduced breathing exercises now shares his scientifically validated techniques to help you breathe more efficiently. Patrick McKeown teaches you the fundamental relationship between oxygen and the body, then gets you started with a Body Oxygen Level Test (BOLT) to determine how efficiently your body uses oxygen. He then shows you how to increase your BOLT score by using light breathing exercises and learning how to simulate high altitude training, a technique used by Navy SEALs and professional athletes to help increase endurance, weight loss, and vital red blood cells to dramatically improve cardio-fitness.

Following his program, even the most out-of-shape person (including those with chronic respiratory conditions such as asthma) can climb stairs, run for a bus, or play soccer without gasping for air, and everyone can achieve:

  • Easy weight loss and weight maintenance
  • Improved sleep and energy
  • Increased concentration
  • Reduced breathlessness during exercise
  • Heightened athletic performance
  • Improved cardiovascular health
  • Elimination of asthmatic symptoms, and more.

With The Oxygen Advantage, you can look better, feel better, and do more—it’s as easy as breathing.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

“McKeown introduces readers to the “Oxygen Advantage,” an innovative but complex breathing technique that purportedly improves overall health… McKeown’s confident attitude should help his book appeal to a wide audience.” — Publishers Weekly

“I’m an NFL wide receiver and my Bolt Score was 13. Three weeks later it’s 30 and improving; running has gotten so much easier. I’m in better shape for another opportunity because I’m so much better at the simple act of breathing. It really does add up!” — Jay Wisner, NFL Free Agent

“Patrick McKeown, breathing trainer and author of The Oxygen Advantage, recommends breathing through your nose…It’ll feel weird, but within a few weeks, you’ll notice you can exercise longer and don’t tire as quickly.” — Dr. Oz The Good Life

From the Back Cover

THE SECRET TO HEALTH, FITNESS, AND WEIGHT LOSS LIES IN HOW YOU BREATHE.

One of the biggest obstacles to your health and fitness is a rarely identified problem—and one that is unknown outside of medical journals: chronic overbreathing. We can breathe two to three times more air than required without even knowing it, and chronic overbreathing leads to loss of health and poor fitness and contributes to problems such as anxiety, asthma, fatigue, insomnia, heart problems, and even obesity.

Within minutes you can improve the amount of oxygen delivered to active muscles and organs by changing how you breathe, using the simple and easy-to-apply techniques in this book. Whether you’re an elite athlete looking to simulate high-altitude training or an everyday person looking for more daily stamina and health benefits, these revolutionary, scientifically validated breathing exercises have the potential to maximize and drastically improve your current performance level.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00RLU286G
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ William Morrow; Illustrated edition (September 15, 2015)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 15, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 14823 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 360 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ B09PNTZWX9
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 2,277 ratings

About the author

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Patrick McKeown
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Patrick McKeown is an international breath expert and Oxygen Advantage® founder. He has provided breath training to improve breathing, sleep, anxiety, resilience, concentration and chronic illness since 2002.

Patrick is the founder and Director of Education for Oxygen Advantage®, which teaches functional breathing for resilience and improved sports performance. There are currently more than 3,000 trained Oxygen Advantage® instructors across 50 countries.

To date, Patrick has written ten books about breath training, including ‘The Breathing Cure’and the three Amazon category bestsellers: ‘Close Your Mouth’, ‘Asthma-Free Naturally’, and ‘Anxiety Free: Stop Worrying and Quieten your Mind’. He also wrote ‘The Oxygen Advantage’ which is considered a foremost source on breathing for exercise performance and is currently translated into sixteen languages.

Patrick's professional memberships include ‘Fellow of The Royal Society of Biology’ and ‘The Academy of Applied Myofunctional Sciences’. His work was published in ‘The Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine’.

Patrick’s work has featured on the BBC, USA Today, Ted Talks, the New York Times, the Times(UK), Men’s Health Magazine, Women’s Health Magazine, Dr Oz Magazine, Mercola and Mind Body Green website. Patrick hosts ‘The Oxygen Advantage® Podcast’ and has featured as a guest on many other podcasts, including Ben Greenfield’s ‘Life’, Dave Asprey’s ‘The Human Upgrade’, ‘Scott Caney Investigates’, Dr Jay T Wiles ‘Mindhacker’s Radio’, Dr Rangan Chatterjee’s ‘Feel better, live more,’ the Happy Pear Podcast and many more.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
2,277 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book informative and well-researched. They describe it as an interesting, brilliant read that provides practical steps to improve breathing habits. The explanations are clear and easy to understand, with simple exercises that are easy to follow. Many customers report improved sleep quality and a reduction in snoring, apnea, and periods of insomnia. Overall, customers consider the book a worthwhile purchase and a good value for money.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

139 customers mention "Information quality"132 positive7 negative

Customers find the book informative and helpful. They say it provides practical knowledge and is well-researched. The exercises are beneficial, and the program has been helpful for their overall health and recovery. Overall, readers consider the book valuable and informative.

"...The book is comprehensive and easy to read and understand. This method is for everyone not just asthmatics...." Read more

"...There is considerable information presented on the health benefits of this program, with almost 300 references to supporting theories and compelling..." Read more

"...if you are in Breathwork Facilitator training, training for any high altitude sport or adventure, or if you simply want to increase the productivity..." Read more

"...What makes this book special are three fundamental factors – knowledge, applications of breathing techniques, and how to get yourself in the Zone..." Read more

95 customers mention "Breathing"92 positive3 negative

Customers find the book helpful for learning how to breathe properly. It explains the concept of reduced breathing clearly and concisely, with practical steps to improve breathing habits. The benefits of nose breathing make perfect sense, and the book provides an educational experience. They say it gives them an understanding of why overbreathing is harmful to overall health.

"...This book , through teaching a new way of breathing, resets the CO2 set point so the respiration center then allows airways to relax...." Read more

"...#3 Increase your ability to hold your breath- This topic is what initially captured my attention, because I experienced immediate positive effects..." Read more

"...to train your breathing for a variety of exercises, but also how to breathe every day. Many of us are not breathing correctly...." Read more

"...book special are three fundamental factors – knowledge, applications of breathing techniques, and how to get yourself in the Zone by using the power..." Read more

95 customers mention "Readability"95 positive0 negative

Customers find the book interesting, brilliant, and comprehensive. They say it's easy to understand, with solid science and practical recommendations. The content is described as eye-opening, life-changing, and straightforward. Readers appreciate the engaging stories and good program.

"...From reading this amazing , comprehensive book, I learned my approaches have all been short sighted and would never work long term because they did..." Read more

"This is a good book, has easy to follow information regarding how to train your breathing for a variety of exercises, but also how to breathe every..." Read more

"...I would like to congratulate Patrick McKeown for writing another great book to add to his Buteyko breathing method series...." Read more

"...can help others by offering simple, safe, and practical exercises and concepts that can be remarkably helpful in addressing a number of troubling..." Read more

83 customers mention "Ease of reading"66 positive17 negative

Customers find the book easy to understand and follow. They appreciate the simple and mild exercises that make everyday activities easier. The book provides helpful guidelines in a clear and concise way. Overall, readers describe it as a quick and well-written read for all ages.

"...The book is comprehensive and easy to read and understand. This method is for everyone not just asthmatics...." Read more

"...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..." Read more

"This is a good book, has easy to follow information regarding how to train your breathing for a variety of exercises, but also how to breathe every..." Read more

"...The techniques and ways to get into the Zone are explained very well...." Read more

28 customers mention "Sleep quality"28 positive0 negative

Customers find the book helpful for improving their sleep quality. They report reducing wheezing, snoring, and periods of insomnia. The advice to tape the mouth during sleep prevents mouth breathing.

"...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..." Read more

"...approach is a work in progress, but there have been immediate results with snoring, apnea, periods of insomnia, and most interestingly, a general..." Read more

"...62; I have more energy > I wake up refreshed and require less sleep since the quality of my sleep is much better breathing through my..." Read more

"...convinced me to breathe through the nose, and yes, I sleep now with tape covering my mouth...." Read more

15 customers mention "Value for money"15 positive0 negative

Customers find the book a good value for money. They say it's worth the purchase for learning the information and providing a good return on investment. The step-by-step guides are helpful for improving health and performance.

"...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...." Read more

"...The BOLT score & Breath Light exercises alone are worth the price of the book...." Read more

"...In summary, well worth the cost of the book, and the time to read/skim it...." Read more

"...What was new and highly valuable to me is the idea of chronic over-breathing and the Bohr effect...." Read more

13 customers mention "Effectiveness"13 positive0 negative

Customers find the book helpful and effective. They say it works well, provides good results in two weeks, and is useful for improving health, lifestyle, and performance.

"...to achieve maximum enhancement in health, life style, and performance. So, the details are in the book and the benefits would be from your..." Read more

"...these problems with these techniques. So simple and yet so effective!..." Read more

"...And the most important, it's working with me, helping with everything described in the book..." Read more

"...I've already adopted many of the strategies and have had great results...." Read more

10 customers mention "Endurance"10 positive0 negative

Customers find the book helpful for improving endurance and fitness. They mention it helps them become stronger, faster, smarter, and leaner. The material is good, but some find it too long.

"...strengthens them, you will enjoy better health and exercise endurance and recovery for life. What would you pay for an asthma cure? 500$ ? 1000$?..." Read more

"...You may significantly improve breathing control and increase endurance, which is one of the main factors for better performance...." Read more

"Solid book. Extremely informative...." Read more

"...(asthma was one) and has helped top athletes as well as people with sedentary lifestyles...." Read more

TRANSFORMATIONAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
5 out of 5 stars
TRANSFORMATIONAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I inline skate 72 miles a week for years now, 18 miles 4 days a week. I suffered for a few months with the Oxygen Advantage, suffocating at cardio-thresholds CURSING the Author Patrick :) in disbelief, but I stuck with it. I was determined. I would get bits & pieces along the way, but couldn't crack the code.One day after a period of months & CONSCIOUSNESS - keeping the idea & concept of MOUTH Closed ALL the time - WOW!!!! I will NEVER go back. My skates have transformed. EVERYTHING is SO much more CONTAINED, RELAXED, EASY!!!!!!!!!!! I have WAY more POWER. I go tot he gym the other 3 weeks and the SAUNA another great place where heart rate becomes elevated - I TELL everyone I know about this SCIENCE. AWESOME book. Thank you Patrick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2023
    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!
    61 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2017
    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 asleep
    2) “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!
    365 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2023
    This is a good book, has easy to follow information regarding how to train your breathing for a variety of exercises, but also how to breathe every day. Many of us are not breathing correctly. I was pleasantly surprised that my BOLT score was higher than I thought it would be, and the included exercises helped me to improve on that as well. I recommend this book if you are in Breathwork Facilitator training, training for any high altitude sport or adventure, or if you simply want to increase the productivity of your breath.
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • JC
    5.0 out of 5 stars Must have for breathing health issues.
    Reviewed in Canada on February 26, 2023
    Actually reading it. The “book” that I was looking for! Excellent content, information, details and exercises. Sometimes I have the feeling that it’s repeating subject …again and again… by way of sentences with identical meaning…maybe it is only me. Helpfull for a lot of people. Health issues that is not covered by your Doctor because…you are not bleeding or have a broken bone sticking out!!!
  • Cabson 2010
    5.0 out of 5 stars Muy buena base para este libro
    Reviewed in Mexico on November 10, 2022
    Esta basado en investigaciones que hizo el Dr. Buteyko narra de las situaciones, de su vida así como de mucha gente que el salvo al entrenarlos en la forma correcta de respirar y de una forma practica en al forma que se acostumbra en Occidente, rápido nada de durar días enteros para hacer practicas, las cuales de pueden cuantificar fácilmente con un oxímetro para constatar los avances.
  • Champa osel
    5.0 out of 5 stars oxigen advantage
    Reviewed in Italy on December 19, 2023
    se vuoi conoscere il tuo respiro non troverai di meglio
  • Jacob J.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Must read for anyone and everyone and make breathing light and right a way of life.
    Reviewed in India on August 18, 2021
    Real eye opener on the importance of breathing right. Something overlooked by almost all of us. I would recommend it to EVERYONE! Everyone is bound to see some changes after following what is explained in this amazing book.
  • Jon Snow On Ice
    5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing book! ( would give it 6 stars and more even )
    Reviewed in France on April 6, 2020
    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!

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