
Oxygen Advantage
Join Oxygen Advantage creator Patrick McKeown as he talks to breathwork experts, high-achievers, elite athletes, biohackers, yogis and doctors. Learn the science behind Invincible Breathing, and how you can apply simple breathing exercises to optimize physical and mental health, brainpower and sports performance. Get inspired. Get the Oxygen Advantage.
Latest episodes

Aug 18, 2023 • 1h 2min
Iga Świątek and Mouth Taping for Athletes
“There’s no point in trying to sprint if you can’t walk.”In this surprise bonus episode of the Oxygen Advantage® podcast, Patrick McKeown is joined by podcast partner Daniel Pålsson and Ximena Beltrán García to discuss the recent news about Polish tennis ace Iga Swiatek. The world number one tennis player received global media attention recently when she was filmed training for the National Bank Open in Montreal with her mouth taped.The pictures that circulated around the world reignited the discussion around nose breathing and using functional nasal breathing toimprove performance. As with all of these online discourses, a mixture of facts and fiction about nose breathing filtered through the media, so Patrick and his team are on hand to guide you through.Ximena and Daniel are both Oxygen Advantage® instructors who specialize in training tennis players and both have years of experience making the OA method and functional breathing a part of their training regimes. Both are very experienced tennis players and coaches with Daniel a former tennis pro in his native Sweden.Looking at the science of breathing, they discuss the possible reasons why Iga has chosen to use mouth taping and the many benefits that functional breath training can bring to her and all athletes. They discuss the frighteningly large proportion of professional athletes who have dysfunctional breathing and what they and any member of the public can do to start improving it.This is a great episode if you are looking for insights into functional breathing for athletes, for reasons behind why the world number one taped her mouth during training and for explanations of the science behind why functional breathing methods such as those taught by the Oxygen Advantage® are hugely beneficial to their health, their mental and physical wellbeing and their performance.Try the free Oxygen Advantage® Breathing App, available now.📱 Android Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.oxygen.advantage📱 Apple store: https://apps.apple.com/ie/app/oxygen-advantage/id1589260950🔗 CONNECT WITH Patrick McKeown (Oxygen Advantage®)💻 Website - https://oxygenadvantage.com/ 🎙Podcast - https://oxygenadvantage.com/podcasts/ 📹 YouTube Channel -https://www.youtube.com/c/OxygenAdvantage📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/oxygenadvantage/?hl=en 📱 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/theoxygenadvantage/💼 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/oxygenadvantage🐥 Twitter - https://twitter.com/oxygenadvantage?lang=en

Aug 15, 2023 • 1h 3min
Create the Lifestyle That Suits You | Gemma Merna
“Don’t ever assume what somebody else is thinking and get furious. Half the time we don’t even know what’s going on inside our own brains.”On the latest episode of the Oxygen Advantage® podcast Patrick talks with former Hollyoaks star and current yogi, hypotherapist and life coach, Gemma Merna.Despite enjoying a very successful eight-year career with popular TV soap Hollyoaks, Gemma Merna faced many issues with stress and anxiety from a young age that were only worsened when under the pressure of the bright lights of fame.Towards the end of her time on the soap, personal loss and not dealing with the resulting trauma would lead Gemma to exiting the role.However, her choice to leave would be the first of many steps on a journey of learning and self-improvement.Finding comfort and even therapy in yoga practice, Gemma was able to start dealing with her anxieties and started making small steps to pursue a new career in health. Those steps included learning hypnotherapy, and of course, discovering the importance of breathing to help calm and focus the mind. This self-improvement journey would eventually lead to Gemma establishing Mind and Wellness with a goal to “give individuals the tools to discover themselves again”. By learning to be patient with herself and by “retraining” her brain with positive improvements, hypnotherapy, breathing to down regulate and of course yoga, Gemma admits she is now living the life she wants to live.This podcast is a personal and informative look, through the lens of Gemma’s experience, at how we can all better our circumstances if we take the pressure off ourselves and work to improve our physical and mental health.To learn more about what Gemma does or to book a course, visit https://mindandwellness.co.uk/.Try the free Oxygen Advantage® Breathing App, available now.📱 Android Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.oxygen.advantage📱 Apple store: https://apps.apple.com/ie/app/oxygen-advantage/id1589260950🔗 CONNECT WITH Patrick McKeown (Oxygen Advantage®)💻 Website - https://oxygenadvantage.com/ 🎙Podcast - https://oxygenadvantage.com/podcasts/ 📹 YouTube Channel -https://www.youtube.com/c/OxygenAdvantage📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/oxygenadvantage/?hl=en 📱 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/theoxygenadvantage/💼 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/oxygenadvantage🐥 Twitter - https://twitter.com/oxygenadvantage?lang=en

Aug 8, 2023 • 1h 10min
First Do No Harm: Breathing Training and Where It Is Going.
“The benefits are there. We can do this safely but it’s not going to be a one-size-fits-all approach.” Patrick McKeown meets Investigative journalist and author Scott Carney.In a slight change from the norm, the latest episode of the Oxygen Advantage® podcast is a recording from the ‘Scott Carney Investigates’ podcast. It brings together the expertise of Oxygen Advantage® founder and Director of Training and Education, Patrick McKeown and investigative journalist and author, Scott Carney. The pair discuss breathing training, where it is now in the world, it’s rise in popularity and the potential risks this involves. They touch on subjects such as hyperventilation, different breathing traditions and practices as well as the dangers of ‘gimmick’ trainers. They talk about the way in which certain breathwork trainers with limited knowledge of the physiological effects of different breathing exercises can do more harm than good if they do not adapt their teaching to each individual’s circumstances.This podcast is a great discussion on the perceptions, realities and dangers of functional breathing training by two people who are very well versed in the field.Try the free Oxygen Advantage® Breathing App, available now. 📱 Android Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.oxygen.advantage 📱 Apple store:https://apps.apple.com/ie/app/oxygen-advantage/id1589260950 🔗 CONNECT WITH Patrick McKeown (Oxygen Advantage®)💻 Website - https://oxygenadvantage.com/ 🎙Podcast - https://oxygenadvantage.com/podcasts/ 📹 YouTube Channel -https://www.youtube.com/c/OxygenAdvantage 📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/oxygenadvantage/?hl=en 📱 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/theoxygenadvantage/ 💼 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/oxygenadvantage 🐥 Twitter - https://twitter.com/oxygenadvantage?lang=en

Aug 1, 2023 • 58min
Becca Gillen - Facing and Overcoming Adversity
“All you need to do is keep going. Put one foot in front of the other… and you will figure it out.”On the latest episode of the Oxygen Advantage® podcast, Patrick McKeown talks to fitness influencer, nutritionist, health coach and breathing practitioner, Becca Gillen.Coming from a nursing background, Becca first started gaining public attention when she would to post about the difficulties of nursing during the early days of Instagram. From there she started her influencer journey and has had an up-and-down journey in recent years.After starting to build a successful business, Becca ran into a difficult few years.She was hit hard by both COVID and Long COVID and was often bedridden with no energy. Along with that, her business dropped to near zero in the wake of the pandemic lockdown. It was during lockdown that Becca really started addressing her breathing as a way to address her COVID issues. By practicing daily breathing exercises and ice baths, Becca was able start making incremental improvements that say her health and fitness return to normal levels.This is a really great listen for anyone interested in the ways we are faced with adversity and we can learn not only to overcome it, but thrive.Becca can be reached directly via her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beccagillen/?hl=en Her health and fitness work can also be found there: https://www.instagram.com/bpm.method/?hl=en Try the free Oxygen Advantage® Breathing App, available now.📱 Android Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.oxygen.advantage📱 Apple store: https://apps.apple.com/ie/app/oxygen-advantage/id1589260950Chapters:00:00 Introduction – Gemma’s Background07:10 Alcohol and the Younger Generation12:45 Gaining Motivation and Drive from Adversity15:16 Long COVID and Becca’s Journey to Breathing22:20 Focussing our Attention Inward to Help Us Heal30:18 Why Do You Like Working for Yourself?31:52 Earning the Sense of Accomplishment34:55 Breathing, Psychology and Stressors44:36 Change, Impatience and Social Media48:47 Mobile Phone Habits55:06 Five Year Plans vs. Going with the Flow🔗 CONNECT WITH Patrick McKeown (Oxygen Advantage®)💻 Website - https://oxygenadvantage.com/ 🎙Podcast - https://oxygenadvantage.com/podcasts/ 📹 YouTube Channel -https://www.youtube.com/c/OxygenAdvantage📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/oxygenadvantage/?hl=en 📱 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/theoxygenadvantage/💼 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/oxygenadvantage🐥 Twitter - https://twitter.com/oxygenadvantage?lang=en

Jul 25, 2023 • 54min
Gerry Hussey - Forget the Result, Focus on the Process
“Food can be your greatest medicine or your slowest poison.”For the opening episode of Season 4 of the Oxygen Advantage® podcast, Patrick welcomes writer, speaker and ‘The Soul Coach’ himself, Gerry Hussey.Originally from Galway in Ireland and based in Dublin, Gerry has built a strong reputation for himself over the past few decades from his origins in sport psychology to his current work, spreading the word on how we can improve our individual health when we start looking inwards.Author of books including ‘Awaken the Power Within’ and his new book, ‘The Freedom Within’, Gerry looks at ‘the brain, the gut and the heart’ when considering the issues that may be negatively affecting our mental and physical health. With the brain we can overthink things, we can have a negative outlook or we can be shaped by the experiences, traumas or unresolved emotions of our past. With the gut, quite simply, we need to eat a healthy and balanced diet and really focus on what we put in our bodies as it can negatively affect our heads and our hearts. As Gerry says, “What shows up in your emotions, shows up in your immune system, in your hormonal system and in your nervous system… The right person, with the right process, never has to worry about the outcome.”

Jun 14, 2023 • 19min
Guided Breathing and Relaxation for Insomnia (Music)
In our latest audio, Oxygen Advantage® founder and CEO Patrick McKeown leads you through guided breathing and relaxation to help with insomnia.This audio is the same as our previously released audio for Insomnia but the background green noise has been replaced with relaxing music to give you another alternative as you prepare for sleep.Insomnia and sleep difficulties are faced by millions of us every night. When we don’t sleep well at night, we lose our ability to function at our best the following day. This 20-minute video is designed to help ease those difficulties and relax your body and mind. Simply play the audio as you are going to bed and let Patrick’s calming voice guide your breathing and send you off to a deep sleep. Try the free Oxygen Advantage® Breathing App, available now.📱 Android Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.oxygen.advantage📱 Apple store: https://apps.apple.com/ie/app/oxygen-advantage/id1589260950🔗 CONNECT WITH Patrick McKeown (Oxygen Advantage®)💻 Website - https://oxygenadvantage.com/ 🎙Podcast - https://oxygenadvantage.com/podcasts/ 📹 YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/c/OxygenAdvantage📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/oxygenadvantage/?hl=en 📱 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/theoxygenadvantage/💼 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/oxygenadvantage🐥 Twitter - https://twitter.com/oxygenadvantage?lang=en

Apr 21, 2023 • 20min
Guided Breathing and Relaxation for Perfectionists
In our latest audio, Oxygen Advantage® founder and CEO Patrick McKeown leads you through guided breathing and relaxation for those with perfectionist tendencies. When we have perfectionist tendencies we can often put too much pressure on ourselves to perform. We can also be too self-critical when we do not achieve perfection. While striving for our best can be incredibly useful, when we put too much pressure on ourselves to achieve unrealistic goals, it can negatively affect our mental health and wellbeing. This 20-minute clip is designed to help you deal with perfectionist tendencies, to help calm your body and mind and focus you for the tasks ahead. Let Patrick’s voice guide your breathing and set you up for a great day. Try the free Oxygen Advantage® Breathing App, available now.📱 Android Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.oxygen.advantage📱 Apple store: https://apps.apple.com/ie/app/oxygen-advantage/id1589260950🔗 CONNECT WITH Patrick McKeown (Oxygen Advantage®)💻 Website - https://oxygenadvantage.com/ 🎙Podcast - https://oxygenadvantage.com/podcasts/ 📹 YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/c/OxygenAdvantage📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/oxygenadvantage/?hl=en 📱 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/theoxygenadvantage/💼 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/oxygenadvantage🐥 Twitter - https://twitter.com/oxygenadvantage?lang=en

Apr 14, 2023 • 26min
Guided Breathing and Relaxation for Athletes
In our latest audio, Oxygen Advantage® founder and CEO Patrick McKeown leads you through guided breathing and relaxation to help prepare you for athletic performance. The prospect of facing sporting competition can be quite daunting. After months if not years of preparation, we can often put pressure on ourselves to perform. This can lead to great success, but it can also cause us to falter in our performance. Too much pressure to perform can affect our mental health, increase our anxiety and thus our heartrate and in doing so, make competition much harder. This 25-minute clip is designed to help prepare you for competition, to help calm your body and mind and focus you for the task ahead. Simply play the audio in the weeks leading up to and just before competition. Let Patrick’s voice guide your breathing and set you up for a strong athletic performance. Try the free Oxygen Advantage® Breathing App, available now.📱 Android Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.oxygen.advantage📱 Apple store: https://apps.apple.com/ie/app/oxygen-advantage/id1589260950🔗 CONNECT WITH Patrick McKeown (Oxygen Advantage®)💻 Website - https://oxygenadvantage.com/ 🎙Podcast - https://oxygenadvantage.com/podcasts/ 📹 YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/c/OxygenAdvantage📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/oxygenadvantage/?hl=en 📱 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/theoxygenadvantage/💼 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/oxygenadvantage🐥 Twitter - https://twitter.com/oxygenadvantage?lang=en

Apr 11, 2023 • 51min
Dr. Steven Lin - Nutrition and Dental Health
“Why Are Kids' Teeth Decaying at the Rates They Are? I Wasn’t Convinced with the Answers.” Does mouth breathing change your face? It certainly can. In the latest episode of the Oxygen Advantage® Podcast, Patrick McKeown speaks to Australian dentist, author and nutrition specialist, Dr. Steven Lin. Dr. Lin is one of the leading voices in dentistry, calling for changes to our nutrition and breathing in a bid to prevent against a wide variety of ill effects such as crooked teeth, stunted facial development and narrow airways. A number of years ago during a break from dentistry, on a trip through Turkey, Dr. Lin discovered the 1939 book, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by fellow dentist Weston A. Price. Examining many traditional communities around the world, like islanders from the Outer Hebrides in Scotland, the book looked and how changes from ancestral diets of grains, fresh meat and vegetables to diets including refined sugar, preserves and chocolate lead to a rise in crooked teeth, receding jaws and other dental and facial development issues. Having not previously considered the way nutrition could affect our physical development, Dr. Lin started investigating it himself. His research on nutrition and its effects on the development of our teeth, face, jaws and overall health, lead to the publication of his book The Dental Diet in 2018.While Dr. Lin admits that much of the dental establishment has been slow to adopt preventative measures like nose breathing, he says the knowledge is out there. He notes that facial development was studied in dentistry in the 1800s but much of that was discarded at the turn of the 20th century. He also says that currently, the diagnostic systems are just not in place in dentistry, and that kind of change will take time, but is happening.This episode of the podcast is hugely enlightening for those worried about things like preventing mouth breather face or for those interested in things like breathing for asthma, breathing for sleep apnea and the impact of mouth breathing on dental health.Try the free Oxygen Advantage® Breathing App, available now.📱 Android Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.oxygen.advantage📱 Apple store: https://apps.apple.com/ie/app/oxygen-advantage/id1589260950🔗 CONNECT WITH Patrick McKeown (Oxygen Advantage®)💻 Website - https://oxygenadvantage.com/ 🎙 Podcast - https://oxygenadvantage.com/podcasts/ 📹 YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/c/OxygenAdvantage📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/oxygenadvantage/?hl=en 📱 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/theoxygenadvantage/💼 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/oxygenadvantage🐥 Twitter - https://twitter.com/oxygenadvantage?lang=en

Apr 7, 2023 • 30min
Guided Breathing and Relaxation for Exam Preparation
In our latest audio, Oxygen Advantage® founder and CEO Patrick McKeown leads you through guided breathing and relaxation to help prepare you for that all important test or examination. Millions of us face standardized testing at a variety of times throughout our lives. Whether in school, college, or upskilling at work, the prospect of facing hours of questions designed to test our skill levels can be very daunting. Going into examinations in a stressed state can make concentration very difficult and can have a negative effect on the final grade. Of course, going into exams tired and unfocused will also cause you to perform at a level below your best.When the stress of a test or exam gets too much for us, we enter the body’s stressed ‘fight or flight’ response and lose our ability to function effectively. When we are too relaxed however, our responses are slower and we can lose focus and concentration; essential for successful exam results. This 30-minute audio is designed to help ease those concerns, to help calm your body and mind and focus you for the task ahead. Simply play the audio in the weeks leading up to and just before going into the examination. Let Patrick’s voice guide your breathing and set you up for a great test performance and an excellent grade. Try the free Oxygen Advantage® Breathing App, available now.📱 Android Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.oxygen.advantage📱 Apple store: https://apps.apple.com/ie/app/oxygen-advantage/id1589260950🔗 CONNECT WITH Patrick McKeown (Oxygen Advantage®)💻 Website - https://oxygenadvantage.com/ 🎙Podcast - https://oxygenadvantage.com/podcasts/ 📹 YouTube Channel -https://www.youtube.com/c/OxygenAdvantage📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/oxygenadvantage/?hl=en 📱 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/theoxygenadvantage/💼 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/oxygenadvantage🐥 Twitter - https://twitter.com/oxygenadvantage?lang=en