Breathwork: The Fastest Way to Reset Your Nervous System — And Why You Are Probably Not Using It
This post was inspired by my conversation with Jon Paul Crimi, a breathwork coach, on the latest episode of The Game Changer Podcast. Hands down the most fun I have had and the most I have laughed during an interview in nearly 200 episodes. But before I tell you about him, let me tell you about the science. Because if you are serious about your health and you are not using breathwork, you are leaving one of the most powerful tools available completely on the table.
Here Is What the Research Actually Shows
I have spent more than 25 years as a stress reduction therapist and biofeedback professional. Breathwork is already central to what I do — because when it comes to resetting your nervous system in real time, nothing works faster. Researchers have now analyzed dozens of independent clinical trials and the findings are remarkably consistent: deliberate breathwork significantly reduces cortisol, anxiety, stress, and PTSD symptoms while improving heart rate variability, emotional control, sleep quality, and immune function. Even a single session has been shown to lower stress hormones and produce benefits that standard therapy alone did not.
Here is the part I want you to really hear. Stress and trauma are not just in your head — they are stored in your body. In your nervous system. In patterns of chronic tension and activation that talking alone cannot always reach. Breathwork bypasses the analytical brain entirely and works directly through the body, producing real measurable changes in brain activity, hormone levels, and nervous system state within one session. As Jon Paul said in our conversation — medication does not put out the fire. It turns off the alarm. Breathwork goes after the fire. I could not have said it better myself.
Now — About Jon Paul
If you have ever put breathwork aside because it seemed like something for people who go to Bali to find themselves — who own white linen wardrobes and talk about Mercury in retrograde — do I have the teacher for you.
Jon Paul Crimi is a guy from South Shore Boston who came out of addiction and years of real darkness, discovered breathwork twelve years into sobriety, and then walked away from a Hollywood screenwriting career — he was in development with Ron Howard's company and Paramount Pictures — to dedicate his life to teaching this work instead. He is direct, hilarious, science-forward, and completely no-nonsense. He plays great music, pushes you when your brain fights back — and trust me, it will — and he builds every class around science, preparation, and safety. He has taught Hollywood A-listers, Tony Robbins audiences of thousands, and rooms of one single person. He shows up exactly the same every time. Therapists send him more referrals than any other profession because what surfaces in his sessions gives people real material to take back into their therapeutic work.
His technique — circular breathwork, also called conscious connected breathing — intentionally activates the sympathetic nervous system to go directly where the stress and trauma are stored, clear it out, and quiet the inner critic in the process. His clients call it 20 years of therapy in one hour. I took his class before our podcast conversation and I completely understand why.
Something to consider-
Start with one of his online classes. It is one hour of your life. And your life is worth it. Everything will make sense from there.
And if you want to go deeper into nervous system work, stress reduction, and what a genuine physiological reset actually feels like in your body — that is exactly what we do at the three-day retreat. I hope to see you here one day!
To learn more about Jon Paul’s work:
🌐 Jon Paul Crimi: https://breathewithjp.com
Listen to the full conversation of The Game Changer Podcast – “Breathe Away Trauma”:
This post is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, therapist, or other qualified health professional. Always consult a qualified professional before making changes to your health or wellness routine.
