Leveraging Breath Work to Heal Body + Mind—with Breath & Movement Coach Marco Tesi – EP104

“Breath work is a body practice. Through that we can change the chemistry of our body. We can change our physiology. We can change our immune responses. We can change even our brain waves … and our nervous systems.”

 

 

 

Marco Tesi is a breath and movement coach based in Sydney. He teaches a holistic approach to retraining the body and mind to achieve better health. To date, he has employed breath work to guide hundreds of people through recovery from recurring injuries and relief from chronic pain as well as stress- and anxiety-related autoimmune diseases. Marco has a bachelor’s in sport science and a master’s in sport and human health development.

Today, Marco joins us to explain how he discovered breath work and share the benefits of the practice. He discusses the science behind breathing techniques, describing the connection between our breath and the body’s physiological response. Marco walks us through his morning and evening breath work routines, explaining how the breath can be used to raise responsiveness or relax the nervous system. Listen in to understand how Marco’s approach differs from other modalities and learn how to leverage breath work to alleviate anxiety and improve athletic performance!

Topics Covered

[1:30] How Marco found breath work

• People suffering from chronic pain (result of stress response)
• Tool to achieve state of rest + promote healing

[3:24] How Marco benefits from breath work

• Goal-driven perfectionist, suffered from anxiety
• Breath work to focus and come back to body

[5:13] Marco’s decision to give up S&C coaching

• Enjoyed team environment but emotional authority elsewhere
• Creativity, opportunity to work one-on-one in breath work

[8:02] The science behind the benefits of breath work

• Breathing linked to emotions, physiology (CO₂ + O₂ in blood)
• Impact vagus nerve to promote anti-inflammatory response

[12:09] How breath work impacts athletic performance

• Use dynamic techniques to go from 0 to 100 and back
• Improved ability to rest + recover = better performance

[15:16] Marco’s approach to breath work

• 20 minutes morning and evening to reconnect with breath
• Focus on long exhalation phase and breath retention

[18:40] How Marco’s approach differs from other modalities

• Reconnect with breath in daily life
• Awareness of hyperventilation and its health impacts

[21:31] Examples of Marco’s daily breathing practice

• AM routine—breathe in 4, hold 4, out 6
• PM routine—breathe in 3, hold 3, out 3, hold 3

[25:44] The individual nature of breath

• Numbers arbitrary, find own level of comfort
• ‘Give your breath time to happen’

[27:37] The difference between Marco’s AM and PM work

• Morning work to raise responsiveness (increase O₂)
• Evening work to relax nervous system (enhance CO₂)

[30:58] Marco’s insight on incorporating movement

• Experience breath in different parts of body as change position
• Psychosomatic work puts you more in touch with body

[33:35] The 6 modules of Marco’s Respiro course

1. Connect with breath
2. Morning practice
3. Evening practice
4. Hyperventilation techniques
5. Breathing + movement
6. Breath work to address anxiety

[35:49] Marco’s advice on staying fit and healthy long-term

• Prioritize time to be active
• Implement time for yourself

Learn More About Marco Tesi

Marco’s Website

Marco on Facebook

Respiro on Udemy

Resources

SOMA Breathwork

Wim Hof