TAKE A DEEP BREATH

In today's episode, we welcome back Ariel Garten, co-founder of Muse. Ariel is a neuroscientist and former psychotherapist whose brain-sensing technology is used by NASA, the Mayo Clinic, and hundreds of thousands of everyday meditators worldwide.

In this conversation, we discuss why meditation feels so hard to stick with, what's actually happening in your brain during those first few weeks of practice, and how to teach even young kids to self-regulate with their breath. We also get into why silence can feel so uncomfortable, whether you can trust your own thoughts, and Ariel's take on using meditation to sit with physical pain rather than fight it.

Want to try Muse? It's a headband that reads your brain activity in real time while you meditate, so instead of guessing whether you're doing it right, you get instant feedback that guides you back to focus. Get 15% off Muse at https://choosemuse.com/tadb

0:00 – The Problem With Meditation
3:07 – What Meditation Does To Your Brain
5:23 – Muse vs Meditating Alone
8:09 – Teaching Kids To Meditate
13:10 – The Fear Of Silence
16:15 – Does Location Matter?
17:47 – Can You Trust Your Thoughts?
20:42 – Talking Back To Your Inner Critic
23:05 – Sitting Still vs Walking Meditation
26:20 – Meditation In A Crisis
28:21 – Is Pain Good Or Bad?
36:28 – How Muse Improves Your Sleep

Want to try Muse? It's a headband that reads your brain activity in real time while you meditate, so instead of guessing whether you're doing it right, you get instant feedback that guides you back to focus. Get 15% off Muse at https://choosemuse.com/tadb

Get The Best Night's Sleep with RA Optics, use this link to get 10% off: https://www.raoptics.com/TADB10

FREE RESOURCES:

🎁 Download My Free Audio Breathwork Bundle here:
https://ra.takeadeepbreath.co.uk/mp3

🎁  Access My Free 7 Day Breathwork Course
https://ra.takeadeepbreath.co.uk/burnoutreset

PAID RESOURCES:

🫁 Work with me directly to fix stress, exhaustion & tension
https://go.takeadeepbreath.co.uk/121/

Is your morning coffee quietly destroying your health or is it actually a superfood? Today's guest is Alex from Exhale Coffee, a coffee and caffeine expert who is here to set the record straight. We cover everything from polyphenols and brain health, to the shocking truth about decaf, why instant coffee might be the worst thing in your kitchen, and the exact brewing method that gets you the most out of every cup. This one will completely change how you think about your daily brew.

Learn more about Exhale Coffee here: https://exhalecoffee.com/

Chapters:
0:00 Is coffee actually a superfood? Meet Alex from Exhale Coffee
0:58 The parasympathetic side of coffee why it's not all fight or flight
2:26 Coffee is not bad for us. We're bad for coffee.
3:01 Polyphenols what they are, why they matter & the 31x brand difference
5:14 The health benefits of polyphenols Alzheimer's, heart disease & more
6:45 The dark truth about decaf — paint stripper, chemicals & what to look for
10:59 Instant coffee ultra processed, mycotoxins & why it's the worst offender
13:44 When to have your first coffee & the Andrew Huberman debate debunked
17:27 Electrolytes, morning routines & stop wasting money on fancy sachets
19:32 The best brewing method for maximum health benefits (backed by lab tests)
24:12 Caffeine half life, sleep, performance dosing & when to stop for the day
33:35 Should you cycle off caffeine? Cognitive benefits & brain health deep dive
47:13 The mindful coffee ritual & why slowing down changes everything
54:54 Mushroom coffee, AG1 & why good quality coffee beats all the supplements

Today’s guest is Patrick, co-founder of Alveo, a new chest-worn breathing wearable designed to track breath rate variability (BRV) and nervous system state in real time. In this conversation, we explore the future of breathwork, wearables, and nervous system regulation and why breathing data may be the missing piece in modern health tech.

Learn more and support this project on Kickstarter here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/alveos/alveos-one-wearable-that-listens-to-your-breath

Chapters:
0:00 BRV explained - the breathing metric no one’s talking about
3:21 HRV vs BRV - what your nervous system is really telling you
5:31 Can breathwork actually train BRV long term?
9:18 The chest wearable - how it works (and why it’s different)
12:30 Why breathing data beats most wearables
17:23 The future: real-time breath coaching + nervous system AI
24:56 Why this device was built (asthma, breathwork & tech)
32:26 Can breathing tech detect illness early?
36:28 The university validation study (what they’re testing)
41:14 Breathing under stress, load & real life
48:17 Breathing as the “4th pillar” of health
53:46 What the app will actually do for you
57:44 Are humans breathing faster over time?
1:02:15 Pricing, Kickstarter & subscriptions explained
1:07:15 Final insight: don’t use breathwork to avoid emotions

If you feel tight, stuck, or like breathwork isn’t fully helping, Lotte and Mike are running a live 4-week fascia release program starting January 11th to help you unlock your body and breathe more freely. Limited spaces - learn more here: https://ra.takeadeepbreath.co.uk/fascia

In this episode, Mike sits down again with Lotte Paarup, a leading fascia and breathwork educator, to explore how the fascial system shapes your breathing, stress levels, and how safe your body feels. You’ll learn why breathwork alone often isn’t enough and how releasing the body can unlock easier breathing, movement, and calm. 

Chapters:
0:00 Why Fascia Matters More Than You Think
2:21 How Your Feet, Jaw & Lungs Are Connected
3:40 What Happens When Fascia Gets Stiff
6:54 Why Your Body Needs to Feel Safe to Breathe
9:37 Are There Key Fascia Pathways in the Body?
11:53 How Stress Physically Tightens the Body
15:04 Why You Can’t Think Your Way Out of Tightness
18:33 Why Daily Fascia Work Beats Weekly Treatments
22:43 Why Breathing Fails When the Body Is Stiff
26:49 What Actually Happens During Fascia Release
33:42 Is Fascia Work Ever “Finished”?
37:05 Why Movement Is Essential for Fascia Health
43:20 The Psoas, Fear & the Survival System
53:20 Can Breathwork Help Release Fascia?

Learn more about muse here; https://choosemuse.com/tadb

Chapters:

0:00 Welcome to Take a Deep Breath
0:49 Why a Neuroscientist Couldn't Meditate
2:03 The Real Reasons People Struggle with Meditation
2:54 What IS Meditation? Science Explained
4:06 Game-Changing Benefits You'll Actually Notice
5:53 The Minimum Effective Dose for Results
7:05 Serial Meditation Failures Unite
7:29 How Muse Tracks Your Brain in Real-Time
9:03 What Are You Actually Doing When Meditating?
10:44 Focus on Breath or Let Thoughts Pass?
12:40 How to Change Your Relationship with Emotions
13:20 Breath Awareness vs Breath Work in Meditation
15:23 Body-Led Meditation Deep Dive
16:33 Dropping Into Your Body & Out of Your Mind
18:28 The Truth About Pain & Secondary Suffering
19:51 NASA's Mars Meditation Experiments
21:58 How Muse Transformed Sleep Science
24:29 The Digital Sleeping Pill That Actually Works
25:54 Deep Sleep Stimulation Breakthrough
28:30 How Much Deep Sleep Do You Really Need?
30:31 Avoid This Common Sleep Mistake
31:27 Mental Fitness vs Physical Fitness
33:33 How to Measure Your Mental Fitness
34:31 Oxygen Flow to Your Brain Explained
36:42 Training Your Brain to Demand More Oxygen
38:40 Breath Work Meets Brain Tracking
41:02 Best Time to Meditate (Honest Answer)
43:16 Eyes Open vs Eyes Closed Meditation
45:35 Lying Down vs Sitting Meditation
47:14 You Are More Wonderful Than You Think
48:26 Final Thanks & Discount Code