Learn to Breathe Optimally - The Optimal Breathing Mastery Kit™
Learn to Breathe Better — Deliberately
The Optimal Breathing Mastery Kit™ is a self-paced breathing development course: 40 exercises and techniques, guided video and audio sessions, and a set of physical training tools. It is built around one idea — that breathing is a learned motor pattern, and a pattern you have learned can be unlearned and relearned.
- Lifetime access to the guided videos, animations, and course material
- Skill level — beginner, no experience needed
- Daily practice — 15–30 minutes
- Prerequisites — none
- Includes physical training tools, shipped to you
What You Get
Guided Sessions
Recorded breathing sessions led by Michael Grant White, the Optimal Breathing Coach, working through each technique step by step.
Instant Access
Immediate access to the full library of Optimal Breathing exercises and techniques from any computer or mobile device.
Progress Tracking
Self-examination checks and quizzes so you can see what is changing in your breathing over time rather than guessing.
What Breathing Training Can and Cannot Do
We would rather be straight with you about this than sell you something that disappoints.
What the evidence supports
- Lower stress and physiological arousal. A randomised controlled trial at Stanford found that five minutes a day of a slow breathing practice built around an extended exhale improved mood and reduced resting respiratory rate over a month, outperforming mindfulness meditation (Balban et al., Cell Reports Medicine, 2023).
- Measurable change in how you breathe when you are not thinking about it. Diaphragmatic breathing training has been shown in a randomised controlled trial to improve abdominal motion during ordinary, unprompted breathing (Yamaguti et al., Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 2012).
- Less unnecessary muscular effort. When the diaphragm does more of the work, the neck, shoulder and upper-chest muscles do less. That is a mechanical change you can feel.
- Better breath support for voice. Singers, speakers and wind players have trained breath control for the same reasons for a very long time.
- A practice you can use when you need to settle. Slow breathing with a long exhale is one of the few self-regulation tools that works in the moment and costs nothing.
What it does not do
- It does not treat, cure or prevent any disease.
- It does not increase the physical capacity of your lungs. What changes is how efficiently you use the capacity you have.
- It does not raise the oxygen level in your blood. If your lungs are healthy, that is already around 97–98%.
- It is not a substitute for prescribed medication or medical care, and nothing here is a reason to change either.
Breathing well is worth doing on its own terms. It does not need to be oversold.
How Breathing Actually Works
During the breathing cycle, the rib cage and diaphragm work in tandem to facilitate the exchange of air. On the inhale, the diaphragm contracts, flattens, and moves downward, and the rib cage expands. When you exhale, the diaphragm relaxes and returns to its high dome shape, pushing air out of the lungs. The collapsing of the rib cage also contributes to the expulsion of air during exhalation.
Most people who come to this course are breathing high in the chest, using the neck and shoulder muscles to do work the diaphragm should be doing. That pattern is usually learned — from years at a desk, from stress, from posture, from habit. The course is about changing it.
What the Course Covers
The Mastery Kit™ addresses questions such as:
- What is actually happening when you breathe, and which muscles should be doing the work?
- How do you tell whether your own breathing is diaphragmatic or chest-dominant?
- Why does breathing deeper and harder often make things worse rather than better?
- Why does practising only one or two breathing exercises eventually restrict your breathing?
- How do you build breath support for speaking and singing?
- Which self-help exercises, techniques and tools develop your breathing, and in what order?
- How do you make a new breathing pattern automatic rather than something you have to remember?
Meet Mike — Your Optimal Breathing Coach
Michael Grant White, Founder of OptimalBreathing.com, is a breathing development specialist, breathworker, holistic health educator, personal growth mentor, author, public speaker and vocalist, with more than 40 years of work in breathing development.
The techniques in this course are the result of that work — a synthesis of global breathing traditions, voice training, bodywork and his own clinical observation over four decades.
What's Included
1. Lifetime access to the Optimal Breathing course
Lifelong access to the online course, with self-checks, quizzes and examinations to deepen your understanding of why and how you breathe. There is no finish line — go at your own pace.
The course is organised into themed modules:
- Deepest Calm — techniques for settling the nervous system and staying grounded.
- Singing, Speaking and Personal Power — breath support and stamina for the voice.
- Optimal Energy — how breathing pattern affects how energised or drained you feel, and what to do about it.
- Focus, Concentration & Memory — using breathing to steady attention.
- Shortness of Breath — exercises and tools for people who feel they cannot get a satisfying breath. If you have unexplained or worsening breathlessness, see a doctor first — this is training, not diagnosis.
- Movement and Exercise — breathing mechanics during activity, and recovery afterwards.
- Optimal Meditation Enhancement — easier, less effortful breathing as a foundation for meditation practice.
- Optimal Sleep — breathing and relaxation techniques to use at bedtime. Persistent insomnia, and snoring that may indicate sleep apnoea, are medical matters — see your doctor.
- Breathing After Smoking — breathing development for people who have stopped smoking or are stopping. The course supports your breathing practice; it is not a smoking cessation treatment, and your doctor can advise on cessation support that is.
2. Lifelong access to supplemental content
- Better Breathing Exercise #1 — longer natural breathing pauses, easier breathing, deeper relaxation.
- Better Breathing Exercise #2 — focused relaxation, energy, stamina and recovery.
- Breath of Life & Vitality — a discussion between Michael Grant White and radio host Russell J. Martino on breathing and long-term health.
- Breathing Self-Esteem Exercise — breathing exercises for confidence and comfort with personal expression, with Tibetan singing bowl music.
- Peace Within — Tibetan singing bowl recordings for meditation and deep relaxation.
- Supplemental documents — additional written material on breathing.
- Guidebook and card system — detailed explanations with pictures to guide you throughout.
3. Special accessories
Shipped to you as a package:
- Optimal Breathing Pattern Stabilizer (the blue Velcro strap) — helps offset the tendency to breathe too high into the upper chest and guides the breath lower.
- Diaphragm Strengthener — a breathing resistance training tool to work the primary breathing muscles and increase diaphragm excursion.
- Rib Cage Expansion Tool — for safely mobilising the rib cage.
- Cloth tape — to measure rib cage expansion, so you can track change objectively.
- Theraband — to augment Better Breathing Exercise #2.
- Guidebook and card system — detailed explanations with pictures.
Frequently Asked Questions
How soon should I expect to notice a difference?
The calming effect of a slow breath with a long exhale is usually noticeable within the first few minutes. Lasting change in breathing volume, depth, strength and ease takes consistent practice over weeks — the Stanford trial measured its results over a month of five minutes a day.
Be careful with exercises that produce dramatic sensations in minutes. A rush of energy often comes from over-breathing, and over-breathing tends to increase tension and restriction rather than resolve it.
How much time should I give it each day?
15–30 minutes a day is the recommendation. Consistency matters more than duration.
Will this treat my asthma, blood pressure, or another condition?
No. This is a breathing development course, not a medical treatment, and it is not a substitute for anything your doctor has prescribed. If you have a diagnosed heart or lung condition, talk to your doctor or a respiratory physiotherapist before starting a breathing programme — breathing training is used clinically, but the right approach depends on the condition.
Is the course live or pre-recorded?
Pre-recorded, so you can learn at your convenience, progress at your own pace and revisit lessons whenever you wish.
Do I get lifetime access? Will I need to renew?
Yes to lifetime access, and no — there is nothing to renew.
How do I get access?
We email the login details to your registered email address after purchase. The course works on both computers and mobile devices.
Is support available?
Yes, by email at hello@optimalbreathing.com. You can also book a paid personal consultation with Michael Grant White.
Who is this not for?
If you are looking for treatment for a diagnosed condition, this is not that, and we would rather say so before you buy. If you have persistent breathlessness you have not had investigated, see a doctor first. And if breath awareness makes you anxious — which happens to some people — start with the mechanical exercises lying down rather than the observation practices.
A Note on Health Claims
This page describes a breathing education course. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis or a treatment plan, and nothing in the course is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you have a health condition, are pregnant, or take prescribed medication, speak to your doctor before starting — and never stop or change prescribed treatment based on anything you read here.