One area I am focused on as a coach is breathing.

I teach it.

I live it.

Last month, I did a thing.

For the past several months, I've been working up to running a 5 km with my mouth closed. Yes, mouth closed, breathing through my nose the entire time.

Why?

Part of my instructor training is through Oxygen Advantage, and they were hosting a 5 k nasal challenge. I thought "well, this would be a good way to get back to running."

Much of the time, I thought I was crazy. Who was I to be trying this?

But, I did it.

It was (and is) hard. Really hard.

On the running community Facebook page, I made a post once I completed the challenge.

Unexpectedly, Oxygen Advantage reached out to me, requesting more of my story for a Spotlight article.

Something I never anticipated.

Instead of re-writing for this blog, I thought I'd just share a copy of the article here.

And while you're reading, remember, you can do hard things too!

"I Thought I Knew Breathing - Until My Life Changed Completely"

By Amy Champion, RN, Nurse Coach & Functional Breathing Instructor

When Amy Champion—an ICU nurse and Nurse Coach—was hit with a sudden health crisis, everything she knew was put to the test. This isn’t a story about miracle cures. It’s a story about recovery, breath by breath. Here, Amy shares her personal journey – one of human drive, passion, determination and a deep rediscovery of the power of functional breathing. 

I’ve spent my career as an Intensive Care RN, and more recently a Nurse Coach. I’ve always helped people breathe, but when I first learned about “breathwork” about two years ago, I was quite skeptical. A lot of it seemed too “woo”, and too time-intensive to be practical. There was something to it though, so I explored a number of different avenues. Some I dismissed outright, but others I found helpful.

A Life-Changing Diagnosis

Last September, I learned I had a brain tumor that needed to be removed sooner than later. January 7, the morning of my first surgery (which was supposed to be my only surgery), I had a sudden and complete right sided facial paralysis as we pulled into the hospital parking lot. Unimaginable stress gripped me as my befuddled brain was trying to grasp what was happening. I did my best to box breathe, but soon I was too terrified to do even that. The surgeons were gob smacked, at first not knowing how to best proceed. They ended up doing surgery to decompress the pressure in my head, hoping to prevent further damage.

They describe it as a miracle, and I describe it as skilled hands and God’s intervention (in so many ways!). The surgeons had expected long term paralysis, yet I awoke with decreased sensation, but full facial function. The physical pain and stress of the unknown was intense, and I used a lot of box breathing.

On January 10, I had my second surgery to successfully remove the tumor. The surgery sacrificed my inner ear and my balance nerve. I was now single sided deaf, without a balance nerve on one side, and had some pretty intense pain. I continued to use the breathing techniques I knew in conjunction with medication to control the pain and anxiety.

When Breathing Became My Anchor

Once discharged, I began navigating my new “normal”. I found some relief to my stress and pain with the breathing methods I had learned, but I had a hunger to learn more. The first couple months of my recovery were rough. I came down with the flu the day after I got home, had an allergic reaction to a medication, was in constant pain, and had strict limitations on what I was allowed to do physically.

About the time my restrictions were lifted in late February, I read James Nestor’s book Breath. It was like a light-bulb went off. I didn’t need to spend 45-60 minutes a day trying to have an “experience”, I needed to learn to breathe properly. I had the “ah-ha” realization that I had been breathing wrong my entire life!

I started focusing on nasal breathing day and night. Mouth taping at night. I was still as weak as a kitten, and it was a struggle to keep my mouth closed doing simple things like dressing, walking up my stairs, or short slow walks in my neighborhood. From everything I had read, however, the payoffs would come.

In Nestor’s book, I read about the Oxygen Advantage. I knew by this time I wanted to add some sort of breathwork facilitating to my coaching, but I didn’t know what. In my search for an instructor program, OA was the one that really resonated. I enrolled in the Functional Breathing Instructor program and began to practice all of the exercises myself.

The Challenge That Lit a Fire

In early April I received an email about the Nasal 5K Running Challenge. It seemed like an impossibly difficult goal, but one I wanted to aim for. I’m a trail runner, and my last run had been two days before my first surgery. I live at 7400 feet, and even walking was still hard, but this challenge felt like a good motivator.

So, I started following the 8-week program. Well, sort of. It took me nearly six weeks to get through week 1. The surgery and recovery had taken that much out of me. I also have to listen to my head, which sometimes screams loudly to stop. It’s still hard, but those first weeks were especially so!

At the end of May, I finally felt like I was starting to make progress with my recovery. I could finally walk without my head feeling like it would burst, and I was nasal breathing (NB) most of the time.

OA gave me practical exercises, along with the evidence that my nurse brain wanted to hear. In mouth taping, I no longer woke with a dry mouth or needed to get up in the middle of the night to answer natures call. I felt my anxiety lessening when I practiced LSD breathing. There was such a change in how I felt, I was eager to know more.

I thought about taking OA Advanced training, but I recalled seeing something about the Buteyko Method on the OA page, and looked into that. I work with a lot of people with various medical issues, most of my clients are non-athletes, and the Buteyko Instructor training felt the best fit. (I have finished all the coursework, and I’m working on completing my case studies.) The training through both courses has been fantastic, and I am 100% a true believer in this method.

I used to struggle with exercise induced “asthma” that wasn’t touched by medications. I would wheeze on or after nearly every run. In NB, I have never once felt like I was struggling to breathe, and I haven’t wheezed yet, even on harder efforts (I do wear a nasal dilator when I’m running). I used to have a blocked nose regularly, and while I still have occasional nasal congestion, I no longer have a blocked nose. If only I had known about the nose unblocking exercise when I had the flu back in January!

One Breath, One Step, One Day at a Time

On the 6th and 10th of July, I did two different hikes to over 10,300 feet to celebrate six–months post–op of each of my surgeries. I nearly made each hike nasal breathing only. I was incredibly pleased with what I was able to achieve, and decided I wanted to complete my nasal 5k for my 50th birthday, a few short days away. Smoke from wildfires prevented a birthday run, but on July 22, I was able to complete a 3.22 mile trail run with my mouth closed the entire time. I did it!

Then I noticed my time. For a moment, I was comparing myself to where I was last summer and disappointment set in. Chiding myself, I was able to reframe my mindset in fairly short order. This wasn’t a disappointment, this was a major achievement! I’m trail running, and with my mouth closed to boot! This is a huge milestone in my recovery, and I’m proud of how far I’ve come.

Functional breathing is now part of my daily life, in leisure and sport. Nasal breathing is a work in progress, but from running ability to pain control and stress relief, the gains have been huge. It’s been such a big part of my life, I’m excited to share the benefits with others. I’m preparing to re-launch my business, and I’m incredibly excited to offer the OA and Buteyko methods as a new part of the coaching programs I’m creating. I’ve shared some of what I’ve learned with my 10-year-old daughter, and she tells me frequently of how she is trying to NB only in her activities. I even hear her telling her friends about the benefits of nasal breathing!

To anyone who is struggling; wherever you are right now, you are awesome. Whatever your goal, take it one day at a time. One hour or one breath at a time if you need to. Some days are hard, but don’t beat yourself up. Comparison truly is the thief of joy. Embrace where you are, and listen to your body. Rest when you need to. Be the amazingly wonderful, uniquely authentic you that only you can be. You’ve got this, and in this community, I feel confident saying that we’re all cheering for you.

Amy’s 5K Milestone

Shared in the Nasal 5K Challenge Group – July 24, 2025

“I was finally able to complete my 5k fully nasal run today. It’s been a process.
In January, I had two surgeries for a brain tumor. One for a sudden facial paralysis, and the other to remove the tumor itself.
Those surgeries left me without a balance nerve or hearing on one side.
I had 6 weeks where I wasn’t allowed to lift more than 10 pounds, and I had a hard time walking in a straight line, let alone running. For the past 6 months, my head has dictated everything, and it isn’t always cooperative.
I started nasal breathing in March.
I just celebrated 6 months post op, and the mid-century mark this month. I’m back to trail running at my low elevation of 7400 feet – with my mouth closed to boot!
Grateful for OA along this journey.
I hope this is an encouragement to someone today. Keep up the great work!”

– Amy Champion

From the Oxygen Advantage® Team

Amy’s story is not about treatments or outcomes – it’s about meeting life’s hardest moments with presence, purpose, and breath. Functional breathing became her anchor through a time of deep uncertainty, helping her support her recovery, steady her mind, and reconnect with her own strength.

At Oxygen Advantage®, we don’t offer miracle cures. But we do believe in the power of awareness, in the strength of self-regulation, and in the profound resilience that emerges when we return to something as essential as the breath. Amy’s journey is a powerful reminder: whatever path you’re walking, your breath is always with you—one step, one breath, one day at a time.

I'm proof that you CAN do the hard.

The seemingly impossible CAN happen.

I'm proud to be an Oxygen Advantage Instructor, because I truly believe in the methods taught.

If you want to embark on your own journey, but need a little guidance, I'm here for you. Ready to be your Champion.