What if the key to unlocking peak performance, deep healing, and personal transformation was already within you—hidden in the way you breathe? David Deppeler, PT, DSc, founder of Breathe Your Truth, believes breath is more than just a biological function—it’s a powerful tool for resilience, clarity, and self-discovery. With a Doctor of Science in Physical Therapy and certifications in elite breathwork methodologies, David fuses ancient wisdom, modern science, and clinical expertise to create transformative learning experiences. His work spans from coaching Nike and Under Armour-sponsored athletes to guiding individuals through breath-based healing and performance optimization. A former All-American swimmer turned breathwork innovator, he integrates The Oxygen Advantage, Qi Gong, and behavioral health approaches to help people access their fullest potential. In this conversation with Mystic Mag, David shares his journey, insights on breath as a bridge between mind and body, and how Breathe Your Truth is redefining performance, healing, and personal growth.
Your background blends physical therapy, breathwork, and movement training. How did your journey lead to founding Breathe Your Truth, and what sets it apart from other breathwork programs?
My journey started out on a pretty standard path—nothing groundbreaking, but it felt like an adventure to me. I trained as a physical therapist (or physiotherapist, depending on where you are) and jumped straight into orthopedic manual therapy. My early career revolved around treating people who had been involved in car accident injuries, had sports injuries, and work-related mishaps. It was straightforward, hands-on, and fulfilling.
But I was never just about fixing bodies—I was fascinated by the bigger picture. Alongside my clinical work, I moved into teaching and administrative roles while still treating patients. The more I worked, the more I was drawn to complex cases: chronic pain, workers’ compensation, motor vehicle accidents. These were the patients whose recoveries didn’t follow the usual script, and that forced me to think outside the box.
Then came the realization that changed everything. I remember thinking, If I could do one thing to help these patients, it would be to change their story. At first, I meant their movement story—how they carried themselves, how they moved through space. But deep down, I knew it was bigger than that. Many of these patients weren’t just healing injuries; they were battling a narrative that made them feel stuck. I didn’t have the answer yet—I just knew that if I could help shift their perception, I could help them heal.
That’s when breathwork entered the picture. Around the same time, I realized my own breathing felt off, though I couldn’t put my finger on why. Then, in one of those “right place, right time” moments, a colleague in Canada introduced me to a technology that could objectively measure breathing. It tracked carbon dioxide and oxygen levels, revealing what was actually happening on a chemical level. My evidence-based physical therapy brain loved this.
Naturally, I tested it on myself. And sure enough, my breathing was as dysfunctional as I had suspected. But here’s the thing: this wasn’t just my problem. It wasn’t just a chronic pain patient problem. It wasn’t even just an everyday person’s problem. I saw the same dysfunction in elite athletes. That’s when it hit me—the real issue wasn’t just physical. It was about stress.
Modern stress isn’t like the stress we were designed to handle. Our ancestors faced real, immediate dangers—predators, life-or-death situations. They had short bursts of stress, then it was over. We, on the other hand, live in a state of constant, low-grade hypervigilance. Traffic, deadlines, financial pressures, endless to-do lists. And if you throw an injury into the mix? It’s a perfect storm for chronic tension and pain.
Breathwork doesn’t erase these stressors, but it does give us a way to shift how we respond to them. And that, I realized, was the key to changing the story.
Breathing is something we do unconsciously every day. What’s the key to transforming it into a tool for better performance, recovery, and well-being?
I’m still figuring that out. And I say that cheekily—but honestly, it’s an ongoing process. That said, there are some fundamental science-backed principles that we know work.
First, small changes matter. We take 20,000 to 25,000 breaths a day. If each one is just slightly inefficient, that adds up. But on the flip side, even a tiny improvement can have a huge impact.
Where a lot of breath practices go wrong is in trying to force big changes too quickly. The body doesn’t like abrupt shifts—it resists them. That’s why one of the secrets to better breathing is gradual adjustments. Push too hard, too fast, and the body pushes back.
This is where my approach differs from many mainstream breathwork practices. In modern wellness culture, “breathwork” often means intense hyperventilation—big inhales, big exhales, continuous deep breathing. These techniques can affect the nervous system, sometimes creating a temporary “reset,” but they often disrupt the body’s chemical balance.
For most people, the key to better breathing at rest isn’t more breath—it’s less. The goal isn’t just to manipulate the nervous system; it’s to create long-term adaptation by balancing the body’s electrical and chemical processes.
Good breathing consists of three key dimensions:
1. The biochemical aspect – Balancing oxygen and carbon dioxide.
2. The psychophysiological aspect – How the mind influences breath and vice versa.
3. The mechanical aspect – How the body moves during breathing.
As a physical therapist, mechanics are my natural territory. But if we focus only on mechanics and ignore the biochemical and mental aspects, we miss the bigger picture. True transformation happens when all three work together.
So when I assess a breathing practice, I ask:
✔ Are we optimizing mechanics?
✔ Are we supporting chemical balance?
✔ Are we addressing the mind-body connection?
When those three align, that’s when breathing truly transforms.
What type of services do you offer?
I do online coaching and live, in-person work. My roots are in face-to-face interactions, but these days, most of my work happens online.
I offer one-on-one coaching for individuals, as well as on-demand education for those who want to learn at their own pace. I also provide both live and recorded training for people who want to teach these techniques to others.
A key part of my work involves technology—specifically capnography. I use a device called the CapnoTrainer, which measures carbon dioxide levels in real time. This means we’re not just guessing or following theories—we have hard data to confirm whether we’re on the right track. This level of precision is still pretty rare in the field.
You incorporate The Oxygen Advantage and Qi Gong into your teaching. How do these two disciplines complement each other in your approach to breathwork?
They’re like old friends. Patrick McKeown’s Oxygen Advantage is brilliant for one reason—he took a concept that should be boring (breathing less) and made it powerful through learning good breathing hygiene and leveraging intermittent hypoxic training.
Breathing less at rest and during activity isn’t exactly thrilling, and hypoxic training can be challenging. But Patrick made these ideas accessible, practical, and most importantly, scientifically sound. His work is incredible for respiratory chemistry.
That said, The Oxygen Advantage doesn’t go as deep into the mind-body connection. It touches on it, but it’s not its main focus. And while it addresses the mechanics of breath, that’s where Qi Gong really shines.
Qi Gong, like yoga, offers a vast landscape of breathwork techniques coordinated with movement. Some are about hyperventilation, some focus on breath reduction, others are simply about mindful breathing. It’s a full-spectrum approach, and it brings artistry and fluidity to breathwork.
By combining the science of The Oxygen Advantage with the depth and flow of Qi Gong, the practice comes alive. It becomes more than just a tool—it becomes an experience. It adds feeling, connection, and even a spiritual dimension that makes it resonate on a deeper level.
You’ve designed educational programs and trained others in breathwork. What’s the most rewarding aspect of teaching people how to “breathe their truth”?
For me, it always comes back to changing the story.
That’s why I started this work. I wanted people to break free from narratives that kept them stuck. And at the core of it, I just wanted them to be happier.
When I see people experience that shift—when they realize they have control over their own physiology—it’s incredible. And when I train others to do this work, it’s even better. Watching them not only transform their own lives but help others do the same? That’s what keeps me in this field.
At the end of the day, it’s all about that moment when someone gets it. When they stop fighting their breath and start working with it. That’s when everything changes.
