The New Frontier: Training Your Brain Waves for Controlled Calm

The Problem

We live with a brain on permanent alert. The prefrontal cortex fires endless thoughts, the sympathetic nervous system stays switched on, and the result is always the same: stress, mental fatigue, insomnia, and physiological wear.

The most critical issue: most people try to “relax” with techniques that neither regulate brain waves nor breathing. They only achieve superficial rest, while the brain keeps running like a night radar.

The Scientific Evidence

Science has demonstrated that the brain and nervous system can, in fact, be trained to enter deep calm within minutes.

• Eric Kandel (Principles of Neural Science): neural plasticity responds to repetitive stimuli of breathing and guided relaxation.

• Stephen Porges (Polyvagal Theory): vagal regulation is key to exiting stress states and entering calm.

• Bessel van der Kolk (The Body Keeps the Score): the body releases tension and trauma when deep relaxation states are accessed.

The University of Pisa Study

In 2009, Professor Angelo Geminiani, from the Department of Science and Psychology at the University of Pisa, documented a decisive finding during a freedivers’ convention in Lignano Sabbiadoro.

The research showed that a prolonged, controlled exhalation produces a measurable change in brain activity, replacing beta waves (linked to stress and mental overdrive) with more stable patterns associated with calm and autonomic regulation.

This study, cited by Umberto Pelizzari in The Manual of Freediving, reinforces the central premise of the BLW system: improved respiration and autogenic training can induce reproducible tactical calm states, measurable in both the brain and the nervous system.

The BLW Proposal

At Breathe Like a Warrior (BLW) we developed the BLW Autogenic Training Protocol, which integrates four scientific pillars:

• Improved Respiration: physiological adaptation to different slow, subconscious, and efficient nasal cycles.

• Freediving Training: apnea techniques that induce calm and control under pressure.

• Autogenic Training: a self-regulation method created by Johannes H. Schultz (1932). Through autosuggestion formulas that generate sensations of warmth, heaviness, and calm, it trains the autonomic nervous system to enter deep relaxation within minutes.

• Binaural: auditory stimulation in which two distinct frequencies presented to each ear produce a third frequency perceived by the brain. This technique guides brain activity into alpha waves (focus, vigilant calm) or theta waves (deep relaxation, creativity).

The result: a practical 5–15 minute training that turns relaxation into a reproducible tactical state—not an occasional luxury.

Brain Waves: The Forgotten Key

When the brain won’t switch off, it remains in high beta state: hyperactive, scattered, anxious.

The BLW protocol guides the transition into:

• Alpha: vigilant calm, mental focus.

• Theta: deep relaxation, creativity.

• Delta: restorative sleep.

The 5x5x5 Method

To make it accessible, we designed the BLW Autogenic Training 5x5x5:

• 5 minutes a day

• 5 days a week

• 5 autogenic protocols (Respiration, Muscle Relaxation, Visualization, Binaural, Apnea)

A minimalist method that instills discipline, regulates the nervous system, and trains the brain to enter deep calm on demand.

Call to Action

At the BLW Virtual Readiness Center (CVA-BLW) you will find access to the 5x5x5 protocol and the full Breathe Like a Warrior series.

👉 Breathe like a Warrior.
Silence the mind.
Train your tactical calm.

BLW Glossary — Fundamentals of the Autogenic Training Protocol

Improved Respiration (BLW)

At BLW we define Improved Respiration as the physiological adaptation of the body to inhale and exhale through the nose subconsciously, with minimal effort and in an almost imperceptible way.
It is characterized by:

• Ventilation volume close to 6 liters/minute.

• Breathing rhythm of 5 to 10 cycles per minute.

• Exhalation slightly longer than inhalation.

BLW Effect: regulates the nervous system, stabilizes blood chemistry, and harmonizes metabolism.
Doctrinal Reference: E-book Sistema de Entrenamiento en Respiración Mejorada (SER-BLW, 2025).

Autogenic Training

A method developed by German psychiatrist Johannes H. Schultz (1932).
It consists of formulas of autosuggestion (e.g., “my breathing is calm,” “my body is heavy and warm”) that induce physiological reactions of deep relaxation.

• Clinically proven in anxiety reduction, autonomic control, and cardiovascular modulation.

• Related to measurable EEG changes, facilitating Alpha and Theta waves.

BLW Effect: the body and brain learn to enter calm within minutes, reducing Beta activity.
References: Schultz, Das Autogene Training (1932); Linden, Autogenic Training: A Clinical Guide (1990).

Freediving Training

Freediving, or breath-hold diving, develops unique physiological adaptations:

• Dive reflex: bradycardia and peripheral vasoconstriction.

• Blood shift: redistribution of blood toward vital organs.

• Tolerance to hypercapnia: adaptation to high CO₂ levels.

BLW Effect: trains calm under pressure, increases stress tolerance, and strengthens mental resilience.
Key Reference: Pelizzari, U. & Tovaglieri, S., Manual of Freediving (2004).

Binaural

Auditory stimulation based on presenting two distinct frequencies, one to each ear. The brain integrates both and generates a third “virtual” frequency that modulates brain waves.

• Alpha (8–12 Hz): vigilant calm, sustained focus.

• Theta (4–8 Hz): deep relaxation, expanded creativity.

BLW Effect: enhances autogenic training and improved respiration, guiding the brain toward states of neurophysiological synchrony.
References: Wahbeh, H., Calabrese, C. & Zwickey, H. (2007). Binaural beat technology in humans: a pilot study to assess psychologic and physiologic effects. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.

University of Pisa — Study on Exhalation and Brain Waves

In 2009, Professor Angelo Geminiani (Department of Science and Psychology, University of Pisa) documented that prolonged and controlled exhalation provokes a significant change in brain activity: reduction of Beta waves and increase of Alpha waves.
The finding was presented at a freedivers’ convention in Lignano Sabbiadoro and cited in Umberto Pelizzari’s The Manual of Freediving.

BLW Effect: supports the principle that respiration and autogenic training are capable of reprogramming the brain toward controlled calm.