Enhance Your Physical & Mental Resilience (HRV, Respiratory Rate, RHR)

April 16, 2025

AI Summary

5 min read

In one of the most famous scientific demonstrations of nervous system control, a yogi named Swami Rama sat still in a lab in 1970 and reportedly raised his resting heart rate from 70 to 300 beats per minute, then dropped it below 20—inducing what looked like cardiac arrest on the ECG—all without moving a muscle. A decade later, Tibetan monks practicing TUMO meditation were documented in Nature drying wet sheets placed on their bodies in sub-zero conditions by raising their skin temperature by as much as eight degrees Celsius. These cases are not parlor tricks. They prove a principle: the autonomic nervous system, which most people assume runs on autopilot, can be consciously trained.

Dr. Andy Galpin, a professor and executive director of the Human Performance Center at Parker University, devotes this episode of Perform to explaining how ordinary people can develop that same kind of control—not to perform circus feats, but to build a more resilient nervous system. The goal is not just to calm down. It is to widen the range between sympathetic (fight-or-flight) and parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) activity so that life’s inevitable stressors do not knock you off the road.

What resilience actually means

Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.

Read Full Summary →

Free • No credit card required

Listen to Audio Summary Open in App

Never miss an episode of Perform with Dr. Andy Galpin

Get every new episode summarized in your inbox — free, ~5 minutes to read.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

What you'll learn

1 (00:00) **Introduction & The Premise of Nervous System Control** - Dr. Andy Galpin opens with the concept of consciously controlling aspects of our physiology that are typically considered automatic.
2 (04:59) **Defining the Nervous System & The Goal of Resilience** - Galpin breaks down the nervous system into central and peripheral, focusing on the autonomic branch (parasympathetic vs. sympathetic) and defining the episode's core objective.
3 (08:56) **The Two-Bucket Framework: Read & Regulate** - Galpin introduces his core framework for nervous system control: first "read" your state, then "regulate" it using acute or chronic strategies.
4 (12:52) **The Three I's: Investigate - Performance & Psychological Tests** - Galpin begins the "Investigate" phase, covering performance-based and psychological tests for measuring nervous system state.
5 (14:18) **The Three I's: Investigate - Physiological Markers (HRV, RHR, RR)** - Galpin introduces the core physiological markers, explaining why HRV is the "king" and why resting heart rate is less useful.
6 (16:29) **Why HRV Matters: Resilience and Health** - Galpin explains how HRV is directly linked to resilience, decision-making under stress, and a host of physical health outcomes.
7 (22:30) **How to Measure HRV & Respiratory Rate** - Galpin provides specific, practical recommendations for devices and apps to measure these metrics.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Andy Galpin

Show Notes

In this episode, I explain how to increase your control over your nervous system — not just to manage stress, but to recalibrate your autonomic nervous system for long-term physiological resilience and adaptability. This episode goes beyond basic stress management techniques to explore how to fine-tune your nervous system, become more stress tolerant, and use your personal data to know exactly when and how to intervene.

Using the three I’s framework — Investigate, Interpret and Intervene — I explain how to assess key physiological markers such as heart rate variability (HRV), respiratory rate and CO₂ tolerance. I also discuss a range of tools and strategies, ranging from free to clinical-grade, that can shift your nervous system acutely (like cold exposure or visual resets) and chronically (such as structured breathwork or exercise).

This episode is for anyone looking to actively train their brain and body to improve resilience, adaptability and peak performance.

Read the episode show notes at performpodcast.com.