Jordan Poyer was in a very dark place.

Jordan Poyer got to the other side.

Last season, the longtime Buffalo Bills safety opened up on it all. Alcohol addiction. Pain pills. A teammate nearly dying on the field. Countless injuries. Playoff heartbreak. All of it took a debilitating toll on Poyer. Yet, he plowed ahead at one speed because that’s all he knows.

He was able to survive — and thrive — by getting in touch with mind, body and soul.

You leave a conversation with Poyer determined to change your own life. A trip to Costa Rica for an ayahuasca retreat may be difficult to pull off, but breathwork is right at the tip of our fingers. Poyer teamed up with Christopher August, a revolutionary in the wellness and breathwork space. August is the founder of Beats and Breath and runs the excellent Substack, The Way of Mastery. I’ve gotten into Beats and Breath myself and cannot advocate for the app enough. It’s fantastic.

We thought it’d be a great idea to continue the conversation at the Go Long Podcast.

The art of something so simple — breathing — can change your life.

As the season closes in, NFL teams should pay attention, too.

Take it from August:

“I’m going to make a bold statement. I told Jordan this, and this is why we came together. I said the first team to adopt this as a practice, the first team to actually come together and breathe together — coaches including players — they’re going to be the ones that win it all. And I don’t care what type of team it is, whether it’s an NFL team, an NBA team, MLB team, a college team, it doesn’t matter.”

The margin for error is so exceptionally minuscule. We see it each January.

This could be the difference for a team on the cusp.

Both Buffalonians hope Joe Brady and the 2026 Buffalo Bills are paying attention.

Hope you all enjoy this one. What a fun ride this chat was, from August reliving the time he died and came back to life (seriously) to why Poyer sees himself as a future NFL head coach. You’ll learn more about the Bills’ excellent sports science department, too.

Video and audio is above. Prefer to listen on Apple or Overcast? Bang it here to sync your subscription. Instructions on syncing on Spotify are also here.

Download Beats and Breath here if you’d like. August combines breathing techniques with various beats that slip you into a calming state of zen.

For Go Long readers/listeners, he also passed along this track from the app that’s narrated by Poyer. Close your eyes and give it a try any time you’d like:

“Inner Edge,” with Jordan Poyer

Go Long is your home for independent journalism.

Subscribe for longform content all season long.

ICYMI:

Jordan Poyer’s Last Stand

2026 Season Preview Features to date:

The Kyler Murray Project, Part I: Liberated

The Kyler Murray Project, Part II: The Great Unknown

‘We will be the best offensive line in football:’ Q&A with Alec Anderson, Buffalo Bills enforcer

‘Who’s going to take this yard?’ The Arrival of Eric Wilson

Jordyn Brooks is the captain now

Dregs to Domination: The Aaron Brewer Blueprint

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.golongtd.com/subscribe

christopher august