Jordan Poyer of NFL fame and Astoria's sacred son returns for weekend event

On paper, Jordan Poyer has a life that most young athletes would aspire to.

The 34-year-old National Football League All Pro has accomplished everything from winning a high school state championship to playing college football at Oregon State — where he was named an all-American — and finally, transitioning to play in the NFL. Not only that, but Poyer is now entering his 14th season, which is 11 years longer than the average NFL career.

According to most recent data from statistia.com the average NFL career lasts just under four years. Poyer outlasting most of his peers is an impressive feat in itself, but the road to sustained NFL success has not been easy.

Being the last line of defense as a safety can create a lot of internal pressure. Think of it like a goalkeeper in hockey or soccer. The safety’s job is to clean up whatever mess the defensive line and linebackers left in front of them or help out a cornerback who gets beat by a speedy wide receiver.

Sometimes, a safety might miss a tackle that costs their team the game. Of course, the fans are quick to blame the person they deem responsible, instead of looking at the bigger picture. For lots of NFL players, the stress on both their minds and bodies takes a toll that most people don’t know or think about.

Being wealthy, influential and recognized everywhere sounds good on the surface, but as Poyer has said many times, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.

Poyer has had many personal testimonies about how in the past, he used alcohol to cope with all the demons he was running from.

“Most of our identity as athletes is tied to our performance,” Poyer said during a recent phone interview with The Astorian. “That can cause us to feel like we left ourselves and our team down if we make a mistake. I was using alcohol to cope with a lot of what I was going through.”

But instead of going down a dark path that may have negatively affected his career and his personal life, Poyer said he made a discovery that has turned his life — and his performance in the NFL — around.

“I’ve been to hell and back in my head,” Poyer said. “Discovering the idea of breath work has helped me conquer the most powerful demons in my life. Most people have such a lack of awareness regarding their breathing and how it can really help them overcome challenges.”

Poyer said it is not new information. People have done yoga meditations since the beginning of time, but now that he has discovered something that works for him he wants to share it with others. Taking what he’s learned by concentrating on every single breath he takes, has now expanded that into teaching others through his Breath of Life Tour.

“I’ve been involved with breathwork for about five years now,” Poyer said. “It’s something I’ve shared with my teammates and now want to bring to my home state of Oregon. Our brains are computers and we can train the mind to handle high stress situations.”