A non-contact respiratory monitoring system, method, and sensor are disclosed. The system includes a magnet and a sensor including a coil made of magnetic microwire. The magnetic microwire sensor coil is configured to detect motion of the magnet relative to the magnetic sensor coil. An alternating voltage across the magnetic microwire sensor coil is modified by a change in impedance of the magnetic microwire sensor coil caused by the change in the distance of the magnet from the magnetic microwire sensor coil. The non-contact respiratory monitoring method includes changing a distance of a magnet from a magnetic sensor coil. The sensor includes a coil composed of high quality melt-extracted amorphous microwire.