Weekly Way of Breath | 004 | Oct. 7, 2022

A quote I've been pondering: “If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath.” -Amit Ray,  Om Chanting and Meditation.

How true that is. When we're able to connect back to our breath, were able to control our bodies. We're better able to control the situations life throws at us. It's similar to what I ask of the breathing session folks, be present in this moment, and be present with your breath. In any and all tasks and parts of your day. In order to reach your highest potential you have to be present and plugged in. I'm going to be curious what you think about this quote. Does it make you think about where in your life you can be more present? Maybe with your partner, kids, friends, work, or even with yourself doing something you enjoy.

A podcast clip: Part of a podcast I heard on Mark Bell's "Power Project" interviewing Chris Hinshaw. Chris is a coach and works with top athletes in UFC, CrossFit, and many other sports. This short clip features a discussion on breathing and how top endurance athletes breathe. 

How Top Endurance Athletes Breathe

What I found fascinating is where Chris mentions that most people jump towards running and nasal breathing, like it's the shiny new toy, but what most people don't do is learn the basics first. This is key. This is the part I've been trying to coach in my breathing sessions. Learning the breathing mechanics, and slowly introducing concepts, patterns, cadences, etc. Working up slowly to where you can take the skills learned in those sessions and start implementing them in your day to day personal and professional lives. That's the ultimate goal. If you can reach you highest potential at home, in the gym, in your relationships, but what about also in the boardroom, on presentations, sales calls, wouldn't that be amazing? That's the aim. That is what I'm working towards with each of the folks in the morning sessions.

There was another part where he describes Conor McGregor, and how he doesn't have a recovery period between rounds where he's able to get back into control, and comparing it to someone like Mat Fraser from CrossFit who watches his competitors and their breathing to know and analyze who is breathing efficiently and who is an actual threat. That is serious awareness!

A quick breathing protocol: As the focus for the performance breathing sessions is switching next week to apnea exploration this breathing protocol should help allow the body to get comfortable with air hunger. So the protocol is, Box Breathing.

For 5 breaths: 

• 3 Second Inhale
• 3 Second Hold
• 3 Second Exhale
• 3 Second Hold

After 5 breaths and for another 5 breaths go to 4 second cadence box breathing, then after 5 breaths for another 5 breaths, move to 5 second cadence, then 6 second cadence and keep going up until it is a struggle to maintain effective breathing cadence.

**The secret here is staying relaxed. Spread the relaxation down throughout your body, this is going to be key in your success.

Wellness Tip: Testing your BOLT score first thing in the morning when you wake up. This is the optimal time to test. BOLT stands for Breath Oxygen Level Test. First thing when you wake up, you will want to take 3 breaths followed by an exhale. Hold on the exhale and continue to hold until you get your first sign to breath. Low air hunger, but the first inkling to breathe. Record those numbers for a week, notice if there is any improvement. Record for another week and again check the improvement after 3-4 weeks you should be able to add 10-15 seconds to your BOLT score, especially if you're practicing proper breathing mechanics in your day to day life.

Focus for Performance Breathing: We are once again going to explore Apnea. Apnea meaning a temporary stopping of breathing. With an emphasis on getting comfortable with "air hunger". Learning proper breathing mechanics, that can help keep the body stay calm during a breath hold. Working up slowly from static to dynamic breath holds, whether that is laying down, to standing and moving. We will increase our length of work periods and our length of breath holds.

Have a great weekend! Your new way of breath awaits!

Shea