Maximum Time Breath Holds

Leigh Ewin is a certified breathwork coach trained in various breathwork techniques including the Wim Hof Method, Oxygen Advantage, Breathology, and freediving. He has spent years exploring breathwork techniques to aid anxiety, pain, stress relief, and sports and athletic performance enhancement. He also leads cold exposure retreats where attendees dive under the ice.

Overview

In this challenge, you will increase your maximum breath hold time, allowing your body to adapt to different CO2 levels, quiet the mind, and ultimately improve your lung capacity.

Breath-holding is an amazing health tool and can be practiced at any time of the day, but preferably, the best results are usually experienced on an empty stomach and in a quiet, peaceful space, lying down.

Foundations

The objective is to increase your breath-hold time. This practice will help your body deal with rising levels of CO2, which is useful for improved cardiovascular performance, your body will adapt and begin to delay the onset of fatigue and lactic build-up and you will learn to find peace and calm as well as listen to your body signals and you will improve your lung capacity.

You will need a phone or watch to record the length of your breath-hold time.

Instructions

Find a place where you can lay down flat. You can use a yoga mat to provide comfort or lie on your bed, floor, or carpet at work, sports hall, or gym.
Make sure your spine is straight with no twists or bends.
Once you have found a suitable place where you are unlikely to be interrupted, you can begin to slow your breathing down.
Then when you have calmed the rate of breath, you can take four slow, deep breaths in and out (inhale/exhale) first filling the lungs and then emptying them lungs (but not to a point of strain, stress, or tension in the body)
Then on the fifth breath, you inhale about 90% of your maximum inhale and hold that inside.

The reason it is suggested as 90% is so that there isn't a feeling of tightness or tension within and this will allow calm and relaxation throughout the body especially the breathing apparatus (lungs, chest, throat, face, and head).

You start your timer as soon as you have completed the fifth inhale.

You will feel many bodily sensations, but remember to soften them and find the calm within the practice. You will feel your diaphragm moving at some point, you may feel warm flushes, and your heartbeat decreasing/increasing at various times – this is normal.

When you have taken the hold as far as you can, you can release (exhale) – stop the timer – and then undertake “recovery breathing” which consists of deep inhales (mouth) and long and slow exhales (mouth).

Tips & Tricks

When you are taking your inhale, do not breathe with your mouth wide open. Rather, wrap your lips around the inhale like breathing in or sucking through a straw, this will control the airflow and bring more calmness to the inhale.

Try listening to some music so that you can relax deeper.

Practice this with a friend or partner, so you can encourage one another and don't have to worry about the timer yourself.

Never practice this while driving a car or operating heavy machinery and not in the water – unless done with professionals.

Conclusion

The average person can hold their breath for 30-90 seconds. However, athletes have a longer breath hold time of 3-5 minutes on a performance level. This exercise is a great addition if you want to increase your breathing capabilities. You should find that you increase your lung capacity and improve your body's ability to breathe in general.

Lung capacity is the key indicator in determining the length of life in humans, you will live longer if you can breathe better and have a healthy breath hold time!

Let's see some next-level results here!