Breath Force Dexterity

Learning how to superventilate and increase the length of your max breath hold is cool, but one critical component to improving breath performance that often flies under the radar is the ability for one to control the force of their breath. 

Breath Force Dexterity (at least, that’s what we’re calling it for Breath & Exposure) refers to the ability to lengthen your breath over time while keeping a consistent force of breath (for both the inhale and exhale) across any designated tempo. As I like to tell anyone I work with, “Don’t blow all your bullets!” in the first few counts of a breath. Rather than increase the force of your breath so strongly that you can only inhale for 2 or 3 counts before losing the ability to pull in or expel out air, look to soften your airflow in order to “play” the instrument that is your breath for a longer period of time. 

While yes, we’ve all got the hardware to breathe through either our mouth or our nose, the capacity to demonstrate a range of control with breath force, and for both, is a skill that requires deliberate practice. Consider this a finesse of breathwork training. Just as there is a range between high heat and low heat on your stovetop burner, such is the case with breathing! 

What’s one easy way to calibrate those gears in order to lengthen your breath? Try hissing or humming your next exhale. In fact, if you can achieve an exhale length that is twice as long or longer than your inhale, you’ll notice a shift to a more relaxed state. Go on, knock yourself out and try it! All I’ll say is you’re welcome in advance..

Interested in learning more about how you can use breath to improve your health & performance? Join in on the first Breath & Exposure Seminar of 2021, coming right up on January 9.