DAY 12
WARM-UP: DIRECTING YOUR BREATH
1.
Sit or lie on your back in a relaxed position. Breathe through the nose. Take three deep breaths. Then allow your breathing to become steady and find its calm, natural rhythm.
2.
Breathe into different parts of the body, two breaths at a time. Start by breathing into the diaphragm. The abdomen rises while breathing in.
3.
Direct the breath into the chest. The chest rises while breathing in.
4.
Then, direct the breath into the sides. Feel your sides expand outward while breathing in.
5.
Send your breath to your upper back area. Feel your back rise while breathing in.
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You gain more endurance and improve your oxygen uptake as you adapt to higher levels of carbon dioxide.
WARM-UP: STRENGTHENING THE DIAPHRAGM
1.
Gently blow air out of the lungs through your mouth.
2.
Relax your diaphragm. Once the diaphragm is relaxed the lungs are filled with air and the abdomen bulges out.
3.
Blow out the air vigorously, making a swooshing sound in three parts: “S – S – SSS”.
4.Relax the diaphragm and allow the lungs to gently fill with air. Don’t take in more air.
Repeat 10 times and breathe calmly for 20 seconds.
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Do 2 sets with 10 repetitions each.
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Do you feel your entire diaphragm? You can do a longer series if the exercise feels easy.
BREATH-HOLD EXERCISE
1.
Lie on your back. You can keep your legs bent to help keep your abdominal area more relaxed.
2.
Close your eyes and breathe calmly with your diaphragm for the first minute. When you hear the signal, fill your lungs almost completely.
3.
Follow the breath-hold instructions in the video.
During the breathing phases, focus on diaphragmatic breathing.
4.
Try to describe the sensation out loud immediately after your final breath-hold.
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Your body gradually adapts to higher carbon dioxide levels. The urge to breathe changes as your training progresses. This means you never have to force yourself to hold your breath.
