Healthy and effective breathing is essential for human quality of life. We are energetic beings – but this energy must be nurtured and supported by learning how to optimize our breathing. Dysfunctional breathing significantly affects many areas of life and prevents us from reaching our full potential in everyday life, sports, and relationships. Poor breathing increases the risk of serious diseases and reduces physical performance. Our breathing is closely linked to the biochemical processes in our body. Many specialists in yoga, Pilates, and related forms of meditation recommend taking especially deep breaths to increase the body’s oxygen level. It may seem that more oxygen would automatically improve performance—but surprisingly, that is not the case. The decisive factor is the correct balance between oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood.
We recommend everyone who wants to improve their health and performance to start with the Body Oxygen Level Test (BOLT). In the BOLT test, you hold your breath after exhaling until you feel the first involuntary movements of your breathing muscles or a strong urge to breathe. The BOLT score gives effective feedback about your functional breathing and your tolerance to exertion. Here’s how to perform it:
· Inhale quietly through your nose.
· Exhale quietly through your nose.
· Pinch your nose with your fingers to prevent air from entering the lungs.
· Count the seconds until you feel the first urge to inhale.
Basic Optimization:
Our goal is to teach you light, slow, and deep breathing. Light breathing normalizes lung ventilation and blood circulation, and improves oxygen delivery to the cells. Slow breathing improves heart rate and balances the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems. Deep breathing enhances lung volume, increases oxygen uptake in the blood, calms the mind, and can positively affect mental health.
Our first goal is light breathing. Here’s a simple exercise to get started:
· Sit upright on a chair or lie on your back.
· Rest your hands on your lap or chest.
· Observe the air entering and leaving your nose.
· Gradually slow down your breathing with each breath – it should be silent.
· Slow your breath until you can barely feel it.
· Aim to create the sensation that you need more air.
· Perform this exercise for up to 4 minutes.
The next step is to slow down your breathing rate. The ideal pace is 6 breaths per minute. This automatically improves the BOLT score. Here’s an easy exercise:
· Sit cross-legged on the floor.
· Feel your ribs move as you exhale.
· Inhale for 4 seconds and exhale for 6 seconds.
· Feel how your ribs move outward during exhalation and inward during inhalation.
· Repeat this exercise for 4 minutes.
The final step is to deepen your breathing. A simple walking exercise will help:
· Block one nostril with a finger.
· Breathe through the open nostril.
· The focused airflow deepens breathing and temporarily reduces lung volume.
· Perform this exercise for about 5 minutes.
These simple exercises are just the first step in personal self-optimization. If practiced regularly, your BOLT score will increase – a solid foundation for further breathing techniques we will introduce in future sections. The goal is an energetic balance that allows us to achieve optimal physical and mental health – opening all the possibilities the world has to offer.
Source: McKeown, Patrick. The Oxygen Advantage: Simple, Scientifically Proven Breathing Techniques to Help You Become Healthier, Happier, and Perform at Your Best. Riva, 2022.
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