Optimise your breathing for high performance

More air or a better rhythm — what really describes your breathing?

You often notice your breathing only when it becomes fast or strenuous. Patrick McKeown begins earlier, with breathing volume, rhythm and the movement of the diaphragm.

Light, slow and deep provide this article’s structure. Practical exercises and the BOLT test make the underlying ideas immediately tangible.

Healthy, effective breathing is crucial to human quality of life. We are energetic beings, but that energy needs nurturing by learning to optimise our breathing. Dysfunctional breathing can substantially affect many areas of life and prevent us from using our potential in everyday tasks, sport and relationships.

Dysfunctional breathing patterns can be associated with breathlessness, tension or dizziness. Patrick McKeown focuses on better matching breathing volume, rhythm and exertion.

You might think a higher oxygen level automatically improves performance, but surprisingly that is not so. What matters is the appropriate balance between oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood.

McKeown uses the BOLT test as a starting point: the time after a normal exhalation until the first clear urge to breathe. The value guides his method and is considered alongside your personal experience of breathing.

Here is how to find your BOLT score easily:

• Inhale normally and silently through your nose.
• Exhale normally and silently through your nose.
• Pinch your nose with your fingers to prevent air entering your lungs.
• Time the seconds until the first urge to inhale.

Basic optimisation

Light, slow and deep: McKeown describes these as three connected aims. “Light” refers to a gentle volume, “slow” to rhythm and “deep” to movement of the diaphragm and lower ribs. A deep breath need not be a particularly large breath.

Our first aim is therefore light breathing. A simple exercise explains how to make it lighter:

• Sit upright on a chair or lie on your back.
• Rest your hands on your lap or chest.
• Observe air entering and leaving your nose.
• Gradually let breaths become gentler and quieter. Keep shoulders, face and abdomen relaxed.
• Reduce breathing volume only enough to make airflow at the nose soft and barely audible.

McKeown’s “Breathe Light” uses a mild, easily tolerable wish for a little more air. This fine awareness is part of the exercise. If breathlessness, agitation or dizziness becomes marked, breathe normally again.

Practise the gentle rhythm for up to four minutes; a short break with normal breathing is possible at any time.

The next step concerns a slower rhythm. About six breaths per minute result, for example, when inhalation and exhalation together last ten seconds. Keep the breathing volume calm.

• Sit cross-legged on the floor.
• Feel your ribs move as you exhale.
• Inhale for four seconds and exhale for six, as long as the rhythm flows comfortably.

During a normal, quiet inhalation, the rib cage expands; during exhalation, it moves back. Observe without forcing that movement.

Stay with this calm rhythm for approximately four minutes and observe your lower ribs moving.

Another variation directs attention to airflow through one nostril. Practise sitting comfortably with a freely open nose.

• Gently close one nostril with a finger.
• Breathe calmly in and out through the open nostril.

The changed airflow makes breathing especially noticeable. Keep your lower ribs mobile; the exercise does not intentionally reduce lung volume.

Continue for a few calm breaths, or up to about five minutes if comfortable. As soon as breathing becomes difficult, release both nostrils.

These exercises are a first step towards more conscious breathing. Regular practice lets you observe changes in breathing sensation, daily life and recovery, while optionally recording your personal BOLT progression.

Source: McKeown, Patrick. Atme Und Heile Dich Selbst: Wissenschaftlich Belegte Atemtechniken Für Ein Gesünderes, Glücklicheres Und Längeres Leben. Riva, 2022.