This is a carbon dioxide tolerance protocol designed to help the body better use oxygen and tolerate carbon dioxide.
We're going to do extended breath holds with the same amount of time in between each hold followed by breath holds that last the same amount of time but have less recovery time in between.
In order to do this,
You're going to lie on your back or sit comfortably.
We're going to be exhaling and inhaling through the nose,
Feeling it deep into the belly.
I want you to relax your shoulders and slow down your breath.
Take a little time here to get comfortable and feel into the floor and simply relax.
Feel that breath moving in and out of the belly.
Some people like to have one hand on their belly and one hand on their heart in order to feel that breath moving in and out of the diaphragm.
When we're doing this protocol,
We are only going to be breathing through our nose and the holds will be on the exhale.
So you will inhale through your nose and breathe out through your nose and then you will hold without taking another breath until you need to or you are cued to.
We're going to start our breathing in 20 seconds.
Take in an inhale through your nose and exhale and hold.
Let go of any tension in your shoulders and neck and just relax into the hold.
We're almost there.
Stay with it.
Inhale and relax.
Good job with that first breath hold.
You're probably going to feel like you need your body to reset.
We're going to take a minute here and these holds are going to increase in duration.
Try and keep up with it for as long as you can.
There might be a little trigger in your brain that tells you you need to breathe.
Try and push through that.
See what happens.
You're safe.
Your body will breathe when it needs to.
The point here is that we're trying to increase our tolerance to that feeling of air hunger.
To increase our tolerance to carbon dioxide so our body can better use oxygen.
We're going to go again in 10 seconds.
Take an inhale through your nose and exhale and hold.
Just relax your shoulders,
Your neck,
Your hands,
Your feet.
Be aware of what's going through your mind and the thoughts in your head.
It's common that this feels stressful.
We're challenging our bodies.
But you can do it.
Keep going.
We're almost there.
Keep holding.
Keep holding.
Release.
Take an inhale and exhale.
Let your body reset.
How are these holds affecting your mind?
Are they causing you stress?
Do they feel easy?
What's coming up for you in that state?
We're going to do one more of these long holds.
We're going to go again in about 10 seconds.
Take an inhale and exhale and hold.
Letting go of all the tension in your body will make this feel easier.
Remember that you are in control.
Even over our most basic function of breathing,
You are in control.
If you feel like you need to breathe,
Try swallowing.
See how that changes your response.
Sometimes wiggling the toes can help too.
But stay with it.
We're almost there.
Keep holding.
Just a few more seconds.
Resume normal breathing.
Good job.
Let your breath come back to normal.
During this recovery time,
We're going to move into our next period.
We're going to have a same length breath hold,
A little shorter than what we just did.
But we are going to reduce the rest period in between.
We're going to do this four times.
See how this changes your mind,
If this changes your state.
If it's easier or more challenging than what we just did.
We're going to go again in about 15 seconds.
Take in an inhale.
Exhale and hold.
You're almost there.
Keep going.
Almost.
Resume normal breathing.
Good job.
We're going to go again in about 30 seconds.
Keeping the length of breath hold the same.
Check in with yourself.
How are you feeling?
We're about to go.
Take an inhale and exhale and hold.
Stay with it.
You're almost there.
Resume normal breathing.
We're going to shorten our rest period here.
We'll be going again in about 10 seconds.
Take an inhale.
Exhale and hold.
You're almost there.
Stay with it.
Resume normal breathing.
We're going again in 15 seconds.
That will be our last one.
Take an inhale and hold.
Resume normal breathing.
Good job.
Some of those breath holds may have gotten a little tricky,
But that will show you where you're at with your carbon dioxide tolerance.
The more you do this,
The more your body will be able to handle moving around on the court,
Moving at high speeds,
Breathing heavy,
Because you'll know your body is able to use oxygen more efficiently and increase your endurance.
Thanks.
