So, how do they do it?

How can you possibly hold your breath for 3Min, face down in water? How about 4Min? How about the world record of 11Min and 35Sec ? Freedivers do things that seem to be impossible to the non-adept and it’s got to have something to do with that special breathing we all saw in Luc Besson’s “Le grand bleu (The Big Blue)”.

Remember that hilarious scene where the Japanese guy faints? Well, I guess he got it all wrong – because it actually is wrong.

Yes, freedivers do a lot of breathing exercises, including but not limited to yogic breathing exercises called Pranayama. You want to do daily breathing exercises for several reasons:

– cleansing of the breathing apparatus
– training of the muscles involved in breathing
– improve suppleness of the chest
– and more.. (save that for later)

This sometimes is hard work. E.g. the English name for one of the basic exercises called Bhastrika is “breath of fire”, and this for good reasons: It’s inhaling and exhaling with your diaphragma as fast and hard as you can, using your nose as a bellow.

But there’s the important notice: This is what you do in training, NOT before freediving.

Before holding your breath under water you don’t want your body to work hard, you want it to relax. And so should your mind. If you get this right, you will not waste any oxygen – neither by uncalled-for moving your body, nor by unnecessary thinking.

THIS is it. This is what will get you these unimaginable long breath holds.

Take care and always share the fun
Oli