EPTHOW TO HOLD YOUR BREATH - A Guide
"Breathe in, and never breathe out..." - Stephen Chen
DISCLAIMER
I must tarnish the thread with an ugly, but very important and necessary disclaimer. This technique is DANGEROUS, and, as such, I am forced to advise you not to try it. This post, officially, is for Informational Purposes Only. If you do choose to proceed, DO NOT do it underwater, or without adult supervision. You may feel hyperventilated. Your limbs and chest may go numb. You vision may blur. You may begin to feel faint. You may suffer brain damage. Neither I, nor David Blaine, are at all to blame for any injuries resulting from this thread. You have been warned - Be Careful.
Mod Edit: An Extra Disclaimer
On September 05 2010 16:23 Physician wrote:
My advice to anyone doing room temp no pure static apnea; stay under 3:30 minutes otherwise you will pay for it the rest of your life with retinal problems and a tiny little less I.Q (both that you won't initially notice, specially when you break over 4 minutes). : )
My advice to anyone doing room temp no pure static apnea; stay under 3:30 minutes otherwise you will pay for it the rest of your life with retinal problems and a tiny little less I.Q (both that you won't initially notice, specially when you break over 4 minutes). : )
Now that that's out of the way...
Inspired by all the other threads of instruction, I have decided to write my own guide on How to Hold Your Breath. Take a step closer to becoming the superhuman you always wanted to be.
![[image loading]](http://beehivehairdresser.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/david-the-idiot-blaine.jpg)
David Blaine can be credited for advancing this technique. He's more than just an illusionist.
My Story
When I was a kid, I saw a Baby Looney Tunes episode where characters held their breaths while passing through a tunnel in order to make a wish. From that day forward, I became obsessed with holding my breath for longer periods of time.
At around age 13, however, I stopped this habit; my wishes simply weren't coming true. At that time, my record was around 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
5 years later, I decided to see how long I could hold my breath, just for fun: 2 minutes. Disappointed by this regression, I tried to follow David Blaine's technique. Two tries later? 3 minutes and 30 seconds. Now, I am at roughly 4 minutes.
If you're one of those people who are terrible at holding their breaths, this may seem incredible. If you're one of those people who can already hold their breaths for over 3 minutes, this technique would only make you more impressive than before. In essence, it is simply astounding.
Harry Houdini's lifelong record was 3 minutes and 30 seconds.
Definitions
The first thing to do is to go over some definitions. There is a bit of "breath holding" jargon here. All exercises are completed through the mouth.
Deep Breathing:
"Deep breathing" is where you inhale a big breath of air, hold it for 1 second, and then exhale for 10 seconds. When you exhale, your mouth should be almost closed, with your tongue pressing against the back of your bottom teeth. A "ssss" sound should be produced naturally.
Semi-Purging:
"Semi-Purging" is an intermediate step between deep breathing and purging. It is more forceful than deep breathing and less intense than purging. This acts as a resting period between trials.
Purging:
“Purging” is where you exhale strongly, as if you were trying to blow out all the candles on your 90th birthday, followed by a strong but fast inhalation. Your cheeks will probably be puffed during this stage, and that's okay. Make sure you stay still and do not rock back and forth. It wastes your energy, and therefore your oxygen.
![[image loading]](http://www.corbisimages.com/images/67/7B39CE45-1A8C-4EB7-AE6A-03107FB77951/AM-122-0168.jpg)
Just like this. Don't puff out when you're holding your breath, however!
The Method
By now, you've probably figured out the trick to this technique is hyperventilation. Have you ever tried breathing very fast a few times before holding your breath? This is essentially the same thing, but on a greater scale.
Your body works by measuring the amount of Carbon Dioxide in your bloodstream. When the level is too high, it assumes that your Oxygen level is too low as well, causing you to want to breathe. Hyperventilation tricks the mind by taking away the Carbon Dioxide, but not truly giving the body the amount of Oxygen it thinks it is receiving. By eliminating the Carbon Dioxide through rapid breaths, your mind will not tell your body to breathe.
Take out a timer, and make sure you are accurate. Don't be clumsy like me and forget to press the buttons! It's better to be careful than to waste the whole attempt.
The Steps:
1:30 of Deep Breathing
1:15 of Purging (if you feel like you’re going to pass out, do it less intensely)
Hold your breath for a target 1:30, no more
After 1:30:
Take 3 Semi-Purge breaths
1:30 Deep Breathing
1:30 Purging
Hold your breath for a target 2:30, no more
After 2:30
Take 3 Semi-Purge breaths
2:00 Deep Breathing
1:45 Purging
Hold your breath for as long as possible
After exhalation:
Take 3-10 hard Semi-Purge breaths until your recover.
How did it go?
Tips and Tricks
![[image loading]](http://www.onlineseats.com/upload/theater/816_the_Spider%20Man1.jpeg)
None of my pictures want to load. As a result, this substitute is completely irrelevant.
- When you inhale, your abdomen is supposed to protrude and not shrink in. Think as if you were filling your whole body with air.
- This is easier if you haven't eaten in 4 to 6 hours. Being light helps too.
- Do not puff out your cheeks; this will stress out your cheek muscles.
- You may begin to feel like you need to breathe right away. Ignore it! From my experience, I felt as if I needed to breathe....but I didn't. It felt as if I had to exhale, but just holding my breath there, I soon realized that everything was okay. Stay calm.
- Don't think about holding your breath! This will make it agonizing. Don't think about the time either; check your timer (when you are holding your breath) as few times as possible.
- Close your eyes and relax when you are holding your breath. Move as little as possible.
- Distract yourself. Go through the alphabet, finding one person you know who's name starts with that letter. Sing a song in your head!
- In the final moments, it is critical that you move as little as possible. Are you 30 seconds off your target? Don't count down from 30 seconds. Count down 10 seconds, then another 10, and then another.
- In the end, when you really can't hold it any longer, just let it out. The 10 extra seconds isn't worth fainting over.
- Please don't try this more than once a day. It really isn't good for you.
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Post your times!
"Before: 00:00 . After: 00:00"
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Now, when Blizzard decrees that all SC2 tournaments must be held in airless rooms, YOU will have the advantage.
Do YOU have a better technique? Discuss below!
Second post being troll
