Even though we need water almost just as much as we need oxygen to survive, just like any other complex creature on Earth, the sad truth is that water can also kill us under certain circumstances. Even though God Almighty didn’t give us gills as he did in the case of fish, we still can practice keeping our breath underwater.
There are numerous advantages to learning how to keep your breath underwater. You may be a scuba diver, you might be preparing for a competition, or maybe you just want to become better at diving deep into the water just in case an unexpected scenario shows up. Perhaps your town gets flooded, for instance – in this case, you obviously need to be good with diving into the waters and keeping your breath as much as possible.
Luckily, it’s completely feasible to train to hold your breath under the water as much as possible. Here are a few ways:
Practice deep breathing:
Practicing deep breathing and holding your breath for as much as possible, even though you are not underwater, can certainly put you on your way to becoming the next Aquaman in town. Therefore, feel free to engage in deep breathing exercises as much as you can. Inhale deeply through the nose, allowing the lungs to fill with air completely, then exhale slowly and steadily. This process will help oxygenate your body and prepare your lungs for a much greater breath-holding challenge.
Slow down your breathing rate:
If you’re underwater, you must resist the urge to panic or rush. Instead, you will have to focus on slowing down your breathing rate. Feel free to take long and slow breaths while concentrating on maintaining a steady rhythm. This process will help you conserve oxygen and prolong how long you can resist beneath the surface.
Build the capacity of your lungs:
Similarly to any other muscle, your lungs can also be trained in order to offer better performance. Therefore, you need to incorporate exercises that focus on expanding lung capacity into your routine. You can do so through activities such as swimming laps or even taking regular walks to improve cardiovascular health.
Practice relaxation
Perhaps the biggest enemy of breath-holding is tension, which means that you should definitely be relaxed enough when you want to dive into the water. Therefore, you need to be as relaxed as possible while you go under the water. You can calm your body and mind through various relaxation techniques, such as deep and slow breathing, for instance.
Tensing up consumes more oxygen and can lead to faster exhaustion than usual. In other words, you need to focus on loosening your muscles and maintaining a calm and composed demeanor.
You can’t become a great football player if you only play football from time to time. It is the same in the case of keeping your breath underwater. You need to practice such skills often if you want to become better. Feel free to incorporate exercises of breath-holding into your regular swimming routine and gradually increase the duration and intensity over time. You need to invest dedication and perseverance, and thus, you can find yourself gliding effortlessly beneath the waters.
It’s also very important to know your limits, listen to your body, and never push yourself beyond your own boundaries. Breath-holding sessions need to be precise, as overextending them might not be a bad idea. Don’t try more than your body cannot handle.
