"Don't Hold Your Breath"

As a dancer, I have been told “don’t hold your breath” numerous times while dancing. Not only is oxygen important for our body while we are dancing, the cadence of our breathing is often used for emphasis (using an inhale to enhance suspension of movement, for example). If you look at many other movement practices (yoga, Pilates, etc.) there is a large emphasis on deep breathing, and the idea of holding your breath is not considered ideal.

While I still have a lot to learn about how breathing works in the body, I have come to recognize that for many people whose breathing is dysfunctional (perhaps they chronically hyperventilate or are mouth breathers), taking deep breaths is actually counter-productive. Such people often already have an imbalance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in their bloodstreams, with too little carbon dioxide (we need both), and taking in more oxygen actually impedes their use of that oxygen.

In my last post I talked about an exhalation-focused breath cycle to decrease the body’s fight-or-flight response. Now I’d encourage you to explore the idea of a breath hold, after your exhale, to see how your body responds. For example, if you are doing a 4-second inhale and 6-second exhale, you could add a 4-6 second hold after the exhale in each cycle. You may find that the addition of the hold actually brings you more calm.

In my work with dancers and clients, when someone tells me that they find themselves holding their breath, I don’t immediately exhort them to breathe as I used to — perhaps they need that hold!

A word of caution — after a breath hold, you should not need more than 2 breaths to return to a normal breathing pattern/speed. This is not about holding your breath for as long as you can!