INTRODUCTION TO BREATHING FOR FREEDIVING

BY MARCO VALLARINO

A lot has already been said and written about breathing, as it has always been the object of several studies through time in different cultures. The most practiced an known techniques are: yoga (pranayama, kundalini…), rebirthing, tai-chi, chi-qung, vocal training, singing, posture techniques, meditation, autogenic training, sport, bioenergetics, relaxation techniques…and apnea.

Apnea: the art of holding the breath. 

You should know how to properly breath first.

Breathing is the main function that keep us alive. You may not eat for over a month and not drink for several days and you still survive, but you cannot hold your breath for more than few minutes without facing irreparable damages to your body.

However most of the people knows very little about breathing and the awareness of how it works is often very low, although it is at the basis of our lives.

The aim of this article is to let the reader, in particular who is interested into freediving, know about the basis of this important function in order to get a better awareness of it. We will talk about anatomy and physiology, biomechanics and breathing schemas, breathing and apnea, main mistakes of its practice, the relation between breathing and relaxation, safety and apnea practical  examples. 

Marco Vallarino Freediving and spearfishing instructor Italian freediving federal instructor FURTHER INFO: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.