hey what do you guys think of...

[adog4305]

Hey what do you guys think of when you hold your breath when your out of the ocean. Thats a problem for me because i try to relax when i hold my breath, but i just think of trying to get past 1 min or 1:30 and i start to lose my breath and get anxious. So can you guys tell me some stuff to think about or do when i hold my breath to keep it longer? Please help
Thanks alot
Alex
P.S. Please dont tell me to relax or anything because i have been trying to do, just tell me what to think of or do.

 

[JMD]

I've tried a few different methods with varrying results.

One thing you can do to focus your energy elsewhere is to reconstruct your day, or the previous day if your doing it in the morning. Slowly think through every detail of the day from the time you got up to the time your holding your breath. It's amazing how long that can take especially if your really focused on recalling each detail.

The other method I've used more recently is trying to visualize my dives. I'm usually diving at the same spot on each weekend so I can recall fairly well what the conditions are like and what the environment is. On each breathhold I try to visualize myself going further, deeper and really experiencing the dive. I find its useful to mentally prepare for the dive so that when I get in the water the diving is automatic. However, some people of talked to find that the visualization of being underwater where they can't get air makes them focus more on being uncomfortable. To each their own!

the third technique you can use to release tension is to focus your mind on each individual body part. Start by focusing your attention on your feet and will them to relax sometimes a brief tensing of the muscle follwed by a complete release will help. Run through every muscle group until you feel tottally at ease (and your five minute breath hold has elapsed )
Hope that helps...

 

[adog4305]

hey thanks JMD i will try that. does ne1 else have any suggestions?
thanks
alex

 

[Mlaen]

You'll have to figureout by yourself what's good for you and how will you relax. Listen to other people advices but don't depend on them. Practice is the key. Do some yoga - pranayama - you'll see results in breath-holding and relaxation. Just give it some time...

 

[AltSaint]

In keeping with everything else that I'm trying to slow down, the same goes for my thought processes. It's very difficult to think of nothing ( like when you try to go to sleep and can't ), but instead I just keep a few thoughts that I run through very slowly. If something has made me laugh or smile, I play it back gradually in my mind.

Quite a bit has been written here about NLP ( Neuro-Linguistic programming ) - you could do a search on that and see if any of those techniques might help you.

 

[Mlaen]

While breath-holding you don't have to think of nothing just not to think of the time. Everything else is good because it helps to lose the track of time.