How-To: Retention Breathwork For BreathHold Class (Talk Only)

This is a short description lecture about what to expect and how to best participate in the Retention BreathWork Practice audio file. Once comfortable with the layout and explanation, you can go directly into the practice going forward. This way, you're able to skip the explanation and just practice the next time.

Transcript

Let me give you a quick rundown of what things will look like tonight.

I kind of briefly mentioned it already We're going to be breathing in chunks of 30 breaths and that's going to be kind of an active continuous Big loop breath that's for this practice.

I invite you to breathe through your mouth or nose Oftentimes for your first time mouth is just easier because Sometimes the sinuses the nose Can you know they're a little more restrictive as far as airflow so it's it can be more challenging It can take a little bit more effort and practice To feel comfortable with that so if it's brand new to you I invite you to breathe through the mouth and this is just for the practice normal day-to-day regular life breathing Nose breathing is the optimal state so we just engage The breath we step on the accelerator if you will Through the mouth we get that air in and out quickly through that in that practice So it's gonna be 30 breaths in through the mouth or nose just one single deep breath perhaps considering Filling the belly filling the chest and then up into the head in one single continuous breath and then releasing that breath Gently without force even without pursing lips just allowing it to just escape from your lungs nicely and gently and Obviously I'm gonna set a bit of a pace and I invite you to bring your best don't feel bad Don't feel as if it's not working.

You're not doing it right if you're unable to keep up with my pace I'm gonna try to set something that's comfortable Maybe middle of the road and of course if you feel compelled to speed up you can always do that as well So the breath will look something like this just a simple in through the mouth or nose fully in belly chest into the head like this And then release Emptying those lungs filling and release Belly chest up Again through the nose if you wish like this Mouth in And we're just gonna really play in that space of the breath and really explore How each one feels we're gonna be doing 30 in a row.

So you're really gonna get to know how that feels actively breathing stepping into that higher gear of Breathing practice and speed and intention if you don't already have headphones or earbuds It's fantastic to create a more immersive experience allow you to just kind of settle into the music allow the music to support you in This practice there will be a musical playlist for those of you who are unaware.

It's gonna be energetic.

It's gonna be fun It's gonna be it might even make you want to dance and then we're gonna get into the retention areas also supported by Music and verbal guidance.

So again,

That is the breath the program will be four sets of breath holds Starting with 30 active breaths and as I showed you and on that final breath,

We'll take the 30th breath fully in and then we'll release it one last time and then the breath hold starts and That's where it's gonna begin.

I invite you to not fully expel pressurizing out all the air from your lungs for example You need to suck in right away perhaps you can find a little bit more of a peaceful Equilibrium state where you're you're empty you've breathed out,

But you still have a little bit of capacity in the breath So for example,

It could look like this.

So You're still there you've breathed out but if you need it if you wanted to You could push a little bit more out So that's a good space so that you can create as much peace in the body in the mind while we step into this stillness Then I will begin the hold starting with 60 seconds after 60 I will invite you to take a nice deep breath in at the end of that again full lungs full belly And then at that point we'll hold the breath Reoxygenating the blood for about 15 seconds at which point we can also bring in a little bit of an upper body squeeze which I'll direct and invite only if you wish it is kind of a More advanced practice to bring in that squeeze because it can perhaps be a little bit more experiential as well But it can it can definitely add to the to the experience of the practice as well Then after holding that 15 seconds Then we let it go and that's the end of the round into the next one for us If you are new to the practice if you're new to breath work if you're new to this style of breath work You can expect to potentially experience certain physical sensations in the body including lightheadedness tingliness in the fingers and hands Vibration in the arms change of temperature sweats chills Even you know a tightening of the tendons in your hand sometimes known as tetany Where you can kind of look like lobster claws and just a tightening of areas of the body know that this is normal and natural through this practice the breath working with the nervous system and the energy that is stored within it the structure as it is all works together in Unbelievable unison in such a beneficial way that Oftentimes through the practice you can experience that lightheadedness you can experience those tingles But know that your body was built to do this it can easily handle this and if at any point you feel as though you're overwhelmed from any of the experience or during the holds if you just can't hold that long or Anything like that you can always just stop participating with with whatever it is and gently just switch back to an in Through the nose out through the nose breath just like regular breathing Even Connecting with your body squeezing squeezing a wrist.

You know that is those are all tools you have to Look out for yourself during this practice if there's any sort of sense of unknowingness or anything,

But just know that we were built To do this.

This is a natural built-in tool that we have access to that works that Performs miracles that is so practical yet So powerful and so accessible it blows my mind every single time we practice this Especially if this is your first time with me just trust yourself that that communication with the with the body The mind heart body gut coherence will expand in your awareness and that communication that Understanding you'll more easily be able to be to to sense what you need Do you need to bring more?

Can you bring more to the breath?

Do you need to step it off a little bit?

Can you hold the whole time next time?

Do you have to stop it a little sooner this time either way?

Even one conscious breath is beneficial to the body So we're gonna do our best to do four rounds of retention.

It's an energy booster,

But it also clears your mind Slows down the thinking mind lowers the stress boost those tonic feel-good chemicals in the body to help you prepare for sleep as well So I'm gonna stop talking about it and let's get to it.

So it's gonna be four rounds 30 breaths Let's go ahead wherever it is.

You're gonna be practicing I invite you to get cozy and comfy whether you're seated or lying down Feel free to choose either if it's your first time I invite you to lay down Just for the simple fact if you do have any experiences of lightheadedness You're in a safe comfortable position where you can focus more on the practice and not worry about any of those other Considerations if you're experienced seated is great because you can actually use your arms to to really Help create space for that breath to fill that belly fill that chest and into the head Seated is is my preference for this practice lying down is also great because the less energy that you expend during the holds and That includes thinking that includes twitching that includes scratching that includes getting up adjusting all of that creates co2 in the body and It's that buildup of co2 that causes us to feel like we need to take that breath.

So the more still we can become the better for the practice

Reviews

Very detailed description on breath. Thank you

Great explanation for the full practice to follow!