GAUGING BREATH CAPACITY
Many of us have poor breathing patterns and underuse our capacity to take in life-giving air. This ‘control pause’ test evolved by Dr Buteko, will give you an insight into your breathing.
NEED TO KNOW
BENEFITSs: increases awareness, informs next steps for your breath practise.
TIME: 1-2 minutes
NEEDED: Clock or stop watch
THE PROCESS
sit comfortably with your spine straight. Breathe in a natural rhythm through your nose for 30 seconds.
Take a regular breath in and out. Then gently pinch your nose closed and count the seconds until you feel the need to breathe in. Allow the nose to gently open again and take a breath through the nose.
The number of seconds you count is your control pause. The longer the pause, the better your overall health is likely to be. Check your control pause before and after an exercise to see if there is an increase in capacity.
Note: Personally I find this a really good way to check in on where the nervous system is at. When I am feeling good my contol pause is good. If I am stressed or not well rested it's usually no where near as good.