Performance Breathing: The Emerging Role of the Breath Coach
Can breathing techniques be useful in high-stakes situations?
Key points
Proper breathing techniques can boost your focus and reduce anxiety.
Elite athletes use these techniques for mental and physical resilience.
How to reclaim an edge with simple yet powerful breathing techniques.
Co-authored by Ian Davis
Claire sat in her corner office, staring out of the window towards the San Francisco skyline. As the CEO of a fast-growing tech company, her days were filled with high-stakes meetings and relentless deadlines. Lately, the pressure was getting to her, and her mind was filled with noise. Once an elite athlete, Claire now found herself out of breath during presentations and overwhelmed by anxiety. Despite her history of success, she felt like she was losing control.
One evening, after a particularly stressful board meeting, Claire’s longtime friend and mentor, James, gave her a call. "I think it's time you meet someone who can help you get that edge back. It’s time to work with a coach." James referred Claire to a breath coach named Ian. Unsure yet desperate, Claire decided to take the advice and give it a try.
In high-stakes environments like business and sports, the importance of breath work is often overlooked. However, a growing number of elite athletes, military personnel, and wellness enthusiasts are rediscovering performance breathing, an age-old practice that can drastically change how we handle pressure.
Claire’s Discovery of Performance Breathing
Ian welcomed Claire into his serene studio. He explained how performance breathing, designed to enhance respiratory efficiency and control, offers significant benefits. These include improved physical and mental performance, faster recovery, better stress and anxiety management, and enhanced cognitive function. Claire learned that by controlling the natural power of her breath, she could unlock new levels of endurance, resilience, and mental clarity. Ian noted that those who do not breathe efficiently at rest are unlikely to do so in high-stakes situations. A recent study supported Ian’s insights: 91% of individuals, including former athletes like Claire, exhibited dysfunctional breathing patterns, emphasizing the need for optimized respiratory efficiency (Shimozawa, 2023).
Understanding Carbon Dioxide Tolerance
One of the first concepts Ian introduced was carbon dioxide (CO2) tolerance: the body's ability to handle increased CO2 levels in the blood. This tolerance is essential for effective oxygen delivery to tissues, including the brain, and to maintain a ‘normal’ respiratory rate relative to the current physical demands. Research indicates that athletes with higher CO2 tolerance levels demonstrate better overall performance and quicker recovery times (Fornasier-Santos, 2018). When CO2 levels are too low due to over-breathing or inefficient breathing patterns, blood vessels constrict, and more oxygen remains bound to hemoglobin in the bloodstream, reducing oxygen delivery to vital organs and muscles. The detrimental impact of this includes symptoms like dizziness, fatigue, muscle tension, and heightened anxiety. Breathing will likely become shallow and rapid, a common response to anxiety. This not only lowers CO2 levels but also exacerbates feelings of nervousness and confusion, creating a vicious cycle that hampers performance. Ian explained that improving CO2 tolerance could help Claire avoid the vicious cycle of shallow, rapid breathing and worsening anxiety.
Breathing Mechanics and Their Impact
The mechanics of breathing play a vital role in managing CO2 levels. Efficient breathing involves the diaphragm and promotes a balanced exchange of oxygen and CO2. However, preperformance anxiety can lead to poor breathing habits, such as chest breathing, which disrupts this balance and leads to reduced CO2 tolerance.
Ian taught Claire the mechanics of efficient breathing, focusing on diaphragmatic breathing and a balanced exchange of oxygen and CO2. He explained how preperformance anxiety often leads to poor habits like chest breathing, which reduces CO2 tolerance. Diaphragmatic breathing permits a more efficient filling of the lower lobes of the lungs, which have a denser capillary network and have a positive influence on the vagus nerve, promoting a more appropriate sympathetic/parasympathetic tone and enhancing CO2 tolerance. Proper breathing mechanics, particularly diaphragmatic breathing, help maintain a balanced state and enhance CO2 tolerance. Combining this with nasal breathing increases nitric oxide release, dilates blood vessels, and prepares air more effectively for the lungs.
Conquering PrePerformance Anxiety
An article by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) suggests that 30-60% of athletes experience significant preperformance anxiety. These figures can be higher amongst musicians who experience musical performance anxiety (MPA), which can impair their performance. When the brain doesn’t receive enough oxygen due to poor CO2 tolerance, cognitive functions can deteriorate. As Claire practiced these techniques, she began to notice a change. Her premeeting anxiety, which had been marked by racing thoughts and a pounding heart, started to diminish. Ian explained that while some anxiety can boost performance, excessive anxiety impairs it. Inefficient breathing and poor CO2 tolerance were key contributors to anxiety. With better breathing, Claire’s focus, memory, and decision-making improved, especially crucial in high-stakes environments.
Weeks turned into months, and Claire’s transformation was evident to her colleagues, friends, and family. She no longer felt out of breath during presentations. Her mind was clear, and her confidence soared. One evening, standing at the head of the boardroom table, she took a deep, slow breath, feeling the calm wash over her. The meeting started, and Claire moved with rekindled ease and precision, an example of the benefits of performance breathing.
Three Methods for Better Breathing
Inspired by Claire’s story? Here are three practical methods to improve your own breathing:
1. Diaphragmatic Breathing
Lie down with one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen. Breathe in deeply through your nose so that your abdomen rises, not your chest. Exhale slowly through your mouth. This technique encourages deeper, more efficient breathing and enhances CO2 tolerance.
2. Count Your Breaths
Sit quietly and count how many breaths you take in one minute. Then, practice slowing down your breathing (especially the exhale) until you take only six breaths per minute. This helps to calm the mind and improve CO2 tolerance.
3. Box Breathing
Inhale for four counts, hold the breath for four counts, exhale for four counts, and hold the breath again for four counts. Repeat this cycle for several minutes to reduce stress and enhance focus.
Focused breathing techniques highlight the intricate connection between carbon dioxide tolerance, breathing mechanics, and preperformance anxiety. Mastering respiration is crucial for high performance and well-being. Recognizing the impact of efficient breathing and the benefits of a breath coach, individuals like Claire can develop new levels of mental and physical resilience. For Claire and many others, working with a breath coach is the key to sustaining excellence in business and life.
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