The last week has been hell... quite literally if you look at the temperatures. Here is a little video to keep your head cool. And oh... it may also inspire you with your breath holds. Enjoy 😈

Post all your Breath Hold Times here! Let's go & double your breath hold! 🧑‍🏫 Step 1: Take an inhale, start your stopwatch & hold your breath. Step 2: Post your time here so you can get feedback and points Step 3: Head on over to the Classroom & follow the instructions Already participated last week, or last month? No worries, you can post and do it as much as you want (as a matter of fact, we'd only encourage it 😎) And if you done the challenge once (or twice), feel free to shake it up a little bit. Do exhale breath holds only for a week, or take it easy and do 1-2 breath holds a day without going for a max. Variety is the spice of life.

Does breath holding activate the “rest and digest” or the “fight or flight” response? The answer is: a little bit of both. One of the key aspects of holding your breath for a long time is relaxation. Your body helps you with this, as after about a minute into the breath hold the Mammalian Dive Response kicks in, which causes, among other things, your heart rate to drop - making it easier to stay calm. As part of the Mammalian Dive Response, blood flow to the arms and legs is restricted, to allow more blood to flow to the vital organs. This mechanism is controlled through the sympathetic nervous system. When you do breath holding on the regular, you’ll experience both of these responses. Half way during the hold, you feel completely relaxed and lose track of time. In the end, if you want to push yourself, it is a challenge akin to climbing a mountain top. It is a great “workout” for the entire nervous system, cells, organs (in particular, the heart, lungs, spleen & brain) and blood circulation. Can you double your breath hold time in 7 days? There is only one way to find out. Here's how to play: Step 1: Take an inhale, start your stopwatch & hold your breath. Step 2: Post your time here, get feedback and points Step 3: Head on over to the Classroom for the rest of the challenge. Let's go & double your breath hold! 🧑‍🏫

Should you do breath holding when you are sick? Yes. And. No. Forget about going for a max breath hold. And you probably want to skip the weekly challenge. But 10, 20 or even 30 seconds of gentle breath holding? It helps. And it even was a staple when all of us were "sick" a few years ago. Check Stig's video (and the subsequent post why small breath holds do wonders)

4 minutes. I love it 😅 “My limits are moving.”