Alternative To Bag Breathing

[metabolizm]

If you’re hyperventilating, but don’t have a paper bag handy, here’s a tip that’s been working very well for me to normalize breathing and induce relaxation.

Get in a comfortable position.
Try to breathe in and out slowly, long deep breaths.
Eventually, at the end of a long exhale, hold your breath. Keep holding it for as long as you can (this will be really difficult). Try 15 seconds initially. Then slowly inhale again.
Breathe in and out slowly a few times.
And then again, hold your breath at the end of an exhale for as long as you can. 25 seconds maybe. And then inhale.


Repeat this for about ten minutes and your breathing should have returned to normal, and you should feel much more relaxed, having retained some CO2.

 

[RealNeat]

If you’re hyperventilating, but don’t have a paper bag handy, here’s a tip that’s been working very well for me to normalize breathing and induce relaxation.

Get in a comfortable position.
Try to breathe in and out slowly, long deep breaths.
Eventually, at the end of a long exhale, hold your breath. Keep holding it for as long as you can (this will be really difficult). Try 15 seconds initially. Then slowly inhale again.
Breathe in and out slowly a few times.
And then again, hold your breath at the end of an exhale for as long as you can. 25 seconds maybe. And then inhale.


Repeat this for about ten minutes and your breathing should have returned to normal, and you should feel much more relaxed, having retained some CO2.

I think it's safer to hold the breathe on an inhale rather than exhale. Less stressful on the body too.

 

[metabolizm]

I think it's safer to hold the breathe on an inhale rather than exhale. Less stressful on the body too.

It works best for me on the exhale, for some reason. I don’t push it too far.

 

[lampofred]

This is Buteyko. Everyone has different experiences, but I left a course halfway because I felt holding breath on exhalation was doing damage by increasing lipid peroxidation and calcium release. I think it has the same biological effect as supplementing iron, which Dr. Peat doesn't recommend. Bag breathing is different because it maintains sufficient oxygen along with CO2.

 

[metabolizm]

This is Buteyko. Everyone has different experiences, but I left a course halfway because I felt holding breath on exhalation was doing damage by increasing lipid peroxidation and calcium release. I think it has the same biological effect as supplementing iron, which Dr. Peat doesn't recommend. Bag breathing is different because it maintains sufficient oxygen along with CO2.

Thanks, I hadn’t realised that. Does Buteyko emphasise holding breath ok exhalation rather than inhalation?

 

[ecstatichamster]

This is not same as bag breathing which lets you inhale a high CO2 stream for minutes at a time.

 

[Hans]

Which work nicely for me is inhaling for 4 seconds, holding your breath for 7 seconds and then exhaling slowly for 8 seconds. After about two breaths I feel a nice hot flush throughout my body. It's definitely due to a increased retention of CO2.

 

[zanolachino]

Which work nicely for me is inhaling for 4 seconds, holding your breath for 7 seconds and then exhaling slowly for 8 seconds. After about two breaths I feel a nice hot flush throughout my body. It's definitely due to a increased retention of CO2.

I heartily second that, Hans. I was gung-ho into meditation, qigong, pranayama, etc., when I was much younger, but I drifted away from all of that in middle age. After my health collapsed and I started having crippling problems with anxiety, hypertension, insomnia, and my stress response in general, many people suggested 4-7-8 breathing, and I pooh-poohed it as "been there, done that". How foolish of me! A few weeks ago I started meditating again and incorporating 4-7-8 breathing, and the effect on all of the above problems has been profoundly positive.

 

[Mastemah]

Box breathing is the typical easy start:
inhale 4
hold 4
exhale 4
hold 4

and so on.

 

[metabolizm]

Box breathing is the typical easy start:
inhale 4
hold 4
exhale 4
hold 4

and so on.

I hadn’t even heard of box breathing. Thanks, I’ll try that out. I’m amazed at how powerful these breathing techniques can be in combating anxiety.

 

[Hans]

I heartily second that, Hans. I was gung-ho into meditation, qigong, pranayama, etc., when I was much younger, but I drifted away from all of that in middle age. After my health collapsed and I started having crippling problems with anxiety, hypertension, insomnia, and my stress response in general, many people suggested 4-7-8 breathing, and I pooh-poohed it as "been there, done that". How foolish of me! A few weeks ago I started meditating again and incorporating 4-7-8 breathing, and the effect on all of the above problems has been profoundly positive.

That's great. To me it feels better to hold the breath upon inhaling rather than after exhaling.

 

[koky]

hans and zanolachino - I believe what you describe, with alternate nostril breathing is pranayam - which works great for me too

 

[maillol]

This is not same as bag breathing which lets you inhale a high CO2 stream for minutes at a time.

I know you're a big proponent of Buteyko hamster, what's your opinion on holding after the inhale vs the exhale?

 

[ecstatichamster]

I know you're a big proponent of Buteyko hamster, what's your opinion on holding after the inhale vs the exhale?

I only hold after exhale.

 

[Aymen]

Which work nicely for me is inhaling for 4 seconds, holding your breath for 7 seconds and then exhaling slowly for 8 seconds. After about two breaths I feel a nice hot flush throughout my body. It's definitely due to a increased retention of CO2.

i always do the same and it's good, they recommanded it to me as a meditation exercise to treat my anxious stomach when i was 16.

 

[maillol]

I only hold after exhale.

Why?

 

[ecstatichamster]

Why?

Because it builds up CO2 faster when you aren’t oxygenating.

this is a great thread, but misnamed. Bag breathing serves an important purpose apart from breathing exercises. When I was very sick, I couldn’t do breathing exercises but I benefited immeasurably from bag breathing.

 

[maillol]

Because it builds up CO2 faster when you aren’t oxygenating.

this is a great thread, but misnamed. Bag breathing serves an important purpose apart from breathing exercises. When I was very sick, I couldn’t do breathing exercises but I benefited immeasurably from bag breathing.

I see. Are you fully recovered now?

 

[ecstatichamster]

I see. Are you fully recovered now?

just about

 

[maillol]

just about

Good good rest up.