Breathe Light to Breathe Right

“Generally speaking, there are 3 levels of breathing: the first is to breathe so softly that the person standing next to you can’t hear you breathing. The second is to breathe so softly that you don’t hear yourself breathing. The third is to breathe so softly you don’t feel yourself breathing”- Chris Pei. The commonly used practice of taking big breaths is based on a misconception that taking in more air will increase the O2 levels of the blood. However, since arterial blood is already almost fully saturated with O2 (between 95-99%) during normal, healthy breathing, “big breathing” is rendered unnecessary. Furthermore, it is impossible to change breathing volume by altering breathing rate; the best way to naturally alter your breathing rate is to reduce your breathing volume. As your BOLT score improves, not only will the size of each breath decrease, but so too will the number of breaths per minute.