McKeown Q&A #4: Managing Anxiety While Performing Breathe Light to Breathe Right Exercises and Apnea Tables for the Common Man

Hanu HRV

Jay is once again joined by breath expert, and author of The Oxygen Advantage Patrick McKeown to discuss the latest breath techniques, the unique timing of Christmas, and much more including answers to the most burning questions from our loyal listeners!

**Editor's note: We encountered a few problems while remotely recording this episode. While we did our best to patch things up, you'll notice a few spots where we seem to jump from one topic to the next. It's still a great episode, we just want you to be aware of what's going on.

In this episode, you'll discover:

-A recap of the past two years, human resilience, and our capacity to create chaos...1:00

-Patrick McKeown's primary emphasis in his personal health over the past year...08:50

-The human attention span is decreasing... and it wasn't that impressive to begin with...14:45

-Jay's new year's resolution of 2021 was to stress himself out more...19:30

Listener Q&A:

Mike asks: How do I manage anxiety and comfortability while doing the breathe light to breathe right exercise?...21:20

In our answer, we discuss:

• It is common for people with perfectionist tendencies to put forth too much effort
• On one hand the practice creates air hunger which can trigger fight or flight, on the other hand the practice stimulates the body's relaxation system
• Those with a BOLT score less than 12 or 13 seconds will feel a sense of air hunger all the time; they should increase their BOLT score before advancing to breathe light to breathe right
• "Passive volition" is engaging without trying too hard which keeps you in the pocket for relaxation
• Wearables could cause stress for some people if the data causes stress
• Hawthorne effect: we will change the way we act if we know we are under observation. Try to harness this for good
• Jay hopes people can utilize technology to become their own best tool for biofeedback

Robert asks: What are your thoughts on apnea tables? Is this something that would benefit the every day person or is it more exclusively for free divers?

In our answer, we discuss:

• Jay's personal experience with apnea tables has been improved sleep and increased HRV
• Breathe holding is not appropriate for pregnant women or people with anxiety or panic disorders
• The scientific reason for what causes people to let go is discomfort signals coming from the diaphragm going up to the brain

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