Careful: What comes may go
You found out about the Wim Hof Method or any other breathing method. You read the scientific backup on how several breathwork techniques can boost your energy level, improve your immune response, and improve your sleep, and you read stories on how it helped people with their depression, burnout, and more. So, you do what any person with a sane mind would do: you start breathing and do it religiously every day on an empty stomach. Your results keep improving, and you feel better and better. Your retention times keep prolonging until….
The Law of Diminishing Returns
I’m sure you remember the last time you ate something delicious, maybe a piece of chocolate or a nice homemade Italian pasta. Moments before you take a bite, you’re already drooling. The texture, the smell, it’s just perfect. You take the bite, and it’s even better than expected. The chemicals in your brain light up like a Christmas tree. The second bite is great, but the third, fourth, and fifth….the deliciousness decreases.
There even comes a point where the entire taste is gone. It is like you have never eaten and enjoyed it like the first bite. Welcome to the Law of Diminishing Returns.
The law of diminishing returns: at some point, doing more of the same stops paying off like it did before.
It comes down to adaptation. When you are comfortable in a new environment, you have successfully adapted. This adaptation process is constantly happening, from lifting weights in the gym to meditation to buying a new outfit. We are all subjects of adaptation.
For those of you who have sat in an ice bath for a longer time, you know that it goes something like this:
Shock
Adaptation
This is easy
I could sit here all-day
Hmm, I feel a little cold
Oh, it’s actually getting cold
F#$K it is cold
Focus. Breathe.
The same thing happens. Your body adapts, and at some point, the cold returns. And yes, there are ways NOT to have that feeling, and there are outliers to any group. But for the most part, that is what happens.
How does this affect my Breathwork?
I am glad you asked. It’s super simple. As my other mentor, Louie Simmons, said: Do the same thing every day, and eventually, you will go backward. If you do not change your Breathwork routine, you will adapt and eventually go backward in results. Even Tibetan Buddhists in the Himalayas understand this principle.
You have to change in order NOT to adapt. This change doesn’t have to be a major one. It can be as simple as changing your breathing pace, the length of practice, etc. But something has to change. Otherwise, the results would be linear. That would mean we could hold our breath for a bazillion minutes in twenty years. And yes, I know that is possible, too, but most people do not have that as a goal or live a life that leads to that kind of result.
What can you do to improve your retention times?
This is actually very simple. You make slight adjustments and ensure you do not repeat the same thing. Here is a little secret. Within a week, you want to have a ‘hard’ practice, ‘dynamic’ practice, ‘relaxation’ practice, and ‘no’ practice. For example:
Hard practice: 1 hour of Breathwork
Dynamic practice: 30 short rounds of Breathwork, focus on constant retention time
Relaxation practice: Box-type of breathing
No practice: play a game of soccer.
You do not want to overdue breathwork or stay within or slightly out of your capacity. Never force yourself to hold longer or breathe deeper. You might end up physically hurting yourself. Focus on quality over quantity.
Conclusion
The Law of Diminishing Returns and Breathwork is not often spoken about. With over ten years of training elite athletes, I know what happens if you don’t change. You want to adapt and move on. Some may see this as not adapting. In essence, you want to keep moving forward. As with anything, keep your goal in mind. We do not all have the same practice, and neither should that be an aim.
Keep on Breathin'
Sanjay
P.S. If you want free breathing training to improve your general breathing, please click here.