ravenhollister5728 started this discussion ·
hi my name is julie and im having a problem with my breathing while practicing i keep holding my breath does anyone else experence this please any suggestions on how to relax i tire my self out really quick doing this
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Hi Raven, I don't know if it will help, but I can relate when it comes to certain moves. For me, the problem was anything involving a back arch. Even the slightest arch would just feel so intense to me, I would completely stop breathing. Working on my back flexibility in stretching classes helped a lot, especially being forced to hold stretches and learn to breathe into them. After working on it, I can now relax more and breathe (except in Janeiro, though! Maybe someday?). If your problem is one of being too tense and too unaware of what your body is doing, you could try getting into a static, somewhat strenuous position and just holding the move while taking a few controlled breaths. Depending on what you are working on, it could be holding yourself in a pole pullup, a layback, a back bend, a jasmine, etc. When you are working on moving between positions, it's easy to forget to breathe, so making yourself hold one static position for three deep breaths could help you to relax and learn to breathe in to the position, making it steadily more comfortable. Good luck.
I used to always forget to breathe, but I am getting a lot better at it. If I find myself holding my breath, I will take time to do a very slow freestyle to a relaxing song. Almost like breathing in yoga...think about each breath as you do the movement and take your time. Take a look at this video on youtube by NYPolerina, Pole Dance of Loneliness | "Less" by Ljova. She really takes her time in each dance movement. I downloaded this song and it has been perfect for me. It is my go to song when I need to slow the heck down and breath! I do very simple movements/spins and sometimes my feet hardly leave the ground. It has become a bit of a meditative dance for me now. If I feel like I am really connecting to my breath, I will add some more challenging moves. I have been doing this for a couple months now and I find that I do not have to think about breathing as much anymore. That song may or may not be your thing, but just find a song that you can really connect with and that makes you feel at peace. And as Casi mentioned, practicing while doing stretches is a great way to work on it as well. :)
Its very common to forget to breathe! If you're interesting in the lessons here you'll find that in include when to exhale during moves along with cues to remember to breath during lessons. The best this is to be aware of it, and practice breathing off the pole in stretches as suggested previously. You'll find cues for breathing while stretching in the lessons too. :)
