It may seem counterintuitive to promote breathing tests on a meditation app. Afterall, meditation is an extremely personal experience without tangible insights, right? Breathing tests aren’t there to show improvements to your mindfulness exercises, they are there (as the name suggests) to show improvements on your breathing. There are many mental and physical health benefits associated from improved breathing.
- Respiratory Health
- Cardiovascular Health
- Improved Immune System
- Reduction in Stress
- Reduced Mood Variability
- Improved Physical Performance
Improving your breathing has been shown to improve every aspect of life. Our daily breathing exercises use a mixture of meditation and other forms of breathing to not only promote mental health, but physical health too. Here are the tests we use to track improvements and why.
BOLT (Body Oxygen Level Test)
The only subjective test we use. BOLT allows you to understand how good your CO2 tolerance is. It involves a breath hold and waiting until your body signals it requires oxygen. Benefits such as improved sleep, concentration and breathing efficiency can be witnessed when improving your BOLT score. You should be aiming for over 20 seconds to be in the healthy category.
CO2 Breath Hold
Similarly to BOLT, the CO2 breath hold tests your tolerance to carbon dioxide. The score is more objective than the BOLT score but includes more variables, hence why we like to test both. To do this test, simply exhale all air out of your body and hold your breath for as long as possible. Try to hit that 1 minute mark for an impressive time.
O2 Breath Hold
A reverse of the previous 2 tests, the oxygen breath hold tests how well you can utilise oxygen in your body and is often used by freedivers in tables. Another very important skill which has been shown to improve recovery from illness and increase longevity.
Breathing Technique
Did you know an estimated 80+% of people breathe incorrectly. This is a staggering number and shows a need teaching people how to improve. Our breathing technique test is more of an educating lecture with one simple test for you to complete. It teaches you all the correct techniques for optimal breathing. The test is simply to measure the circumference of your belly during an inhale and exhale and note down the difference. Diaphragmatic breathing is crucial for correct breathing technique and this is the best way to gauge progress.
Our App
If you haven’t already, download our app for a no card detail one-week free trial and test your breathing to see how healthy your breathing is.
