Cut-off Retention
In this exercise, I combine breath holds with narrowing my neck arteries, reducing blood supply to my brain. The exercise intensifies my regular breath hold and improves my neck artery flexibility.
Preliminary calculation
I start with a breath-hold count at about one-third of my ‘air hunger start’ time and climb up.
My ‘air hunger start’ time at rest is 31 seconds on average. So I start counting at 31/3= about 10 seconds.
The way I exercise ‘cutoff’ breathing
- Breathing: exclusive through the nose.
- Position: I sit comfortably with a straight back, relax my tongue and jaw, and close my eyes.
- Reset my breathing.
- Exhale in 3 parts, I hold my breath, tilt my head backward, then to the right, so my right ear is close to my right shoulder, and then twist my neck as if looking up. Hold for 10Xunits.
- Inhale in 3 parts, and straighten my head.
- Exhale fully, I hold my breath, tilt my head backward, then to the left, so my left ear is close to my left shoulder, and then twist my neck as if looking up. Hold for 11Xunits.
- Inhale in 3 parts, and straighten my head.
- I continue alternating, adding 1Xunit every time I tilt my head, twist, and hold my breathing until I reach the point of ‘air hunger start.’
Remarks
If I keep my head tilted to the side at a particular angle for long enough, the narrowed arteries may cause insufficient Oxygen supply to my brain and result in dizziness.
Holding this twisted neck posture for long enough may lead to losing consciousness. I tried twisting my neck until I felt extreme dizziness, but I never went further into fainting.
At the end of the exercises, I try to inhale at my regular breathing tempo. As I inhale following the last breath hold, I often feel a warm sensation in my neck.