The Cobra Breath

We can't see it breathe, but this is the Cobra in its natural habitat.

Or at least we'd like to see how this tropical snake fares in the freezing temperatures surrounded by huge glaciers.

And this breathing technique stems from ancient India, where you're more likely to find this creature than the odd ice glazed mountain.

The natural reaction of the body when in shock from cold water, is to start breathing heavily and fast. Think about a cold shower, where you may feel like you're running out of oxygen and there is nothing to breath, so you gasp.

This is a natural reaction for your body. The sudden shock from cold water touching your skin sends your body into a fight or flight kind of state. You start hyperventilating, suddenly spiking your heart rate in order to pump more blood, and lose strength in your muscles because they cool down and become slower.

You may even panic the first time it happens because of the total involuntary reaction festival going on in your body.

This is where breathing becomes an art

It all starts in the brain, which is capable of controlling certain involuntary aspects. Especially the breath.

Humans are able to completely make their breathing conscious, through much training of course. Even the untrained can control their breathing if they put their attention on it.

Over thousands of years, people have created so many different methods of breathing for so many different purposes, now you even hear them say "all you need to live is water, sunlight, and oxygen"!

Of course there are also loads of techniques to deal with cold water shock! They vary from very simple ways such as "just breathe slowly" to "do an Elvis jiggle while you breathe in his tempo".

BUT there are some elite techniques that are becoming more popular thanks to Youtube, such as the Wim Hof Breathing.

This one is best for ice baths and any sort of response to your body's cold shock, because Wim is the ice man himself and he probably optimises his airflow to co-exist with ice cubes. Watch his way here.

Now, coming to the main topic

The Cobra breath is designed for more esoteric spiritual practices, as it deeply related to Yogic culture. It's not meant for dealing with the body's state of panic from cold plunging.

However, it's as crazy an attempt at science as the cold plunge itself is!

I'll share with you a video on how to perform the cobra breath. This is where the challenge comes in: whether it be at the beginning of your ice bath or while you've been sitting there for a while, start using the technique until your body relaxes in the water.

This clearly involves actually jumping into a freezing barrel, but Body Recovery Zone has got you covered with that:

Click Me

Or try it in the shower, with the lowest temperature possible 'til you can't breathe no mo'

Anyway, here's the video, give it a go and give us your findings. For science ;)

Stay Healthy