Ozzie Gontang
Folklore on Breathing: Addressing Myself With Gratitude to Oxygen
c.2001 Austin "Ozzie" Gontang, Ph.D.
The follow are my thoughts to myself. They just so happened to be stimulated by the words of others
on this topic of Breathing.
My Assumptions on breathing:
1. During each breathing cycle (inhalation/exhalation) I am filling my lungs to the maximum
capacity I can and then emptying my lungs to the greatest amount I can - all without any undue
stress or strain on my breathing. Maximum volume exchange no matter what the frequency of
inhalation/exhalation in relation to my steps.
1a. My steps become the metronome for my breathing.
1b. It's not a matter of getting air in. It's a matter of getting all the air out. People in panic
attacks and sobbing uncontrollably are so focused on gasping air in that they are not able to
get enough air out to relax a breath of air in.
2. I have found that exhaling to the maximum I can without discomfort creates in my mind's eye a
vacuum so that inhaling becomes minimal effort as I am taking advantage of air pressure (psi)
and a contracting diaphragm. Seldom, if ever is my inhalation greater than my exhalation. GAPO
Principle: Get it all out/relax in for as long as comfortable.
2a. I always focus on the exhalation and relax on the inhalation. Once I get all the air out, it's
easy to get max inhale in one or two steps. Since I am running in an ocean of air as opposed to
water, I can relax and take an inhalation in 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8 steps depending on my running
intensity.
2b. On exhalation I use a slight pursed lip: like blowing out a candle but just to make the
wick flicker.
3. I equate my air intake as the delivery system to bring more oxygen to my blood and then muscles
and brain so that I experience minimal oxygen debt.
3a. I am using the minimal cycle of breathing to get the oxygen I need to my running body. At a
slower speed, a longer cycle. At a faster speed, a shorter cycle.
4. What would be hyperventilating at a 2-2 or 1-1 pattern on level ground at a 10 minute pace for a
well trained athlete used to a 4-4 or 8-4 pattern would maintain status quo and diminish oxygen
debt running up the steps at Pike's Peak steps with a 3000 foot elevation in about a
mile.
5. My idea is to deliver the air I need with minimal effort. The reason I practice the various
patterns is to keep my mind calm, knowing I can always increase the amount of oxygen to my
system by increasing the breathing cycles while maintaining the same cadence.
6. When speeding up, I maintain the same cadence (meaning I have to bring my leg thought the stride
cycle faster to get it down to maintain the cadence). I will adjust my breath to a shortened
cycle of exhalation/inhalation in preparing for the energy expenditure, meaning need for more
oxygen. Through playing with the breathing patterns I can take the cycle from a 3out/2in, to a
2out/2in, to a 2out/1in, to a 1out/1in. I am in control. I start my shortened breath cycle
before and in anticipation of the increased expenditure of energy.
7. When coming off a high exertion phase of breathing I reverse the process as the intensity
diminishes (crested the hill or slowing the surge back to normal running pace). I'll stay at
1out/1in to get back faster to status quo rather. Then I'll go to 2out/1in the 2out/2in, then
3out/2in, then 3out/3in, and then back to my regular 4out/4in. Get as much oxygen rich blood to
the muscles and bathe the brain in oxygen to keep in calm and diminish any anxiety that might
cause unnecessary muscle tension in parts of the running body.
8. As a musician for years, I know rhythm. My steps and my breath create my own music. The more
calm I am, the further or faster I can go with the least amount of unnecessary expended energy.
GAPO Principle: Running is a Dance. You can do it gracefully or clumsily. Go for the grace!
9. I keep playing with breath. I've done rapid breathing for 2 to 3 hours at a time while laying
down to create a trance state a la Stanislav Grof's non-ordinary states of consciousness.
Because of all my running and breathing training over the years, my endurance continued through
the moments of fear, anxiety, and panic. I didn't black out, I didn't faint, I just kept
breathing. More often than not, only after the experience did the emotions well up.
10. I've played with all the breathing patterns so that I don't have to think about them when I run.
GAPO: When the lesson is learned, there is no need to talk about it
In article <88d01242.0303020531.2e9c0f40@posting.google.com>, Jen <olpsnowgrl@hotmail.com> wrote:
> How are you supposed to breathe when you run? I have no problem doing this when jogging, but when
> running or doing anything else (like crunches), I never get to the point where my muscles are
> sore, simply because I always stop when I'm gasping for air. I've tried doing searches on how
> you're supposed to breathe, but I don't quite understand the notation that people use (such as
> 8/4) and how do you breathe in-in/out-out? Does this just mean to take a deeper breath? Thanks.
c.2001 Austin "Ozzie" Gontang, Ph.D.
The follow are my thoughts to myself. They just so happened to be stimulated by the words of others
on this topic of Breathing.
My Assumptions on breathing:
1. During each breathing cycle (inhalation/exhalation) I am filling my lungs to the maximum
capacity I can and then emptying my lungs to the greatest amount I can - all without any undue
stress or strain on my breathing. Maximum volume exchange no matter what the frequency of
inhalation/exhalation in relation to my steps.
1a. My steps become the metronome for my breathing.
1b. It's not a matter of getting air in. It's a matter of getting all the air out. People in panic
attacks and sobbing uncontrollably are so focused on gasping air in that they are not able to
get enough air out to relax a breath of air in.
2. I have found that exhaling to the maximum I can without discomfort creates in my mind's eye a
vacuum so that inhaling becomes minimal effort as I am taking advantage of air pressure (psi)
and a contracting diaphragm. Seldom, if ever is my inhalation greater than my exhalation. GAPO
Principle: Get it all out/relax in for as long as comfortable.
2a. I always focus on the exhalation and relax on the inhalation. Once I get all the air out, it's
easy to get max inhale in one or two steps. Since I am running in an ocean of air as opposed to
water, I can relax and take an inhalation in 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8 steps depending on my running
intensity.
2b. On exhalation I use a slight pursed lip: like blowing out a candle but just to make the
wick flicker.
3. I equate my air intake as the delivery system to bring more oxygen to my blood and then muscles
and brain so that I experience minimal oxygen debt.
3a. I am using the minimal cycle of breathing to get the oxygen I need to my running body. At a
slower speed, a longer cycle. At a faster speed, a shorter cycle.
4. What would be hyperventilating at a 2-2 or 1-1 pattern on level ground at a 10 minute pace for a
well trained athlete used to a 4-4 or 8-4 pattern would maintain status quo and diminish oxygen
debt running up the steps at Pike's Peak steps with a 3000 foot elevation in about a
mile.
5. My idea is to deliver the air I need with minimal effort. The reason I practice the various
patterns is to keep my mind calm, knowing I can always increase the amount of oxygen to my
system by increasing the breathing cycles while maintaining the same cadence.
6. When speeding up, I maintain the same cadence (meaning I have to bring my leg thought the stride
cycle faster to get it down to maintain the cadence). I will adjust my breath to a shortened
cycle of exhalation/inhalation in preparing for the energy expenditure, meaning need for more
oxygen. Through playing with the breathing patterns I can take the cycle from a 3out/2in, to a
2out/2in, to a 2out/1in, to a 1out/1in. I am in control. I start my shortened breath cycle
before and in anticipation of the increased expenditure of energy.
7. When coming off a high exertion phase of breathing I reverse the process as the intensity
diminishes (crested the hill or slowing the surge back to normal running pace). I'll stay at
1out/1in to get back faster to status quo rather. Then I'll go to 2out/1in the 2out/2in, then
3out/2in, then 3out/3in, and then back to my regular 4out/4in. Get as much oxygen rich blood to
the muscles and bathe the brain in oxygen to keep in calm and diminish any anxiety that might
cause unnecessary muscle tension in parts of the running body.
8. As a musician for years, I know rhythm. My steps and my breath create my own music. The more
calm I am, the further or faster I can go with the least amount of unnecessary expended energy.
GAPO Principle: Running is a Dance. You can do it gracefully or clumsily. Go for the grace!
9. I keep playing with breath. I've done rapid breathing for 2 to 3 hours at a time while laying
down to create a trance state a la Stanislav Grof's non-ordinary states of consciousness.
Because of all my running and breathing training over the years, my endurance continued through
the moments of fear, anxiety, and panic. I didn't black out, I didn't faint, I just kept
breathing. More often than not, only after the experience did the emotions well up.
10. I've played with all the breathing patterns so that I don't have to think about them when I run.
GAPO: When the lesson is learned, there is no need to talk about it
In article <88d01242.0303020531.2e9c0f40@posting.google.com>, Jen <olpsnowgrl@hotmail.com> wrote:
> How are you supposed to breathe when you run? I have no problem doing this when jogging, but when
> running or doing anything else (like crunches), I never get to the point where my muscles are
> sore, simply because I always stop when I'm gasping for air. I've tried doing searches on how
> you're supposed to breathe, but I don't quite understand the notation that people use (such as
> 8/4) and how do you breathe in-in/out-out? Does this just mean to take a deeper breath? Thanks.
