Breathing is the most basic human activity, but Hayley Parlen says doing it “properly” can help you in the CrossFit box.
The other day I set out to break a PR for pull-ups. Shortly after I jumped on the bar, I noticed a tiny battle going on in my mind. When I got to about six, I heard this voice pop up: “You aren’t going to make it.”
And so began the fight.
Right after I heard that voice, another chimed in, “Come on! You can do it! Keep going!”
The two voices went on for a few seconds until suddenly, without my having to do anything, everything felt really quiet inside of my mind, and all my attention and focus went straight to my breath. It was as if my breath had a voice of its own, yet it did not have any words to speak. It was just there as a very loud, audible sound, kind of like Darth Vader, yet in a strangely peaceful way.
As the breath got louder and louder, my brain felt quieter and quieter, as if I had just dived down to the bottom of a lake. All I could hear was my breath, and then suddenly it was just my own breath, my body, the pull-ups and me. I was completely immersed in the present. I felt no resistance in my mind. My body felt loose, and before I knew it I was on my 20th pull-up.
Katherine Heigl Lorri Bagley Leslie Bega Maria Sharapova Lindsay Price
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