Breathing for Beginners

When we inhale, oxygen from the air enters your lungs and is absorbed into the bloodstream. This oxygen is then transported throughout the body to be used in a process called cellular respiration.

Cellular respiration is the metabolic process by which cells convert nutrients (usually glucose, but also other sugars, fats, and even proteins) into energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate ($ATP$ — think of it as a rechargeable battery that can be sent anywhere in your body for later use), and as a byproduct, produce carbon dioxide ($CO_2$).

$CO_2$ then diffuses out of the cells back into the bloodstream, is carried to the lungs, and exhaled. All that happens within every single breath.

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What happens during CCB?

Due to the increased frequency and depth, we take in a lot more oxygen — this is particularly true when breathing through the mouth instead of the nose. Normally, our body does that automatically when we exercise — our cells have a higher need for energy so the body tries to get more oxygen to create that sweet $ATP$. During conscious connected breath however, we don’t actually have a much higher demand for energy. Hence our cells won’t use all the oxygen available to produce $ATP$, and as a by-product, $CO_2$. We still exhale all the $CO_2$ available though, so over time we build up some excess oxygen, but get rid of the $CO_2$ much faster.

As a result, we will have much less $CO_2$ in our blood than oxygen, which is the key mechanism that produces the effects we observe in our practice.