Stretching + mobility to move better, freedive easier and breathe better ☺️

Renee, and all the pros out there, I have a question about an exercise that I like a lot but have no idea if it makes sense or not. I developed it out of box breathing and another exercise. 4 seconds inhale - is constant Hold, exhale, and 2nd hold begin at 4 seconds but increase 1 second each round Example 4, 4, 4, 4 4, 5, 5, 5 4, 6, 6, 6 ... I go all the way up to 4, 20, 20, 20 and then all the way back to 4, 4, 4, 4 The hard part begins for me at about 15 going up and ends at about 10 going down. The reason why I have a constant 4 second inhale is, because the original exercise calls for equally long inhales but those kill my spirit because the slow inhales are extremely hard for me... So what do you think? Hot or not? And why? Looking forward to your answer. Cheers Martin

Good news everyone, I found an awesome bridge tool on Amazon, it looks like the same dimensions as my wooden bridge, you can see it here: https://a.co/d/33jSBwL This is great for the chest opener stretches with the controlled pranayama breathing we did in FreedivingX LIVE 🙌 Looks like you can use it for other stretches' and exercises too which is cool!

Let’s have some fun this month and turn up the heat - literally. I’m excited to announce our newest challenge inside the FreedivingX community… 🏆 The Apnea Squats Challenge 🏆 This one’s not just for bragging rights—it’s an AWESOME dry training drill to prepare your legs for constant weight diving and dynamic apnea in the pool. You’ll build CO₂ tolerance, leg endurance, and mental control, all in one powerful breath. And yes—there’s a prize for the winner with the most points by the end of the challenge. 💥 How It Works You’ll perform the Apnea Squat Protocol as shown in the attached video To enter, record your attempt and post your video in this group. 🧘‍♀️ The Steps 1️⃣ Sit down and start with a static apnea breath-hold on a chair (minimum 60 seconds). 2️⃣ After your static, stand up and do as many squats as you can—each must reach at least a 90° angle. 3️⃣ Your breathe-up = tidal breathing + 2 purge breaths + 1 full inhale. No more than that. 4️⃣ You can hold longer than 60 seconds if you want (pro tip: a 2–3 min static can seriously boost your score). ⚡ Scoring System Your points = 🫁 1 point per second of static breath-hold 💪 5 points per squat Example: • 90-second static + 15 squats = 90 + (15×5) = 165 points 🥇 Challenge Badges Earn your FreedivingX color badge by hitting these milestones: 💚 Green Badge – 200 points 💙 Blue Badge – 300 points ❤️ Red Badge – 400 points 💛 Gold Badge – 500 points Post your video + total points in the comments to enter! 💫 Tips If your static is strong, use it! A longer hold means more points. Just remember, no less than 60 seconds static to qualify. You must wear a nose clip for your attempt to count (this keeps it fair and consistent for everyone). Film your attempt clearly—your squats must be 90 degrees and visible. Let’s see who can stay calm under pressure, power through the leg burn, and walk away with the Gold Badge glory (and a mystery prize 👀). Who’s in? Drop a comment below if you’re joining the challenge!

If you'd like to share, any training somehow related to this Community that changed the way you look at Freediving or Breathwork / Yogic breathing? Mine was 'slow dives'. I was already an open water swimmer, and decided to start freediving as I looked to go down under into the slower world underwater. I never wished for great depths or numbers, yet when I started, I was struck by time since everyone appeared to ask and gauge advancement with such. My biggest 'aha' moment was when I started what I call...doing slow dives. Here I felt Trust - the mother of being. After a few years, knowing that relaxation being the centre of it all, I understood by experiencing it. Sort of switched as I went on a dive, completely free of time, as I decided to immerse down almost as slow like a sloth. It was told to me a couple of years back, by a local guy whilst freediving he saw me wrestling with this time concept. He sympathetically asked me: "What am I doing? That's not freediving...start being like a sloth". I managed to imprint that echoing line, only time after. Almost by a switch. In that dive, it felt like the sea contained me, not that I was in it. But part of it.