Breathwork & Performance
In moments of intensity, our physiology takes over. The heart rate climbs, breath shortens, and the body flirts with the edge of panic. In these moments, our response determines everything. Some meet this pressure with raw tension: the nervous system surges, inhibition fades, and the mind becomes loud. Others fall into a state of breathing shallow, blood racing, adrenaline surging, with energy wasted in every direction. Both reactions are expressions of imbalance, where effort overpowers efficiency and the body burns itself out before the real work begins.
The third path is the one cultivated through discipline and awareness: relaxation under fire. This is where the nervous system finds its rhythm, balancing excitation with calm control. Muscles loosen, movement becomes precise, and the mind sharpens. The heart works efficiently, the metabolism settles into its ideal tempo, and recovery accelerates. In this state, strength feels effortless, coordination natural, and stress fades into focus. Longevity—physical, mental, and athletic—is born from this balance. It’s the state where the body transcends strain and performs with quiet confidence.
While you’re some time out from your first match, you need calm, this state is not stumbled upon—it’s cultivated through breath. Begin with mobilizing breathwork: inhale softly for a count of one-two-three, and exhale for one. Let the breath expand from the diaphragm, not the chest, and allow the body to settle into rhythm.
As your first match nears, your breathing should begin to deepen. Inhale fully over three seconds, pause, and release the tension in the rib cage (do not exhale). Then perform three short inhalations, each followed by a moment of stillness, then a full exhale. Pause again (do not inhale). And follow with three strong exhalations, each driven by your core with a short pause after each. This cycle repeats, syncing breath, movement, and awareness until the body feels light, ready, and centered.
Between matches, or after a peak effort, recovery comes through reversing that rhythm. The inhale is now one count, with the exhale drawing out to three. Feel the diaphragm move, touch the stomach lightly against a wall or your hand for feedback, reconnecting breath to body. Use the deep, grounded rhythm of yogic breathing to bring the nervous system back to calm, restoring clarity for what comes next.
This is the rhythm of control—not the suppression of nerves, but the transformation of energy. Breathing becomes the bridge between chaos and control, between the noise of competition and the stillness within it. When the breath leads, the body follows, and performance becomes expression.