Basic lung stretching for freediving – Part 1

By Maria-Teresa Solomons

Feb

1

This exercise is called Uddiyana Bandha and has been used as a abdominal tonification and purging exercise in yoga for hundreds of years. Recently in the world of freediving the effects of diaphragmatic manipulation in this way has been proven to improve the elimination of air from the lungs and thus enables the ribcage to flex and compress more with the more extreme pressures at depth when the lungs have been reduced to Residual volume. Simultaneously with the reduced volume and the increased flexibility the trained freediver is able to “pull up” a little more air from the airways for deep equalisation.

This exercise must be practised carefully on an empty stomach, and regularly to reap the benefits. However a word of caution, just with this practice alone it DOES NOT mean that a freediver who has a good equalisation technique should jump irreverently to depths without a well prepared training program. The body needs time for physiological adaptation and the rush for depth must not be at the expense of safety.

Injuries that can result in irreversible damage are pulmonary barotrauma, i.e lung squeeze and trachea squeeze, that can leave scarring and result in limiting your depth freedives permanently. ALL UNNECESSARY AND COMPLETELY AVOIDABLE.

After all, Freediving is about fulfilment, exhileration, human potential and absolutely about humility!

Freediving Videos

By Aharon Solomons

Apr

13

Visit Aharon Solomons channel in http://www.youtube.com

Freediving with Humpback Whales & Whale Shark

By Aharon Solomons

Apr

11

One of those rare spring mornings with a perfect calm, a sea of burnished silver. Ideal conditions for spotting whale sharks on the surface. We decided to see if we could find one as MT had been complaining that she was the only person left in La Paz who had not filmed or ridden a whale shark.
It was an official rest day, we had just begun depth training and this would have been the 4th consecutive day, something we try not to do. (Nitric oxide depletion and psychological stress). It was the very beginning of training and although the depths were not great 50+mts, multiple descents both CTW and FIM in a session take their toll.
Alina had already done an unofficial Israeli female record in training ,38.5 mts and was on her way to 40+mts.
In shallow water 20 mins after leaving the port we saw in the distance an extraordinary sight. Whales breaching and eye hopping. I quickly identified them as Humpbacks from the acrobatics, but there was something unusual at first it looked like a spout that hung much too long in the air (or like sails ?). There we are, humpbacks had taken up sailing !!



As we got nearer – the answer became apparent they were swimming on their backs and� what we were seeing was the early sunlight flashing of the white underside of their giant pectoral fins .
They were swimming on their backs and rolling together in a beautiful dance, this looked to our untutored eye like a mating behavior but perhaps they were just enjoying the morning.
We followed them for a while but not wanting to push them, broke off the encounter, and shortly thereafter we spotted a large fin not 20mts from the boat and MT had her whale shark.