Discipline much more accessible than it seems, apnea has many benefits, for mental and physical health. To be sure, I tested a deep apnea initiation session at the Antony pit (92) with Pierre Frolla, quadruple world record holder in the discipline and Aqua Lung ambassador.
By Charles Brumauld
Discover apnea
After his acute recordite, the Monegasque decided to aim for other horizons, namely to share his passion with as many people as possible. That’s good. I listen almost religiously to the advice of the fish man. Objective: to relax with this phobia of running out of air.
Preparation
Socked in my screen-printed jumpsuit, I warm up at the edge of the pool, with yoga postures (dog upside down, warrior …) and series of series of sun salutations, squats, push-ups, following the rhythm of inhales and exhales on each movement. You have to concentrate to be in sync. Cardio rises, blood and oxygen circulate on the highway. Launching, breathing exercises, submerged mouth, then whole head, without seeking performance. Gradually, we get the body used to ventilating.
Valsalva
The masks put on, down the ladder, which spins 9 meters lower on the edge of the pit. Again, not in “perf” mode. ” It is the relaxation that we are looking for. As little tension as possible, we go down as far as we can, in peace ” place Pierre Frolla. Hmm. I take a deep breath and climb down the rungs of the ladder. Surprised, I reach two-thirds without a problem, performing the Valsalva maneuver, balancing the pressure between the outer ear and the middle ear thanks to the air circulation in the Eustachian tube. The instructor coaches me: ” Keep your head straight on the way up, and … look behind you. “ I catch my breath and leave for another descent, further this time. I turn around. My sight leaves the rungs of the ladder to land on the pit below, royal blue, the buoys above, azure blue. The legs of the novices move gently. This calming spectacle slows my heart rate. I forget that I am no longer breathing. I feel good. Calm. Quiet. And go up with the help of my arms, without haste.
The following ? Repeated descents along ropes attached to buoys. And lifts with fins fitted with giant wings in the “Jean-Marc Barr” style in his free ascent in The big Blue “. Enjoyable. I was missing a hundred yards and I was there.
“Freediving is a return to basics”
Afraid to get started? Confront your doubts and dive in head first. For specialist Pierre Frolla, freediving makes it possible to:
- Find your own resources:
When you are immersed, the solutions can only come from you. Instead of tense, we must on the contrary explore our interiority to find the resources conducive to relaxation. More than an invitation to travel, freediving is a kind of homecoming, to oneself, a place where one does not dare to come too much. - Drive away stress:
During the warm-up, make room for cardiac coherence: sessions including a precise number of breaths per minute, in abdominal breathing. Thus, we slow down the heart rate and we accustom the body to live in hypoxia (without oxygen, ndrl). What to announce the session which follows, but also to reinvest it in “real” life because these exos make it possible to better manage its emotions, in particular the D-day of a competition, where the heart beats at 180. - Surpass yourself:
Apnea is courage, humility, self-sacrifice and sharing. You have to be brave enough, while remaining humble in the face of your limits. One by one we cross the obstacles to surpass ourselves and acquire a new form of freedom. Responsible for oneself (as for the other), one is obliged to think about ” the way back“. Enough to work on your ability to always finish something, to do it to the end and as best as possible.
#Discover #freediving #Coach #Magazine #France
