26/07/2026
How long can you stay with the hold? This little test quietly tells you more than you might think.
What we're looking at here is your CO2 tolerance, which is how comfortably your body handles a rising level of carbon dioxide before it sends you that urge to breathe. It turns out to be a lovely window into how your whole system is doing.
A higher CO2 tolerance tends to go hand in hand with calmer, more efficient breathing and a nervous system that copes well under pressure. A lower tolerance, where the urge to breathe arrives quickly, often shows up alongside over-breathing, tension, or a system that is running a little hot. The good news is that it is trainable. It shifts with practice.
How to try it:
Take a normal breath in through the nose, then a normal breath out
Gently hold, and follow the line as it travels
Notice the moment you feel the first real urge to breathe, and let that be your marker
Then let your breath return to normal
There is no winning here.
Wherever you land is simply useful information, a starting point to come back to.
A gentle note: please do this sitting down and never force it. Come out of the hold the moment you want to. Skip this one if you are pregnant or have a heart or respiratory condition.
Where did you land? Keep practising, it moves.