Where Is My Oxygen?

Something I have found over the last month or so is that, the more intent and intensity I apply to a form, the more out of breath I am at the end. What I find weird is that I have been working on stamina and endurance a lot this year and these major oxygen troubles only seemed to just start. So why am I struggling when I should be at the best point I have been in a long time? As it turns out, the two are pretty unrelated.

Another thing I have been working on a lot this year is intent and using my personal intent to channel and maximize my intensity. I have made great leaps and bounds on this over the summer, and been working on applying my “research” to my forms now that I am back on the mats. This is where the problem arises.

It’s simple. It is actually so simple I was hesitant to blog about it at first because it is a little embarrassing. I have been so focused on channeling my intent that I have simply been forgetting to breath. It occurred to me during open training, when I was reflecting on a repetition of Lao Gar I had just done. Frustrated I was out of breath and trying to figure out why, I thought to myself “how many times did I actually breathe during that rep?”. With reflection, I am pretty sure I could have counted on one hand. 

Now, I’ve been trying to focus on my breathing without getting rid of my intent. To be honest, I don’t know how it is working out quite yet. With the reps we did in IHC tonight, I felt as though I was doing better, although I was breathing in very short lengths. Putting aside the energy that is required to do a form at high intensity, I still think I am not where I should be. Considering how happy I was with my breath control earlier this year, it is a humbling revelation.