The answer is probably yes as you read this but I wonder how often your breathing becomes ‘uptight’ as you are skiing. Are you familiar with the way you breathe? Do you generally breathe in through your mouth or your nose? Becoming aware of your breathing can unlock the secret of producing your best, learning something new and handling stressful situations. There is a clear connection between uptight breathing and poor performance.

We come into the world as nose breathers and as babies do not have the voluntary controls to breathe in through our mouths. Mouth and upper chest breathing is a learned response to an emergency, a way of getting a great deal of air into the lungs quickly to cope with a stressful situation – which in the case of a baby could be a blocked nose. We should not have to think how to breathe but as adults many of us have developed a habit of mouth breathing and only using the upper portion of the lungs. ‘Take a deep breath’ is often given as advice in a stressful situation or when taking a risk. However a deep breath taken through the mouth is very different from a deep breath taken through the nose. You might think ‘what is the difference? – the air goes to my lungs either way’.

There are several reasons why there is a world of difference. When we ‘nose’ breathe it is impossible to hyperventilate. In the mountains where the air is cold, the nose warms it before it reaches the lungs. The nose is designed to filter out dust, dirt and germs – not many perhaps in mountain air but trillions in a cable car! Nose breathing may take longer than mouth breathing because the diaphragm is drawing the air deeper into the lungs than upper chest breathing through the mouth ever can. Nose breathing is a calming more natural way to breathe and if we are calm we can also be more alert.

So whether on or off the slopes, you can practise raising your awareness through your breathing. Don’t judge it, just observe what is happening and choose to breathe through your nose. In no time your body will readapt to do what is more natural. It may take time to change an ingrained habit, don’t be discouraged, all you can do is practise, become more aware and more relaxed, so that you can trust yourself to respond appropriately when you are in more stressful situations.

Copyright Sarah Ferguson 2002