Training and Performance by Sara Campbell review
Training and Performance is the 4th part of Sara Campbell's 'Yoga For Freediving' series.

Training and Performance by Sara Campbell review

This post was submitted by Luca Malaguti.

In Training and Performance Sara guides you through a series of hands-on and practical exercises that apply to all facets of freedive training. I really like that Sara starts off the program by explaining a few things we tend to forget in athletic training, and especially in freediving.

Cultivating continuous improvement

Sara teaches us about the balance between sustainability and challenge. We should strive for continuous gradual improvement. In order to achieve that we need to set attainable goals that gradually lead to improvement. Setting the bar too high may lead be demoralizing, undermine our confidence, and take the enjoyment out of the dives.  Sara emphasizes that it is important to advance patiently and step outside of our comfort zone during training, but not venture too far beyond it, in order to allow for continuous progress.

'Yoga For Freediving' is a series of online yoga courses by Sara Campbell
‘Yoga For Freediving’ is a series of online yoga courses by Sara Campbell

Just as many positions (asana) in hatha yoga seem intimidating at first, breathing exercises (pranayama) can be equally daunting. Recall your first wobbly downward dog? However, Sara presents the exercises in a way that they gradually become more complicated and demanding. This I particularly appreciate. For this reason her video lessons are very effective. You have a mentor in front of you guiding your practice step by step. A lot of the exercises Sara goes over I have read them in books many times over, but having Sara in front of me belly pumping for 3 minutes pushes me to keep up with her and advance my practice so that I feel those new sensations. On my own I would probably stop after 60 seconds.

Training and Performance videos

Sara’s course contains 6 specific videos:

  • Training zone (~10 min lecture)
  • Comfort zone (~10 min lecture)
  • Pranayama – basic breath series (~45 min breathing exercise)

I found it effective to start with a few breath cycles before starting alternate nostril breathing. This way the nasal cavities are somewhat clear before the alternate nostril breathing exercise. Alternate nostril breathing is an important exercise to begin your practice with because it gets you “in the mood” to continue. Whether it is the effect of nitric oxides or just an overall cleansing sensation, this exercise first thing in the morning can really put a smile on your face.

  • Kriya – basic spinal energizer (~50 min exercise)

The spinal energizer is a truly fantastic exercise. However, if you find it painful to sit in the lotus or the partial lotus position (for example because of a knee injury, my problem), you can try sitting down with your bum touching your heels. This is known as vajra-asana or position of the diamond. This position may help to relieve some of the tension on the knees generated by the twisting.

  • Respecting your body (~10 min lecture)
  • Visualization – perfect dive (20 min exercise)

Training and Performance also comes with more than 20 extra videos and other materials to help you with your practice. The lectures and visualisation are available in MP3 format so you can bring them with you and listen to them before you dive, or on the road.

Training and performance
Training and Performance is the 4th part of Sara Campbell’s ‘Yoga For Freediving’ series.

In Training and Performance Sara goes over excellent exercises that connect movements with breath. I look forward to using them to advance my practice in freediving, while enjoying having my teacher in front of me guiding and motivating me through my practice. The way that Sara interacts with her viewers brings them by her side, and allows them to imagine a morning of diaphragm exercises on the beaches in Dahab.

Go to Yoga For Freediving by Sara Campbell (external link)

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Jaap

Jaap is a geologist by trade and a freediver by passion. Jaap wrote the book Longer and Deeper in 2018. His book teaches how to train for freediving and spearfishing on land.

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