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Vidyut Jammwal has once again grabbed attention with an unusual display of breath control. At a special Street Fighter event in Mumbai, the actor reportedly sat in meditation and held his breath for 15 minutes, leaving the audience stunned. Jammwal, who plays Dhalsim in the upcoming Hollywood film, was demonstrating the yogic practices associated with his character, who is known for his mastery of yoga. Jammwal remained still on stage in a meditative posture alongside people dressed as Dhalsim. After completing the demonstration, he said he had used a technique from the Patanjali Yoga Sutra, adding that the practice had helped him achieve milestones in his life and that he teaches it to youngsters. He also used the demonstration to encourage people to slow down and pause rather than constantly rushing towards their goals. Holding your breath for 15 seconds after a deep inhale is a standard recovery breath hold used at the end of a breathing round in practices like the Wim Hof Method, and is a safe, brief duration for conscious breath retention (Kumbhaka) when building up control.
What happens to the body when you hold your breath?
One study published in journal Cureus found that yoga practices incorporating Kumbhaka may help reduce oxidative and psychological stress in people recovering from Covid-19. The approach was also associated with improved antioxidant defense, higher hemoglobin levels, and better overall quality of life, potentially supporting recovery and helping counteract age-related biological decline in both the body and mind. Breathing continuously supplies the body with oxygen and removes carbon dioxide. When you stop breathing, oxygen continues to be consumed by the body's tissues while carbon dioxide gradually builds up in the blood. The rising carbon dioxide level is one of the major signals that creates the urge to breathe. During prolonged breath-holding, however, oxygen levels can eventually fall to a point where the brain and other organs are not receiving enough oxygen. This is known as hypoxia.
That means a person may be able to suppress the urge to breathe through training and mental control, but the body's oxygen requirement does not disappear.
Is holding your breath for 15 minutes safe?
There is no single breath-hold duration that can be labelled safe for everyone. Elite breath-hold athletes can train their bodies to tolerate prolonged periods without breathing. Research on apnoea training suggests that experienced breath-hold divers can develop physiological adaptations that help them tolerate hypoxic conditions and extend their breath-hold duration. But that does not mean an untrained person can safely reproduce the same feat.
Experts warns that prolonged breath-holding can lead to hypoxia and loss of consciousness. The risk becomes particularly concerning when people try to extend their limits without proper training or supervision. So, while Jammwal's performance may reflect years of training and breath-control practice, his 15-minute breath-hold should not be treated as a fitness challenge or a target for the general public.
Why can hyperventilating before a breath-hold be dangerous?
One of the biggest mistakes people make when attempting to hold their breath for longer is rapidly taking repeated deep breaths beforehand. This is called hyperventilation. It lowers the amount of carbon dioxide in the blood. Because rising carbon dioxide is an important trigger for the urge to breathe, lowering it can make a person feel comfortable holding their breath for longer. The problem is that hyperventilation does not provide a proportionate increase in the body's oxygen stores. Oxygen can continue falling while the usual urge to breathe is delayed. As a result, a person can become dangerously hypoxic and even lose consciousness before feeling an overwhelming need to breathe.
Can you faint while holding your breath?
A prolonged breath-hold can eventually cause oxygen levels to fall sufficiently to impair brain function. This can lead to dizziness, confusion, impaired coordination and, in severe cases, loss of consciousness. The danger is that someone attempting the exercise may not realise how close they are to passing out. This is particularly concerning if breath-holding is being performed in water, where losing consciousness can result in drowning.
- Even experienced breath-hold athletes follow specific safety protocols because hypoxic blackout is a recognised risk.
- Does breath-holding improve lung capacity?
- Not necessarily in the way many people assume.
Being able to hold your breath for longer does not simply mean that your lungs have become larger or that you have dramatically increased your lung capacity. Breath-hold performance is influenced by several factors, including lung volume, oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide tolerance, relaxation, metabolic rate and training adaptations. Studies of experienced breath-hold divers have identified physiological adaptations that may help them tolerate prolonged apnoea. Therefore, a longer breath-hold should not automatically be interpreted as having healthier lungs.
What about the yogic aspect of breath control?
Breath regulation has an important place in yoga, where practices involving controlled breathing are broadly associated with pranayama. Different practices involve different breathing patterns, durations and pauses. However, the existence of a traditional breathing practice does not mean every form of prolonged breath retention is appropriate for every person. The technique, duration, preparation and supervision matter. A person who is new to breathwork should not attempt an extreme breath-hold simply because they have seen a celebrity perform it.
Can everyone practise breath retention?
People with underlying heart or lung conditions, a history of fainting, uncontrolled blood pressure problems or other medical conditions should seek medical advice before attempting strenuous breath-control practices. Even healthy people should avoid turning prolonged breath-holding into a competition with themselves or others. If someone experiences dizziness, chest discomfort, severe breathlessness, confusion, visual disturbance or near-fainting during a breathing exercise, they should stop and return to normal breathing. If symptoms are severe or persistent, medical evaluation is warranted.
What is the safer takeaway from Vidyut Jammwal's demonstration?
The interesting part of Jammwal's demonstration is not simply the number 15 minutes. It is the level of breath control, stillness and training required to perform such a demonstration. For most people, the health benefits of meditation do not require extreme breath-holding. Mindfulness, relaxation and controlled breathing can be practised without trying to push the body towards prolonged oxygen deprivation.
And if someone is interested in learning advanced breath-retention techniques, they should learn them from a properly trained instructor rather than attempting increasingly long breath-holds alone. Vidyut Jammwal's 15-minute breath-hold is an impressive demonstration of breath control, but it should not be treated as a benchmark for fitness or a practice that everyone can safely copy. Prolonged breath-holding can cause oxygen levels to fall, and in extreme cases can result in hypoxic blackout. Most importantly, never hyperventilate in an attempt to extend a breath-hold. Lowering carbon dioxide can delay the natural urge to breathe while oxygen continues to decline, potentially increasing the risk of unconsciousness.
Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.