This is part of the DeeperBlue.com Freediving App Review Series – a collection of reviews of Freediving related mobile apps. Each app has been reviewed based on a standardized set of criteria you can see here. In this article we review the I Can Hold My Breath App.
There are a number of Apps that we reviewed that are straightforward training tools for apnea divers. They present various iterations of the well-known CO2 and O2 Training Tables that increase a diver’s tolerance to low Oxygen and high levels of Carbon Dioxide. The I Can Hold My Breath App is something different. The App’s opening screen is a utilitarian menu of options. With no preamble, a user can hit “Start Now” and immediately begin a series of inhalations, static holds and exhalations, all while being directed by a soothing voice. Unlike all the other Apps, this is done at the user’s pace. Hold your breath until it is uncomfortable, exhale. Breathe, then repeat.
Advanced divers might find this to be a little “unstructured”, but the developer of I Can Hold My Breath explains under the “Benefits” tab that by practicing a series of gentle breath holds, you can
“Be healthier, a better athlete, better diver, better student and better yoga practitioner.”
So, on further review, one finds that the App offers an “Advanced Course” by visiting the developer’s website Apanaka.com, where one is given a brief overview of Apanaka Yoga and the opportunity to enroll in their one on one yoga and sports breathing classes.
If the user skips the advertisement and Advanced offerings, I Can Hold My Breath is a simple tool to aid in focusing on breathing and meditative breath holds. According to the developer
“Just put on your headphones and press START. Follow the spoken instructions and read the extra instructions on screen for more details on this healthy, interesting and energizing experience! One session of 5 easy breath-holds and meditation takes just about 15 to 20 minutes.”
This app will guide the user through a session of easy and gentle breath-holds and meditation. It records your sessions and shows your progress over time in a chart at the end of each session. There is a rather ominous “Health Warning” tab which bears reading before beginning any breath hold training.
The I Can Hold My Breath App is Free, but it does require signing up before using it. This extra step is cumbersome, and the rather obvious sales pitch for the Advanced Course is a constant theme. I Can Hold My Breath is available in English and German.
So, let’s see what we found:
Price: It’s Free.
Functionality: As a training aid for breathing techniques and meditative breathing, this is a fine App. As a serious tool for freedivers training to push their limits or Spearos looking to significantly improve their bottom time, not as effective.
Relevance/Usefulness: Just as there are many different types of divers, with differing motivations to want to improve their breath hold ability, there are numerous Apps available. This App is a great aid in meditative, relaxed breathing and fills a niche. It is a bit of an advertisement for buying the “Advanced Course”, which may turn off some users.
Graphics/Appearance: Utilitarian and not very flashy, but clean and uncluttered. It’s not Grand Theft Auto, but it’s not a stopwatch, either.
Compatibility: The Apple iPhone version is available on the Mac App Store for devices that run the iOS 6.0 or later operating system. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, this app is optimized for iPhone 5.
The I Can Hold My Breath App is FREE and can be downloaded at: https://itunes.apple.com/app/id898521031?mt=8
