Stamina & C02
Why CO₂ Tolerance Matters More Than You Think
(Especially if you teach, talk, or feel out of breath easily)
Breathing is one of those things we assume we’re doing correctly… because we’re alive.
But here’s the catch:
just because you’re breathing doesn’t mean you’re breathing well.
I’ve been working on this myself.
Even though I breathe through my nose at night, I’ve noticed that during the day—especially when I’m teaching, walking, or talking a lot—I’ll often default to breathing through my mouth.
Not because I need to…. Just because it’s a habit.
And that’s the key point:
breathing is automatic—but your patterns are learned.
Changing them takes awareness and practice.
What Is CO₂ Tolerance (in simple terms)?
Most people think breathing is about oxygen.
It’s not.
Your body is actually more sensitive to carbon dioxide (CO₂).
CO₂ is what builds up when you hold your breath
It’s what creates the urge to breathe
It’s what your brain is constantly monitoring
So when we talk about “CO₂ tolerance,” we’re really talking about: How well your nervous system handles rising CO₂ levels without panicking
Why This Matters for Dancers
Low CO₂ tolerance often shows up as:
feeling out of breath quickly
needing to “grab air” between combinations
upper chest breathing
tension in the neck and shoulders
difficulty sustaining longer phrases
feeling anxious or “on edge” in class
Here’s the part most people don’t realize:
👉 Breathing too much can actually reduce performance.
If you over-breathe (especially through the mouth), you blow off too much CO₂.
That creates a problem called the Bohr effect:
Oxygen stays bound to hemoglobin
Less oxygen gets delivered to your muscles and brain
So even though you’re breathing more…your tissues are getting less usable oxygen
What This Means in the Studio
From a nervous system perspective, low CO₂ tolerance = less tolerance for stress
And dance is full of stress:
balance challenges
coordination demands
performance pressure
fatigue
If your system is already sensitive…everything feels harder than it should
The Teaching Piece (This is important)
As teachers, we’re at even higher risk.
talking constantly
demonstrating
moving quickly between students
often breathing through the mouth
It’s very easy to live in a slightly over-breathing state all day long
And because breathing is automatic…we don’t notice it
A Simple Way to Think About It
Instead of:
“Take bigger breaths”
Think:
→ “Can I stay calm with slightly less air?”
That’s CO₂ tolerance.
It’s not about forcing breath holds. It’s about building a more tolerant, less reactive system
A Simple Starting Point
Try this:
Breathe in and out through your nose
Keep the breath quiet and relaxed
After an exhale, pause briefly (2–4 seconds)
Then resume normal breathing
That’s it.
No forcing. No strain.
What you’re teaching your brain is: “This is safe. You don’t need to panic.”
The Bigger Picture
CO₂ tolerance isn’t just about breathing.
It’s about:
efficiency (less wasted energy)
clarity (better brain oxygen delivery)
resilience (handling stress without overreacting)
And ultimately: better, more effortless movement
Final Thought
You don’t need to overhaul your breathing overnight.
But you do need to notice it.
Because something as simple as:
mouth vs nose
fast vs slow
reactive vs calm
can completely change how your body performs.
And like everything we train:
small, consistent inputs create lasting change.
In next week’s newsletter, I’ll share a few simple “air hunger” drills you can use to begin improving your CO₂ tolerance.
These are not complicated—but they do require attention.
Because the goal isn’t to push harder…it’s to teach your nervous system to stay calm when breathing feels slightly uncomfortable.
To your success,
Deborah