Artist: Vickie Vainionpää
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 58 x 48 inches

The world record for a single breath hold is 11 minutes and 36 seconds. No added oxygen or equipment.

Just training. 

Take a deep breath and hold it.  It’s uncomfortable at first. It feels like you really, desperately, need to breathe.

You don’t. 

Your initial urge to breathe is your body’s response to the build up of carbon dioxide in your blood – not a lack of oxygen. You may feel hot in the face, or start experiencing involuntary chest movements. Don’t worry. You still have all the oxygen you need to survive. Relax into it. Your urge to breathe is a lie. The harder you fight, the harder it becomes. Soften everything. It feels impossible, but we’re just beginning to see what your body is truly capable of.

Excerpt from “Transhumanist Cephalopod Evolution” written by Miriam Simun