frequently asked questions
pranayama
No. A yoga background can be helpful context, but it is not a prerequisite. Pranayama is a standalone discipline that works with the breath directly. What matters is not what you have practiced before, but the quality of attention you bring to the practice now.
Classical pranayama is a graduated, precision-based system transmitted through direct instruction and study. It is not a collection of techniques to be sampled freely or practiced from a video. The difference lies in sequencing, individualisation, and the relationship between practitioner and the breath. What is taught at Apnosphere is rooted in over a decade of classical practice — not in a week end wellness trend.
Most students notice a shift in their nervous system baseline within the first session. Lasting change — in breath capacity, stress response, and quality of attention — develops over weeks of consistent practice. A single session gives you the foundation and the personal framework. What you build on it is yours to determine.
Yes, and the physiological basis for this is well established. Slow, regulated breathing directly influences the autonomic nervous system, shifting it away from sympathetic dominance toward parasympathetic recovery. That said, pranayama is not offered here as therapy. It is offered as practice — one with demonstrable, meaningful effects on the nervous system when approached with consistency and sincerity.
In person only. The practice requires presence. It does not translate adequately to a screen.
static apnea
You need to be comfortable in the water — able to float and move without distress. You do not need to be a competitive swimmer or have any prior freediving experience. Sessions take place in a calm pool environment, and your comfort level is assessed before anything begins.
Yes, when practiced correctly and under proper supervision. The danger in breath-hold practice comes almost exclusively from two things: practicing alone, and hyperventilating before a hold. Neither happens here. All sessions follow established freediving safety protocols, and every hold is supervised directly. You will also learn exactly why these rules exist — understanding the physiology is part of the practice.
There is no target time, and placing one creates the wrong relationship with the practice from the start. What you will develop is a conscious, relaxed breath-hold — longer than you expected, arrived at without strain. Most beginners are surprised by what their body is already capable of when the mind is not fighting it.
Especially for you. The panic response is not a sign of weakness or unsuitability — it is a sign that the nervous system has never been given the tools to interpret the sensation of CO₂ rise as information rather than emergency. That is exactly what this introduction addresses. The work begins precisely there.
A swimsuit, a towel, and an open mind. Everything else is provided.
mindfulness freediving
Yes. The course is specifically designed to be accessible to complete beginners while remaining genuinely valuable for experienced freedivers. The methodology is built from the ground up — you do not arrive with assumed knowledge. You arrive with your breath, and we work from there.
There is none beyond basic comfort in the water. Mindfulness Freediving is not a performance discipline. The course does not ask you to push physical limits — it asks you to become intimately familiar with where your limits live, and to approach them with awareness rather than force. People of varying ages, body types, and fitness levels have found this practice accessible and transformative.
A standard freediving course teaches you to freedive. This course teaches you to be present — and in doing so, changes the quality of everything that follows. The technical and physiological foundations are covered, but they are held within a broader framework of contemplative awareness. Water is treated as a practice environment, not a performance venue.
The physiological and safety foundations are fully addressed — you will understand the dive response, CO₂ and oxygen dynamics, and breath-hold mechanics. But that knowledge is held within a broader framework of contemplative awareness rather than delivered as preparation for a depth target. The goal is not to produce a certified freediver. It is to produce a present one.
No. The full-day Mindfulness Freediving course is not a certification programme. It is an immersive practice experience. If certification is your goal, that pathway exists separately. If depth of experience is your goal, you are in the right place.
general
A deliberate decision, and an honest one. Apnosphere previously offered standard freediving certification. That changed when it became clear that the major freediving organisations were unwilling to take meaningful action against their certified professionals profiting from unethical and illegal whale swim operations in Mauritius. Continuing to operate under those certifications — and by extension lending legitimacy to those organisations — was no longer something Apnosphere was willing to do. The sperm whales of Mauritius are not a tourism product. That position is non-negotiable.
All sessions are conducted in Goa, India. Specific locations are confirmed at the time of booking based on the discipline and conditions.
By reaching out directly via the contact page. All bookings begin with a brief conversation to ensure the right session is matched to where you are in your practice.
Usually, when people ask me this question, they are comparing what I am charging for private teaching to what other freediving instructors are charging for group teaching.
If you do a quick search on the internet you will see that my prices are actually if not the cheapest, among the cheapest worldwide for a private course of such quality with an experienced instructor.
I am so confident of that fact that, if you were able to find another freediving instructor of the same caliber as myself meaning having 15 years+ of teaching experience, with an understanding of breathing techniques gained not just from a freediving perspective but also from a yogic and wellness background, and who is charging less than I do, I will gladly match the price.
Apart from that and without wanting to cause prejudice to other freediving instructors, I am confident that the value that I bring in my teachings, the quality of my pedagogy and the level of ecological respect are simply incomparable to others.
While it takes only a couple of weeks to become a freediving instructor with any reputed freediving organization, it took me years to acquire the knowledge and polish my pedagogy so that I can help my students reach their goals in less time than I did.
Maybe the more appropriate question to ask is why are the other freediving instructors charging less than I do.
The prices as listed on the website covers all the expenses. There won’t be any bad surprises.
The programs are designed as a private, one-to-one experience. Small groups of two or three may be accommodated in specific circumstances — reach out to discuss. The integrity of the methodology depends on the quality of individual attention, and that principle will not be compromised for group logistics.
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