By 
David Blaine
 | 
TED Stage Talk

How I held my breath for 17 minutes

In this highly personal talk from TEDMED, magician and stuntman David Blaine describes what it took to hold his breath underwater for 17 minutes -- a world record (only two minutes shorter than this entire talk!) -- and what his often death-defying work means to him. Warning: do NOT try this at home.

Related tags:

biology
magic
medicine
performance
TED is supported by ads and partners

Watch next

3:35
Jen Gunter
Why healthy bones are about so much more than milk
5:07
Susan M. Reverby
Ugly History: The US syphilis experiment
5:02
Jen Gunter
What really happens to your body during menopause
4:03
Nina G. Jablonski
Why do we have hair in such random places?
4:11
Jen Gunter
Why you shouldn't worry about pooping once a day
4:53
Khalil Ramadi
Electronic pills that could transform how we treat disease
4:21
Jen Gunter
Why you don't need 8 glasses of water a day
5:02
Masako Tamaki
Can you be awake and asleep at the same time?
5:38
Greg Foot
Should you donate your DNA to help cure diseases?
4:43
Sara C. Mednick
How long should your naps be?
4:57
Justin Schmidt
The world's most painful insect sting
4:55
Jacques S. Abramowicz
How does ultrasound work?
4:39
Neil R. Jeyasingam
How do antidepressants work?
4:52
Chase LaDue and Bruce A. Schulte
The incredible, bendable, twistable, expandable elephant trunk
8:42
Natsai Audrey Chieza
Possible futures from the intersection of nature, tech and society
4:51
Heather Malyuk
Can loud music damage your hearing?
4:51
Thomas L. Dawson
What causes dandruff, and how do you get rid of it?
4:49
Melanie E. Peffer
The artist who won a Nobel Prize... in medicine