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Buteyko breathing method
Take a deep breath before reading this — it may be the last one you take for a while
- By Louisa Wilkins
- Published: 00:00 October 1, 2009
- Image Credit: Shutterstock
- The Buteyko method of breathing is devised by Russian medical professor Konstantin Pavlovich Buteyko
The Buteyko method is like fine-tuning your breathing — a tweak here, tightening something up there, and the result is that your car engine, or in this case your respiratory system, is healthier and uses fuel (or oxygen) more efficiently.
Buteyko's background
In the 1980s, Russian medical professor Konstantin Pavlovich Buteyko proposed the theory that most of us breathe too deeply without even knowing it. Through patient studies, Buteyko found that this state of chronic low grade hyperventilation (permanent deep breathing) was linked with ill health. Buteyko started investigating whether illness causes deep breathing, or the other way around.
Around the same time, two other Russian scientists, Verigo and Bohr, found that although oxygen (O2) is carried around the body on blood cells, carbon dioxide (CO2) is needed to release it from the blood cells into the body tissues.
When hyperventilating, O2 is breathed out too quickly, before the body has had a chance to convert it into CO2. As we know from Verigo and Bohr, this carbon dioxide deficit leads to a lack of oxygen in the body. Put simply, when people hyperventilate, they get less oxygen into their body.
Breathing techniques
Jac Vidgen is a Buteyko practitioner who has more than 15 years of experience in the method. Vidgen says, "Small adjustments in your breathing can have a profound effect on your health. There is a huge consequence to overbreathing — and if you look around, you will see a large percentage of people breathing through their mouths, which deregulates breathing and the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide." Here lies the basis of the Buteyko method — by controlling our breathing so that we take slow, shallow breaths, we can balance the levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in our blood, thereby boosting oxygen in all areas of our body. This increased oxygenation boosts concentration, suppresses appetite and improves the efficiency of pretty much every process in our body.
Who can it help?
Asthmatics can see an improvement in their condition by up to 50 per cent in as little as two weeks, in the form of reduced hyperventilation, reduced use of medication and a better quality of life. The Buteyko method is endorsed by Asthma UK.
Buteyko method is also useful for other respiratory complaints, such as sinusitis and persistent coughs, insomnia, stress, allergies, snoring, sleep apnoea, panic attacks, dental complaints, patients on oxygen machines, bed wetting and for improving sports performance. The Buteyko Method is recommended for anyone aged three-years-old and up.
How do I do it?
Essentially, the Buteyko Method comes down to two main points: pausing between breaths to allow O2 to be converted into CO2; and shallow breathing, to decrease the volume of O2 reaching the lungs.
It sounds easy enough, but to maintain this new way of breathing 24-hours a day, even while you are sleeping, takes guidance and practice. Vidgen says, "I would never recommend people to try to use DVDs — it's too easy for someone to not get the method right. Some people need one workshop of five sessions. Others need follow-up consultations."
Vidgen's breathing tips
Get nasal>> If you are talking, snorkelling, scuba diving, freestyle swimming or playing a musical instrument, you need to breathe through your mouth. All other breathing — inhaling and exhaling — should be through the nose.
Quiet calm>> When at rest, breathing should be silent and subtle, and the chest should be still.
Dining rules>> Never eat within three hours of your main sleep. Digestion increases breathing, the heart rate and other body processes, so your body is working while you are trying to rest.
Sleep right>> We would never have slept on our backs before we had locked doors on our homes as all of our sensitive organs are on our fronts. The best sleeping position for breathing is on your left side.
Zen state>> Always think it might be better to sleep less rather than more. Instead, try meditation to calm your mind.
To register for the next workshop, e-mail buteykoUAE@gmail.com or jacvid@gmail.com.
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