Buteyko Breathing

What is the Buteyko method?

The Buteyko Breathing Therapy involves teaching clients suffering from a number of conditions, including asthma, simple exercises in voluntary breath control, with the intension of reducing the frequency and severity of their symptoms.

It was pioneered by a Ukrainian Doctor, Konstainin Buteyko from which the technique gets its name. Dr Buteyko made the link between health and breathing patterns.

The Buteyko method is base on the observation that many people with breathing disorders unknowingly react to their breathing problems by breathing too much. This excessive breathing is known as hyperventilation.

Hyperventilation means breathing harder or faster than you need to for the amount of physical work your body is dong. This ‘over-breathing’ causes disturbances in the body’s physiology, which can trigger and aggravate health-related complaints of all kinds. Symptoms vary according to individual predispositions, but can include; stress, panic attacks and sleep disturbance.

The technique trains those with breathing problems to avoid the trap of hyperventilation and so prevents them from making their condition worse. Dr Buteyko summed up his method in two words: breathe less, and basically that is what the method aims to achieve.

Buteyko Breathing Courses

A series of special breathing exercises, techniques and lifestyle changes are taught over a minimum of five sessions. Some clients will require more than five sessions, depending on their individual condition.

Following the sessions continuing telephone support is offered to encourage clients to maintain their practise.

What happens in the sessions?

Individuals are first taught to overcome symptoms using breathing techniques. For asthmatics this quickly results in the ability to overcome asthma attacks.

In addition to the practical exercises, clients are also given background information on basic physiology which helps them to understand their condition and motivates them to carry on with the practise. Diet, posture and lifestyle issues are also covered.

With support and practice individuals find that their breathing pattern becomes more normal and symptoms are less severe. Breathlessness, wheezing and coughing episodes become less frequent. The requirement for 'rescue' medication is substantially reduced or eliminated. However, Buteyko Practitioners strongly advise against reducing medication without consultation with a qualified medical doctor, or asthma nurse. The reduction should be done slowly and with the support of your GP.