Anne and Janet's introduction to The Buteyko Method

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Anne and Janet have both gone on to train as practitioners. Some years ago, they put together the following guide.

Not all of this material may be accurate, correct or complete and as with the rest of this site, it is not endorsed by any Buteyko organization.

This is just a basic outline - if you think the technique is for you, "go to the professionals" through classes if possible.

Make sure you consult your doctor BEFORE starting the exercises to check (s)he is happy for you to try them.

Please read all the pages including the precautions.

Equipment

:

In general:

Try to always breathe through your nose at all times. Be mindful of how you breathe when eating and talking. Watch out for what happens when you laugh/cough/cry/ sigh - you may begin to overbreathe. Try to keep your breathing slow and steady.

Blocked nose:

To clear a blocked nose breathe out slightly, pinch your nose then hold your breath for a short time. You can also move your head back and forwards slowly, while doing this, or walk around the room, or maybe climb some stairs.

You may have to repeat this several times.

At night:

This is a very important part of the technique because you can undo all your good work during the day by breathing through your mouth at night. Protect your lips with some lip salve, then tape your mouth using micropore tape to prevent your mouth opening when asleep. A good tip is to turn the ends of the tape back, so you can remove it easily. At first you can get used to this feeling by taping your lips during the day or evening when there's no one around to see how silly you look! You should try to avoid sleeping on your back. The best position is to lie on your left hand side. This technique should result in a better quality of sleep.

Buteyko Exercises

Sit in a relaxed manner, with an upright posture leaning slightly forward wearing comfortable clothing. These exercises should be done on an empty stomach ideally, or at least an hour after eating.

Pulse:

Check your pulse rate at start by timing it for 15 seconds then multiplying by 4 (this gives your pulse rate per minute).

Reduced breathing:

This is the first line of defence against asthma and is the most important, yet most difficult type of breathing to master. Achieving this will vary from person to person and this is why the classes and videos are important.

Briefly the technique is as follows:

Try to be as still as possible while doing this with good posture. You should imagine you are breathing from the bottom of your stomach - but only in small amounts - as if breathing through a straw - either slowly (say four breaths a minute), or more frequently may suit some individuals.

You should feel 'hungry for air' while doing this. It is a slow way of fending off an attack. This can also be called 'shallow breathing'.

Control Pause:(CP)

This is a measurement of your state of health. It is also a defence against asthma. After a normal exhalation, the breathing is 'paused' and a record kept of the amount of seconds this pause can be held. It is to be discontinued at the first sign of discomfort so that reduced breathing can be resumed with no need to gulp or gasp for air.

Extended Pause (EP)

Extending your Control Pause by adding 2 to 10 seconds to your CP time. The nose should be pinched shut to stop cheating! Resume reduced breathing through the nose and resist urge to gulp air through the mouth. This can be helped by various techniques such as moving a hand, swallowing, stretching and finally walking.

For most people, the EP is considered safe provided it does not provoke a bout of overbreathing at the end. A feeling of dizziness or heat at the end is normal. If you breathe out first at the end, you have been holding too much air in your lungs. Your lungs need to be comfortable - not too full and not too empty, during the exercises. Sets of exercises are to be carried out ideally three times a day. These should be done before eating, and particularly on waking and before sleeping. The sequence of exercises is as follows-
1.Take pulse
2. CP followed by several minutes of reduced breathing
3. EP followed by several minutes of reduced breathing
4. CP followed by several minutes of reduced breathing
5. EP followed by several minutes of reduced breathing
6. CP and final pulse at end
This should take about 20 minutes.
A record of these exercises should be kept on a special chart to monitor progress. (e.g., Date, Time, Pulse, CP, EP, Medications, symptoms, etc.)

Don't be discouraged if you have a small set back in progress after a couple of weeks, just look at how much you have achieved, and cheer yourself up!

The pulse rate should decrease at the end of the session and this indicates that the method has been carried out correctly. The CP should improve by one to two seconds a week even though the EP might improve by such an amount each day.

You should start to feel much better when a CP of 25 seconds is achieved. A control pause of 30 - 40 seconds and an extended pause of 60 would be excellent figures to achieve.

It is possible to project the rate of improvement from these figures.

Once a figure of 30 seconds for the CP is reached, the exercises can be tapered off to twice a day, and then stopped with just an occasional CP to check on how you are doing. It is important not to overdo the number of EPs in a day. The body needs to improve in its own time. Slow steady improvement is best.

Dealing with an asthma attack:

An asthma attack should be dealt with a control pause followed by reduced breathing for 3-5 minutes, a control pause and more gentle breathing. If not better by then, take a dose of ventolin (or your reliever).

Unexpected side effects of doing exercises:

You may experience some unexpected side effects, ranging from a runny nose, stomach upsets, tiredness to reduced appetite. However, you may get 'good side effects' like need for less sleep and increased energy levels.

Note on Food:

All food increases the breathing rate so you should only eat when hungry, and then only enough to satisfy the appetite. Some foods are more inclined to increase breathing levels, for example, protein, dairy and refined foods.

Buteyko and children:

The principles of the Buteyko method apply especially to children. The exercises can be adapted as 'fun to do' games which can be done by upwards of 4 years old children.

Precautions:

1 DO NOT TAPE your mouth if you are feeling sick or have been drinking heavily.
2 DO NOT decrease any prescribed medicine without consulting your doctor.
3. If the EXTENDED PAUSE doesn't agree with you, don't do it. You will still make good progress.
4. DO NOT leave your reliever medicine at home - even if you feel a lot better - you will still be allergic to your triggers for some time.
5. Remember, SLOW AND STEADY IMPROVEMENT IS THE BEST. The maximum benefit will take time - a rough estimate is one month of practice for every year you have had asthma.

Further Information:

Internet Do a web search on Buteyko and check out the various sites e.g.
http://www.buteykobreathing.org
http://www.buteyko.info
http://www.buteyko.com