What is the Buteyko Method?
The Buteyko Breathing Method teaches you how to bring your breathing volume and pace back towards normal to resolve breathing related problems. Just like eating the correct amount of healthy food to meet our metabolic needs, when we breathe properly - which is lightly, calmly and slowly through the nose - we have good oxygen delivery to the tissues and organs, including the brain.
The method was developed in the 1950’s by Russian medical scientist Dr. Konstantin Buteyko, whilst working his patients he observed that those who were the most sick were breathing in short, shallow fast breaths compared to the calm, slow and quiet breathing of healthier people. He was able to resolve a great number of bodily dysfunctions by teaching his patients to breath properly with gentle exercises that you will learn in your sessions. |
Buteyko Method consists of a series of breathing exercises and guidelines specifically designed to
- reduce over-breathing,
- restore normal, calm breathing patterns
- and nasal breathing.
If we breathe too much, we get less oxygen, not more.
How does that work? To answer this we'll go into a bit of biochemistry...
Oxygenation of our body tissues is best achieved at a breathing frequency, at rest, of between 5.5 to 7 breaths per minute. A respiratory rate higher than this starts to upset the delicate balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood. Many of us have fast and shallow breathing, often as high as 25 breaths per minute at rest. Over a prolonged period of time this becomes problematic for all systems in the body including our blood pressure, heart rate, sleep and even our bone density. |
Underlying reasons for fast and shallow breathing are often related to nasal congestion, anxiety and stress.
Why does this matter? The brain monitors levels of carbon dioxide in order to regulate our breathing to our level of activity. For instance, when we exercise our muscles produce more carbon dioxide which must be breathed out. Haemaglobin, the molecule in red blood cells that carries oxygen around the body, drops off oxygen to the tissues with high concentrations of carbon dioxide (because they're working hard). Think of haemoglobin like a bus with passengers (oxygen) transporting them to the areas of the body that need it the most - the muscles that are active. |
When we breathe too much (hyperventilate) we take in more air than we need. Breathing fast and shallow means we get rid of too much carbon dioxide causing the concentration of carbon dioxide in the blood to drop. We already know that we need a certain amount of carbon dioxide in order to be delivered to the tissues. If this level drops because we're mouth breathing and over breathing then haemoglobin won't drop off oxygen as efficiently. This is a problem.
Breathing through the mouth engages predominantly shallow, upper chest breathing and does not activate the diaphragm muscle in the same way as nasal breathing does.
This has many knock-on physiological effects including...
For many people mouth breathing has become a habit despite being physically able to breathe though the nose. This includes the way you breathe during exercise and many of my clients are using Buteyko Method to train themselves to exclusively nasal breathe whilst running and cycling etc because they know the performance benefit they'll gain once they can.
Buteyko exercises will unblock the nose allowing you to make the switch from mouth breathing to nose. Over time and practice you'll notice your nasal airway becomes clearer and clearer and remains so during rest, sleep and exercise.
Breathing through the mouth engages predominantly shallow, upper chest breathing and does not activate the diaphragm muscle in the same way as nasal breathing does.
This has many knock-on physiological effects including...
- reducing oxygen exchange in the lungs
- activation of the stress response causing a state of agitation, anxiety, and altered mood
- it is detrimental to the quality and quantity of our sleep
- and contributes to poor concentration, fatigue and inappropriate tiredness.
For many people mouth breathing has become a habit despite being physically able to breathe though the nose. This includes the way you breathe during exercise and many of my clients are using Buteyko Method to train themselves to exclusively nasal breathe whilst running and cycling etc because they know the performance benefit they'll gain once they can.
Buteyko exercises will unblock the nose allowing you to make the switch from mouth breathing to nose. Over time and practice you'll notice your nasal airway becomes clearer and clearer and remains so during rest, sleep and exercise.
What can you expect from doing the training?
When you sign up to Buteyko training with me we will have 4 sessions over 4 weeks together in-person or online. During which time I will teach you the Buteyko method, the science behind it and how it will improve your daily life.
When you work these exercises into your daily routine you'll quickly start to notice improvements such as...
When you work these exercises into your daily routine you'll quickly start to notice improvements such as...
- reduced snoring, coughing, wheezing and breathlessness
- reduced asthma symptoms
- improved diaphragm strength and function which stabilise the low back and pelvis
- strategies for calming your mind and breathing if you feel a panic attack coming on
- a calmer mind
What do Buteyko sessions involve?
Once you're booked in for an initial consultation for Butyeko training you will be sent a confirmation email with a link to the Unwind intake form.
During the initial consultation your practitioner, Sarah Bedford will discuss with you the history of your condition and any other health factors that you think are contributing to your condition. Sarah will assess your breathing and test what we call your 'Control Pause' and take readings from a spirometer to give us starting data that we track progress from.
Depending on your specific needs, Sarah will coach you through some Buteyko breathing exercises and instruct you on what you can do at home over the coming week. Between 4-5 sessions over as many weeks will be a great start to learn all of the breathing exercises and feel some appreciable difference in your original symptoms and condition.
During the initial consultation your practitioner, Sarah Bedford will discuss with you the history of your condition and any other health factors that you think are contributing to your condition. Sarah will assess your breathing and test what we call your 'Control Pause' and take readings from a spirometer to give us starting data that we track progress from.
Depending on your specific needs, Sarah will coach you through some Buteyko breathing exercises and instruct you on what you can do at home over the coming week. Between 4-5 sessions over as many weeks will be a great start to learn all of the breathing exercises and feel some appreciable difference in your original symptoms and condition.