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By Dr. Artour Rakhimov, Buteyko breathing teacher and educator

Here, we are going to focus on the main physiological changes in control of breathing. There are also other factors and conditions, which are discussed and explained in the Learning section of this website.

CO2 is the main regulator of breathing (Section 6-A. How is our breathing regulated?). It tells how much one breathes. Here is a simplified picture of breathing retraining based on CO2 effects. We know that sick people chronically breathe too heavily. Their breathing center is preset to a low CO2 value. In order to retrain their breathing, they need to gradually reset their breathing center to higher CO2 levels. Thus, day after day, week after week and month after month, they gradually readjust their breathing center to breathing less and less air. Their CP gets higher and higher. Some days it may drop. However, week after week there is a general progress, e.g., by 2-4 s or more. For some people, especially obese, the CP can increase only by about 1 s in a week. Whatever the rate of the progress, persistence and self-discipline pay back with easier breathing.

How much time should I practice daily in order to progress with breathing?

 

Usually 1 hour of breathing exercises per day is enough. This time is divided among 2-4 or several breathing sessions, about 10-30 min long, depending on your individual plan and breathing exercises as suggested by your practitioner. If one devotes more time (e.g., 3-5 hours per day), the progress is faster and the results are often spectacular.

 

Apart from the breathing sessions, you need to be conscious to other common sense factors, like keeping your mouth closed, not overeating, not sleeping on the back, etc. Altogether, you need, at least “one hour plus”. That means 1 hour of your time for breathing sessions with some additional common-sense steps and activities of the program. People do not regret the time spent. Reduced requirements for sleep and other improvements in quality of life quickly make up for all initial investments of time and energy.

 

The Buteyko method is still changing and evolving so that people can improve their health with minimum efforts and get busy with their lives. To achieve this goal, breathing teachers share their ideas with each other.

 

Are there any age requirements?

 

As soon as people can understand and follow simple instructions, they can learn the method. According to Russian practice, that relates even to patients with the initial stages of schizophrenia. Children from 3 years old and above can also understand the method and its instructions. However, as a requirement, parents or caretakers of these children should also practice the method for better results. There are special methods for younger children (0-2 years) as well.

 

If I have achieved normal breathing and a 60 s CP, should I practice these breathing exercises for the rest of my life?

 

Above I have tried to show that high CPs were human norms centuries ago. Those people did not practice any special breathing exercises. Why did they have good breath holding abilities then? Many conditions were different, but physical exercise was probably the most important factor. Most people in the past were physically active for many hours per day. Similarly, if you have normal breathing and 4-5 hours of physical activity every day, you will be generously rewarded with excellent health and well-being. And it is not hard to exercise for them, since people with large CPs enjoy physical activity.

 

Russian practical experience shows that having 4-5 hours of daily exercise is usually enough to preserve normal breathing and a normal CP. If people cannot exercise and want to have normal breathing, then, as Russians believe, they need to continue to practice the breathing exercises on a daily basis.

 

Do all people need this large amount of physical activity?

 

Sick people need physical activity to stimulate the lymphatic system, fight inflammation, and increase metabolism. There are many other physiological reasons why we need physical activity. Shaking of the body (as during jumping or riding in train) intensifies biochemical processes. The hormonal profile can normalize. Some useful chemicals can be produced. However, physical exercise is also useful to counteract the muscular tension due to past psychological traumas, if the person cannot let them go.

 

Some people hold the past negative emotions within. They are seeking revenge and want to get even. They still not at peace with the past remembering and bringing to others anger, helplessness, guilt, resentment, alienation and hostility. Their new relationships suffer due to unresolved past traumas. Such people need more physical activity and/or breathing exercises in order to eliminate muscular tension and accumulation of negative energy. Physical activity helps to discharge the negative energy.

 

If a person can let those traumas and negative emotions go, then he/she can go on with the life while having clear minds, cheerful mood and easy breathing. Practice shows that vibrant health is possible with little physical activity.

 

How can I let them go?

 

Note that I am not talking about forgetting about those events. I also do not mean condoning or excusing the perpetrators. In fact, in some cases, it could be better for all involved sides to take legal actions against the perpetrators.

 

There is no a single side that is winning from having these negative emotions (anger, helplessness, guilt, resentment, alienation and hostility). They generate further alienation, self-destruction and hostility. Even our new relationships suffer. Many people carry this heavy burden of the past forever. Our culture particularly encourages such macho-behavior in males.

 

There are various methods and techniques that were developed by humanity in order to deal with this huge and old problem present, to a certain degree, in every human being. Virtually all sources in this area are labeled under the title “forgiveness” (or letting it go). If you are determined to forgive somebody, find books or articles. Some useful information can be found here:

www.forgivenessweb.com. You can also download for free a good book Why forgive? from www.bruderhof.com.

 

More radical and fast solution of past traumas is the New Decision Therapy developed by Kandis Blakely (USA). There are now many NDT practitioners in various countries who help to forgive others and selves.

 

Does the Buteyko method help with all diseases?

 

The Buteyko breathing method will help to improve health for anybody with symptoms of chronic hyperventilation and small CPs (e.g., 30 s or less). Excellent result are found by Western practitioners for these health problems. However, Russian doctors found that the Buteyko method is useful for many other health problems too. Here are Health conditions treated in Novosibirsk by Doctor Buteyko and his colleagues.

 

More research is needed to have a clear picture about the breathing retraining effects.

 

It is not necessary to feel or to be sick in order to learn the Buteyko method. There are many people in Russia who have learned the method for spiritual reasons.

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