Asthma is a stubborn, chronic health condition affecting the lungs that can be difficult to manage on your own. I know that asthma can make day to day living difficult and it often prevents a person from fulfilling their full potential. Because prescription medications do not always address the full spectrum of symptoms that a person with asthma might experience from day to day, lifestyle habits such as those outlined in the Buteyko Technique can be adopted. It is also advisable to purchase a high quality air purifier. The Buteyko Technique is a breathing practice intended to help reduce the symptoms of asthma. Through focused nostril breathing, reduced breathing, relaxation, and other practical skills, Buteyko helps people take control over their asthma symptoms – instead of the other way around.
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1. Begin the practice the techniques when you are asymptomatic (not experiencing any symptoms)
The Buteyko Technique is intended to help you manage your asthma symptoms by training you to breathe in a different manner. You should practice these techniques when you are not currently experiencing any asthma symptoms. Your body will gradually become accustomed to this new manner of breathing and you will have greater control over the hyperventilation and breathlessness that accompanies many asthma attacks. All you need is a stopwatch.
Begin your practice session by sitting comfortably in a straightbacked chair. Hold the stopwatch in your hand and start breathing smoothly and steadily. At the end of the exhalation halt your breath cycle and start the stopwatch. Hold the exhalation until you begin to feel a slight discomfort; stop the stopwatch and resume breathing. Take note of the length of time you were able to hold the exhalation; aim to repeat that duration at the end of each exhalation.
2. Make practice a long term discipline
Now that you have your baseline number recorded, use your practice time to gradually extend the length of time that you hold your breath after exhalation. You do not need to strive for an excessively long length of time. The goal is not to simply to extend your ability to hold your breath; rather, you are practicing control over your natural breath cycle.
Dr. Buteyko believed that this slow, reduced breathing would help limit the amount of carbon dioxide present inside your lungs and blood. With less carbon dioxide would come fewer symptoms and a decrease in symptom intensity. However, these benefits will not have the opportunity to develop unless you make an effort to practice repeatedly over a long period of time.
3. Learn the daily life skills and put them into practice
The Buteyko Technique works best when it is integrated into your daily life. To that end there are several little habits that you should cultivate. These include:
These life skills have the potential to make your daily asthma symptoms less severe; they can also help you sleep better at night. Many asthma sufferers experience pronounced symptoms at night which can result in disturbed sleep and even asthma attacks. The skills that you make part of your waking life will become second nature to your body; you will unconsciously continue them even in your sleep. This way your asthma relief can continue around the clock.
All the daily life skills will take some time to learn and will require repeated efforts to turn into automatic responses. Learning all these skills and the proper way to put them into practice can be challenging, especially for people who have never encountered them before. Practitioners of the Buteyko Technique organize formal and informal learning sessions to share this valuable information with people looking to learn more about asthma symptom management.
4. Learn the Technique from a Buteyko instructor
While it is important to put in the personal time necessary to master the Buteyko Technique, the learning process can be made considerably easier by taking a class taught by an authorized Buteyko instructor. Of all the tips here, this one is the one I most strongly recommend to people interested in learning the Buteyko Technique. Instructors are experienced in all levels of Buteyko practice and have personally experienced the benefits of that come from making these techniques part of their daily lives.
You can find a Buteyko instructor through breathing and lung health centers, asthma treatment clinics, alternative and naturopathic treatment centers, natural health centers, and other similar locations. You can also check on the Internet for listings of Buteyko instructors offering classes in your area. There are also several helpful DVDs produced by authorized instructors; you can order them online and have them shipped to your door. Watching these DVDs will help you master the techniques in the comfort of your own home; you can rewatch them anytime you have questions or concerns about your personal breathing techniques.
5. Never give up!
Making any kind of positive lifestyle change can be difficult. Learning Buteyko, or any other health technique, can feel frustrating when you are first getting started. It is possible to manage your asthma symptoms through lifestyle changes and the Buteyko Technique can help you get started. Nostril breathing, reduced breathing, and relaxation are the three key elements of Buteyko and none of them are going to come automatically. Dedicated practice, repeated effort, implementing the life skills, and learning from an experienced instructor are four ways that asthma sufferers can begin to experience the benefits of Buteyko but only if you do not give up.
I strongly encourage anyone suffering from asthma, hay fever, anxiety, and other breath-related problems to give the Buteyko Technique a try. It requires only a minimum investment in instructional material and can be practiced without any fancy gear or expensive tools; you do not need prescription drugs or herbal remedies to try these techniques. You can study at your own pace and find out for yourself how the Buteyko Technique can improve your life and your particular symptoms.