Buteyko Breathing Exercises |

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Buteyko breathing exercises are part of a system developed by Dr. Konstatin Buteyko, a Russian physician. Different breathing exercises are used to treat illness from asthma to allergies. Dr. Buteyko believed that commonly prescribed treatments for these conditions that encouraged or aided sufferers to take in more oxygen through over-breathing actually made conditions worse. Buteyko exercises involve shallow breathing.

Checking the Pulse Exercise

The checking your pulse exercise ascertains your heart rate and if it is in a healthy zone. You begin by taking your pulse using your index and middle fingers on the inside of your wrist. Count the number of beats in one minute. A score of 70 beats per minute or less is ideal, but 80 is acceptable too. You then take one or two normal breaths in and out through your nose. Next, hold your breath for as long as you can. The goal is to eventually do 60 seconds. Follow this with shallow breathing through your nose for three to five minutes. Place your hand over your mouth if that helps to remind you not to breath through your mouth. Instead, take short and measured breaths through your nose. Shallow breathing may not be deep like many breathing exercises, but you should still feel your diaphragm move as you breathe into your belly, not your chest. Take one to two normal breaths again and then hold your breath, which is called the Control Pause. Repeat the shallow breathing and Control Pause three more times and then take your pulse again.

Nose Clearing Exercise

An important component of the Buteyko Method is breathing through your nose. Mouth breathing is never encouraged. Since the exercises are used to treat allergies and stuffy noses, the nose clearing exercise is done to clear the nasal passages so air can get through. All you have to do is breathe in through your nose, out through your nose, and then pinch your nostrils together and move your head up and down or from side to side.

Exercise for Stress

The Buteyko Method for breathing may also be used to combat stress. A stress-reducing exercise begins by taking your pulse. Then, perform a Control Pause by holding your breath as long as you can after taking one to two normal breaths through your nose. Take shallow breaths for five seconds followed by a Control Pause. Now, take shallow breaths for 10 seconds. Perform another Control Pause. Repeat the shallow breathing for two to three minutes. Remember to breathe only through your nose throughout the exercise, doing the nose clearing exercise if necessary. Shallow breathing requires only short, light breaths to be taken through the nose.

Exercises