This method corrects the surprisingly common condition
of hyperventilation / overbreathing which is not always
obvious. Professor Buteyko developed the concept: the
more you breathe the more disease the body will have,
the less you breathe the healthier the body.
The Buteyko Method teaches a series of breathing
exercises which allows us to breathe comfortably through
the nose, giving us symptomatic relief of our symptoms
through an increase in carbon dioxide. The degree to
which improvement occurs depends on motivation and
diligence. The Buteyko Method can easily be incorporated
into the daily activities of our lives.
Healthy Breathing work develops awareness and
understanding of your own breathing. The breathing
exercises we have developed help to relax and
co-ordinate the diaphragm with the upper chest, upper
back, neck and core muscles into normal movements. The
exercises work by stimulating the parasympathetic
nervous system so the heart rate and your breathing slow
down, enabling carbon dioxide levels to increase.
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How does the Buteyko Method
work? |
Hyperventilation is an increase in the amount of air
we breathe above the normal volume we require. The
normal volume of air required per minute at rest is 4 to
5 litres, approximately 8 to 12 breaths per minute.
Breathing is through the nose, the diaphragm performing
80% of the work of breathing. An "in" breath is 2-3
seconds and an "out" breath is 3-4 seconds with a
natural pause after each "out" breath.
When we overbreathe / hyperventilate the major systems
of the body including the respiratory, circulatory,
nervous and energy systems are effected. Our programme
teaches "normal" breathing through a range of exercises
designed to reduce the volume of air breathed per minute
through the nose with correct use of the diaphragm. The
breathing centre and the nervous system are trained to
accept more normal levels of CO2. Teaching how the
diaphragm works and its relationship to the working of
the heart and lungs.
By learning to improve lip tone - poor lip tone is
associated with poor posture which in turn may lead to
poor breathing habits. How to clear the nose and breathe
through the nose comfortably with the mouth closed.
Learning awareness of how posture in whatever activity
effects our ability to breathe comfortably. Efficient
posture allows ease of movement which in turn allows
comfortable breathing.
Different types of physical exercise can be used to
retrain the body's response to increased CO2 as long as
breathing continues through the nose. The level of
exertion is built up in relation to the ease of nose
breathing to prevent hyperventilation. Excessive
exercise is a major cause of hyperventilation.
Motivation and compliance is important in achieving
healthy breathing.
The Healthy Breathing work has been developed over the
last 10 years after many hours of research and practice
into how muscles co-ordinate and interact when
breathing.
The Healthy Breathing work develops awareness and
understanding of your own breathing. The Healthy
Breathing exercises help to relax and co-ordinate the
diaphragm, upper chest and back muscles, the neck and
core muscles into normal movement by stimulating the
parasympathetic nervous system. Breathing reduces and
softens, carbon dioxide levels increase and symptoms are
relieved.
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