The Breathing Technique That Saved My Life

Summary

This video introduces the Buteyko breathing method, which the speaker claims has dramatically improved their health, including curing insomnia and panic attacks. Developed by Dr. Konstantin Buteyko in the 1950s, the method involves breathing less air to increase carbon dioxide levels, improving blood flow and oxygen release. The speaker guides viewers through a five-minute exercise to experience the benefits, suggesting daily practice for long-term respiratory and mental health improvements.

Takeaways

• 😇 The Buteyko breathing method has had a profound positive impact on the speaker's life, helping to cure insomnia, panic attacks, and restoring mental clarity and energy.
• 🌟 The Buteyko breathing technique is not widely known but offers significant health benefits by advocating for less air intake rather than more, contrary to common advice.
• 👨‍⚕️ Dr. Konstantin Buteyko, a Ukrainian medical doctor from the 1950s, discovered the method after observing that sick patients breathed more heavily and quickly, correlating poor breathing with illness.
• 🤔 Dr. Buteyko hypothesized that heavy breathing could be a cause of illness rather than a symptom, which he tested by breathing less and experiencing a reduction in his own symptoms.
• 🌱 Buteyko's research showed that over 150 illnesses could be linked to over-breathing, and by reducing air intake, symptoms could be alleviated or even cured.
• 🤔 The concept challenges the traditional belief of taking bigger breaths for more oxygen, suggesting that slightly less air intake can be more beneficial due to the Bohr effect.
• 🔬 The Bohr effect explains that a higher level of carbon dioxide in the blood improves blood flow and oxygen release into the body's cells, which is promoted by breathing less.
• 🧘 The speaker guides the audience through a Buteyko breathing exercise, emphasizing a relaxed posture, closed mouth, and quiet, gentle breathing through the nose.
• 🚫 The exercise cautions against creating too strong of an air hunger, aiming for a gentle balance that avoids stress or tension.
• 🔄 Practicing Buteyko breathing regularly can reset the breathing center in the brain, leading to calmer, easier breathing throughout the day.
• 💪 The speaker offers further resources, including guided exercises and courses for those interested in improving their breathing with the Buteyko method.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video?

The video focuses on teaching the Buteyko breathing method, which the speaker claims has significantly improved their health and quality of life.

What health issues does the speaker claim to have overcome using the Buteyko breathing method?

The speaker claims to have overcome insomnia, panic attacks, and has regained mental clarity and energy through the Buteyko breathing method.

What is unique about the Buteyko breathing method compared to other breathing techniques?

The Buteyko breathing method is unique in that it involves breathing less air, as opposed to the common approach of breathing more air to increase oxygen intake.

Who discovered the Buteyko breathing method?

The Buteyko breathing method was discovered by a Ukrainian medical doctor named Dr. Konstantin Buteyko in the 1950s.

What observation led Dr. Buteyko to hypothesize that heavy breathing might be a cause of illness rather than a result?

Dr. Buteyko noticed that sick patients tended to breathe more heavily and quickly, and their breathing worsened as they approached death. Additionally, patients with asthma and high blood pressure became unwell during heavy breathing exercises.

What health condition did Dr. Buteyko himself suffer from, and how did he experiment to alleviate his symptoms?

Dr. Buteyko suffered from a malignant form of hypertension. He experimented by taking slightly smaller breaths and breathing less air, which led to a reduction in his symptoms.

What were the observed results when Dr. Buteyko worked with asthma patients, teaching them to reduce the size of their breaths?

The results were remarkable, with some patients reducing their symptoms within minutes. Over time, their overall symptoms began to subside, and some patients who had been sick for years were cured.

How many different illnesses were found to potentially be caused by over-breathing, according to Buteyko's research?

Buteyko and his team found that over 150 different illnesses could potentially be caused by over-breathing.

What is the Bohr effect, and how does it relate to the Buteyko breathing method?

The Bohr effect refers to the phenomenon where increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the blood improves blood flow and the release of oxygen into the body's cells. The Buteyko breathing method leverages this effect by encouraging slightly less air intake, thus increasing carbon dioxide levels.

What is the recommended initial duration for practicing the Buteyko breathing exercise as guided in the video?

The speaker guides the viewers through a five-minute exercise to experience the Buteyko breathing method.

How can one continue practicing the Buteyko breathing method after watching the video?

The speaker suggests doing sets of Buteyko breathing, with four rounds of four minutes each, with breaks in between. They also offer one-to-one sessions and courses for further assistance.

Outlines

00:00

🌿 Introduction to Buteyko Breathing Method

The speaker introduces the Buteyko breathing method, which they claim has dramatically improved their health, including curing insomnia, panic attacks, and restoring mental clarity and energy. This method, less known and contrary to common advice, advocates for reduced air intake rather than increased. It was developed by Dr. Konstantin Buteyko, who observed that sick patients breathed more heavily and hypothesized that over-breathing could be causing illness. Dr. Buteyko's self-experimentation with reduced breathing led to improvements in his own severe hypertension, and he found similar positive results when applying this method to his patients, especially those with asthma. The method is said to be effective for over 150 illnesses caused by over-breathing, and the speaker aims to guide viewers through the exercise to experience its benefits firsthand.

05:02

🧘‍♂️ Practicing the Buteyko Breathing Exercise

The speaker provides a step-by-step guide on how to perform the Buteyko breathing exercise, starting with a proper posture and a relaxed body. They instruct to breathe quietly through the nose, creating a gentle sensation of air shortage without causing stress or discomfort. The goal is to find a balance where the out breath is slightly slower than the in breath, maintaining a soft and quiet flow of air. The exercise is meant to increase carbon dioxide levels in the blood, which enhances oxygen release and improves blood flow. With regular practice, the breathing pattern can become slower and gentler, leading to a calmer state and easier breathing throughout the day. The speaker suggests doing sets of four minutes with breaks in between and encourages viewers to engage with the content by asking questions or trying other guided exercises linked in the description. They also offer one-on-one help and courses for those interested in further learning about Buteyko breathing.

Keywords

💡Breathing Method

The term 'Breathing Method' refers to a specific technique or practice aimed at controlling the way one breathes. In the context of the video, it is the Buteyko breathing method, which is presented as life-changing for the speaker, helping to cure insomnia, panic attacks, and restoring mental clarity and energy. The method is unique in that it involves breathing less air rather than more, which is contrary to common advice.

💡Insomnia

Insomnia is a sleep disorder characterized by difficulty in falling asleep, staying asleep, or both. The video script mentions that the Buteyko breathing method has helped the speaker overcome insomnia, indicating that proper breathing techniques can have a positive impact on sleep quality.

💡Panic Attacks

Panic attacks are sudden episodes of intense fear that trigger severe physical reactions when there is no real danger or apparent cause. The script highlights that the breathing method has been beneficial in managing the speaker's panic attacks, suggesting a connection between breathing patterns and emotional stability.

💡Mental Clarity

Mental clarity refers to the state of having a clear, sharp, and focused mind. The video emphasizes that the Buteyko breathing method has given back the speaker's mental clarity, implying that breathing exercises can enhance cognitive function and reduce mental fog.

💡Buteyko Breathing

Buteyko Breathing is a technique named after Dr. Konstantin Buteyko, who hypothesized that over-breathing could be a cause of various health issues. The method involves reducing the volume of air inhaled, which is central to the video's theme of using this technique for health improvement.

💡Konstantin Buteyko

Dr. Konstantin Buteyko was a Ukrainian medical doctor who discovered the breathing method that bears his name. His observations of patients' breathing patterns led to the development of the Buteyko method, which the video script discusses as a revolutionary approach to health.

💡Asthma

Asthma is a chronic disease of the airways that transport air to and from the lungs. In the script, Dr. Buteyko's work with asthma patients is highlighted, showing that the Buteyko breathing method had immediate and long-term positive effects on their symptoms.

💡Hypertension

Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a condition where the force of the blood against the artery walls is consistently too high. The video mentions that Dr. Buteyko himself suffered from a malignant form of hypertension and found relief through his breathing method.

💡Bohr Effect

The Bohr Effect is a principle in physiology that describes how changes in the levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the blood affect the oxygen-carrying capacity of hemoglobin. The script explains that the Buteyko method increases CO2 levels, which can improve blood flow and oxygen release to the body's cells.

💡Medulla Oblongata

The medulla oblongata is a part of the brainstem that plays a crucial role in controlling autonomic functions, including breathing. The video script suggests that practicing the Buteyko breathing method can reset this part of the brain, leading to a more efficient and natural breathing pattern.

💡Breathing Exercises

Breathing exercises are practices that involve conscious control of the breath to achieve specific health benefits. The video provides a guided exercise for the Buteyko method, illustrating how to perform the technique and the sensations one might experience, such as a gentle air hunger.

Highlights

Introduction to Buteyko breathing method and its life-changing benefits for the speaker.

Buteyko breathing method involves breathing less air, contrary to common approaches.

Dr. Konstantin Buteyko's discovery of the correlation between heavy breathing and illness.

Dr. Buteyko's hypothesis that heavy breathing could be a cause of illness.

Personal experiment by Dr. Buteyko leading to a reduction in his own symptoms.

Buteyko's work with asthma patients showing immediate symptom reduction.

Long-term benefits of Buteyko breathing exercises leading to the cure of chronic conditions.

Buteyko method's effectiveness in over 150 different illnesses linked to over-breathing.

The Bohr effect and its role in explaining the benefits of reduced breathing.

A guided exercise to experience the Buteyko breathing method.

Instructions for proper posture and hand placement during the breathing exercise.

Technique to create a gentle air hunger sensation as part of the breathing exercise.

Importance of maintaining a balance to avoid stress or discomfort during the exercise.

The physiological effects of breathing less air, including improved oxygen release and airway opening.

Advice on daily practice and the potential for long-term breathing pattern changes.

Encouragement to listen to the body's feedback during the breathing exercise.

Suggestion to practice in sets and the offer of further resources for Buteyko breathing.

Invitation for questions, comments, and the offer of one-to-one sessions and courses.

Transcripts

In this video, I'm going to teach you the breathing method that

has literally saved my life.

It's helped me to cure my insomnia, my panic attacks, and it's given me

back my mental clarity and my energy.

So much so that I've decided to dedicate my life to teaching it and to spreading

knowledge about Buteyko breathing.

Now this breathing method isn't that well known.

It's surprising because of the health benefits, but on the other hand,

it's quite unique in that rather than breathing more air, we breathe less air.

And that's quite different to a lot of the breathing approaches you'll

find out there on the internet.

So where does this idea of breathing less air come from?

Well it was discovered by a Ukrainian medical doctor in the 50s called Dr.

Konstantin Buteyko.

When he was doing his rounds around the hospital, he noticed that the

sick patients tended to breathe more heavily and more quickly.

And the closer they were to death, the worse their breathing became.

It became more and more visible and faster.

But what was more interesting is that when he was involved in doing some

breathing assessments with patients who'd come in with asthma and high blood

pressure, When they were asked to do these breathing exercises as part of the

examination, they often became unwell.

They started to feel more out of breath, they started to

feel faint, they went pale.

So Dr.

Buteyko had this simple theory.

What if heavy breathing wasn't a result of illness?

What if it was the cause?

What if breathing more air was making all of these people sick?

Now Buteyko himself was suffering from illness.

He had a malignant form of hypertension, high blood pressure.

And so he started to experiment on himself.

He would take slightly smaller breaths, he would breathe less air,

and to his surprise he started to notice a reduction in his symptoms.

His headache reduced, some of the pain in his body began to subside.

And so with the consent of his patients in the hospital, especially the asthma

patients, he started working with them and showing them how to reduce the size

of their breathing to breathe less air.

And the results were magical.

Some of the patients would reduce their symptoms within a few minutes.

These were patients who'd been sick for years.

They might have been in the hospital bedridden for months.

And then what was even more exciting is, as the patients continued to

do these breathing exercises over the days and the weeks, their

overall symptoms began to subside.

Again, patients who'd been sick for years were miraculously cured by

this particular breathing approach.

Now of course, Buteyko doesn't work for all illnesses, it doesn't work

for everything, But Buteyko and his team continued their research.

And they found that there were over 150 different illnesses that

could be caused by over breathing.

And by breathing less, they could significantly reduce the symptoms

of, or even cure, these illnesses.

Now all of this might seem a little bit strange to you.

You've probably been taught to take bigger breaths to get in more oxygen.

But actually, we now know that that doesn't work.

Because of something called the Bohr effect, it's actually more

effective to breathe slightly less air than we would normally do.

This increases levels of carbon dioxide in the blood, and this both

improves blood flow and the release of oxygen into the cells of your body.

I'll put some links in the description to the science, because I appreciate

that you might be sceptical.

What I'd like to do now is guide you through the exercise for five minutes

so that you can experience it for yourself, and then hopefully that

will convince you a little bit more.

So getting yourself set up in a nice upright posture, you can do it sitting

on a chair, on a meditation cushion, or even standing like I'm doing now.

Imagining there's a piece of thread attached to the top of your head,

it's just creating some length in your spine, just feeling some space open up.

around your ribs and your diaphragm.

The mouth is closed.

You can have your eyes open or closed.

If you have your eyes open, just having a soft open gaze.

You might find it helpful to bring the palms of your hands onto your body.

One hand just above your navel and one on your chest.

And then just letting your shoulders drop down.

The mouth is closed and we're just breathing gently and

quietly through the nose.

So no big breaths.

And then on each out breath, just allowing your body to relax.

So relaxing your jaw.

And then your shoulders drop down away from your ears.

Allowing all the muscles in your chest to relax.

And allowing your belly to relax.

So belly.

Soft like jelly.

So this is level one, just relaxing the muscles in your body will cause you to

breathe less, that's the most gentle way.

But what we're really looking to do is create a feeling of a shortage

of air, a gentle air hunger.

So if you don't already feel that, just begin to soften and slow

your breathing a little bit more.

So make your breathing maybe Just 10 percent slower, 10 percent

lighter than you would normally do.

Just until you start to feel a gentle shortage of air.

Don't let it get too strong.

You want to feel like, say if you're out for a brisk walk, you're walking up

a little bit of a hill, but you don't want it so strong that your heart is

racing or your diaphragm is twitching.

So just finding a gentle balance.

So the in breath is just a little bit slower and softer than normal,

and then it's a gentle, relaxed, slightly slower out breath as well.

So the out breath, a little bit slower than the in breath.

Your breathing should be quiet, you shouldn't be able to hear it, so

just softening it so it's quieter.

If you put your finger underneath the tip of your nose, just softening the flow

of air so that you can hardly feel it.

If the air hunger feels too strong, if you start to tense up or feel stressed,

just take a little break for 30 seconds.

So there's a bit of a knack to this, it takes a little bit of practice.

So we're just aiming to breathe a little bit less air than what you normally do.

As you breathe less, carbon dioxide pools in the blood, pools in the

body, enhances oxygen release, it opens up the airways, and over time it

starts to reset the breathing centre in the brain, the medulla oblongata.

If you keep doing the breathing exercise day after day, Then your 24 7

breathing becomes slower and gentler.

Imagine what that would feel like, feeling calmer, having easier breathing 24 7.

So we'll just go for another 30 seconds, just breathing slightly

softer, slightly slower than normal.

Listen to your body for feedback, if you feel more saliva in your

mouth, If you feel calmer or warmer, these are all really good signs

if you have more mental clarity.

But if it feels really stressful, if it feels really tense, then just

relaxing the body, maybe taking a break.

Okay then, let's take a break.

So how was that?

What was that like?

It feels strange, doesn't it?

Breathing less air, feeling like you don't have quite enough air,

but maybe you notice some of the positive benefits as well.

Now normally we do sets of Buteyko breathing where we'll

do four rounds of four minutes with little breaks in between.

So if you like you could even rewind four minutes, I'll put a time code on the

screen to the start of the exercise and just try that again and keep practicing.

Feel free to drop me questions or comments in the comment section below.

I'll also put some links up on the screen to some other

guided breathe light exercises.

If you found the one that we did today too strong there's a gentler

version here or there's a similar version to what we did here.

Thank you so much for listening, please hit the like button and subscribe to

spread the word about Buteyko breathing.

If you need any help with your breathing I offer one to ones and courses, check

out the website in the description.

Thank you so much for listening and I wish you all the best.