1
Measure Breathing Volume – Your Control Pause
To measure the extent of your breathing volume, a very simple breath hold test called the Control Pause (CP) is used.
The Control Pause will provide feedback on your symptoms and, more importantly, your progress. Your CP measures
the length of time that you can comfortably hold your breath.
For this you will need a watch or clock with a second hand.
1. Take a small silent breath in and a small silent breath out.
2. Hold your nose with your fingers to prevent air entering into your lungs.
3. Count how many seconds until you feel the first signs of an air hunger. You may also feel your diaphragm
involuntarily “jerking” or pushing downwards at about the same time.
2
4. Release your nose and breathe in through it. Your inhalation after the breath hold should be no larger than
your breath prior to taking the measurement. It should be calm and quiet. If your breath in is disrupted, then
you have held for too long and so have an inaccurate CP.
 You will feel better each time your CP increases by 5 seconds.
 If your CP does not change, you will not feel better.
 Your CP should increase by 3 - 4 seconds each week during the first few weeks. It may then remain at twenty
seconds for a couple of months before increasing again.
 The most accurate CP is taken first thing after waking. You cannot influence your breathing during sleep. As a
result, this CP is the most accurate as it is based on your breathing volume as set by the respiratory centre.
 Your CP as taken throughout the day will provide feedback of your asthma at that time.
 Your goal is to have morning CP of 40 seconds for 6 months.
3
Exercise 1: Unblock the Nose
The following Exercise is very effective for decongesting your nose in just a few minutes;
 Sit up straight.
 Take a small breath in through your nose, if possible, and a small breath out. If your nose is quite blocked,
take a tiny breath in through the corner of your mouth.
 Pinch your nose with your fingers and hold your breath. Keep your mouth closed.
 Gently nod your head or sway your body until you feel that you cannot hold your breath any longer. (Hold
your nose until you feel a strong desire to breathe.)
4
 When you need to breathe in, let go of your nose and breathe gently through it, in and out, with your mouth
closed.
 Calm your breathing as soon as possible. Wait one minute or so, and repeat for five or six times.
5
Exercise 2: Reduced Breathing
6
Exercise 2: Reduced Breathing- Hands on chest and above navel
1. Place your hands on your chest and tummy. Follow your breath. Become aware of your breathing.
2. Concentrate on your breathing.
3. Apply gentle pressure with your hands against your chest and tummy to create some resistance to your breathing. Allow
your hands to do the work. (this takes away the need to restrict breathing by tensing the tummy muscles) Also, using your
thoughts, encourage your breathing movements to slow down and reduce by about 30- 40%. Reduce the speed of the breath
as it enters your nostrils. Also, bring a feeling of relaxation to your chest and stomach.
4. As your body relaxes, breathing volume will automatically reduce.
5. Make the breath in smaller. With relaxation, take 80% of the in breath. The breath in should be shorter than what you feel
you need.
6. Allow a relaxed breath out. The breath out should not be fast.
7. Slow down breathing. Reduce breathing volume to create a need for air.
8. Do not consciously interfere with your breathing
9. Do not deliberately tense your chest or tummy to restrict your breathing movements.
10. Do not put the brakes to your breathing.
11. Normal to feel a little discomfort.
12. If breathing becomes jerky/diaphragm spasms- then air shortage is too much.
 The need for air should be no greater than at the end of the control pause.
 Achieve an air shortage where you are on the verge of disrupting your breathing rhythm but try not to go beyond it.
 It is a fine line. With practise, it is easier to maintain a tolerable air shortage.
7
Exercise 2: Reduced Breathing- Blocking one nostril using paper tape
This exercise is fantastically simple and allows you to improve your breathing volume without having to take time out of
your day to practise an exercise.
It’s normal to find that at any one time, night or day, one nostril tends to be more blocked than the other. You can check
which nostril is blocked by simply closing one side of your nose with your finger and gently breathing through the other.
Then do the same with the other side. When you have determined which nostril is the freer nostril, place a small piece of
paper tape (3M one inch or similar) across it. Before placing the tape across one nostril, it is advisable to remove some of
the stickiness from the tape by laying it across your hand a couple of times. It also helps to fold a tab on one side to make
removal easier.
By blocking the nostril that is least congested, you will need to breathe through the more congested nostril, thus creating a
small resistance to your breathing. The wonderful thing about taping the nostril is that you can practise reduced breathing
without even having to think about it – perfect for when you’re busy with other activities, sitting at the computer, watching
TV, or relaxing at home. Of course, you may not feel confident enough to try this one at work if you don’t want to bring
attention to yourself as ‘that man/woman with the tape on their nose…’
8
Blocking one nostril has been a practice of original Eastern Pranayama yoga for centuries. Pranayama is derived from two
words in Sanskrit: ‘prana’, which means life force, or the breath, and ‘ayama’, which refers to drawing out or suspending
the breath.
The essentials of original pranayama include:
1. Slowing down the breath by exhaling a gentle and prolonged breath
2. Practising abdominal breathing
3. Creating a resistance to breathing during inhalation both and exhalation
The similarities between the Buteyko Method and original pranayama are striking – the aim of both practices is to breathe
less air into the body. Compare these methods to the breathing practises often espoused in Western yoga, where ‘big
breathing’ is often encouraged. For some reason, either due to misinterpretation or lost translation, it seems that some of the
breathing exercises practised in Western yoga are in fact the complete opposite of what was originally intended.
In yoga theory there is a direct link between which side of the nose we breathe through and our physic state. It is said that
breathing through the left nostril helps to calm and relax the body and mind, whereas breathing through the right is exciting
and enervating.
9
For most people, the constriction of their nostrils switches throughout the day to provide a balance to the challenges of daily
life, but for some – who may have nasal obstruction or respiratory problems – one nostril may be blocked more often than
the other. Wearing paper tape over the predominantly unblocked nostril can help to instigate freer nasal breathing, helping
to reduce breathing volume and even change your psychological state. If you find that you constantly breathe through your
right nostril due to obstruction of the left, it would be an excellent practice to tape the right nostril for periods of ten to
twenty minutes every hour or two. Not only will the reduce breathing improve blood flow, but you may find it also induces
a more relaxed emotional state.
Exercise 2: Reduced Breathing- Hands Cupped
This exercise involves cupping your hands together and placing them over your nose to concentrate on reducing breathing
volume. Cupping your hands serves two purposes. Firstly, the inside of your hands are very sensitive and provide an
excellent barometer of the amount of air that you are breathing. As you breathe into your hands you will feel the warm air
accumulate within your palms – the more air you breathe, the greater the warmth inside your hands. Secondly, breathing
10
10
into your hands allows carbon dioxide to accumulate, which you then re-breathe back into the lungs, increasing CO2 levels
in the blood.
This exercise is very straightforward and helps to reduce your breathing volume while enabling you to pay close attention to
the breath. Find a comfortable, quiet place to sit and practise this exercise, and follow the instructions below:
 Cup your hands around your nose, close your mouth, and breathe calmly in and out through your nose.
 Focus on the amount of air you breathe as it enters and leaves your nostrils. Focus on a small area just inside the
nostril. Feel the air as it enters your nose. Feel the air as it leaves your nose.
 Concentrate on slowing down the speed of the air as it enters the nostrils.
 Concentrate on slowing down the speed of the air as it leaves the nostrils.
 The objective is to slow breathing down to the point where you feel a tolerable need for air. If the need for air is too
much, or if you feel a little panicky or stressed, then take a slightly larger breath or take a rest from the exercise for
half a minute or so.
 Continue the exercise for three to five minutes. Take a break for about one minute and repeat again.
11
11
Exercise 2: Reduced Breathing- Relaxation
This exercise is ideally suited to beginners, or for anyone who suffers from high blood pressure, obstructive sleep apnoea,
anxiety, or panic attacks. The objective is to bring a feeling of relaxation to the body, slowly conditioning the body to
breathe a lower volume of air. This primary goal of this exercise is to assist with body relaxation, which naturally reduces
breathing volume. You should not feel a hunger for air while you practise, but your breathing should gradually become
calmer and quieter.
Sit up straight with your bottom and lower back fitting snug against the back of the chair. Sitting with correct posture
enables better functioning of the breathing muscles. Imagine a string of thread gently holding you up from the top of the
back of your head, and the space between your lower ribs widening as you straighten your upper body.
With your mouth closed, jaw relaxed, and while breathing gently through your nose, begin to bring a feeling of relaxation to
your body. Allow your body to relax and hold your attention on each part of the body for ten to fifteen seconds while
imagining and feeling your muscles relaxing. Begin with your feet, breathing away tension and repeating the following
words quietly in your mind as you move slowly up your body, relaxing each part in turn:
12
12
My feet are relaxed, my ankles are relaxed, my calves are relaxed, my thighs are relaxed, my legs are relaxed, my pelvis is
relaxed, my abdominal muscles are relaxed, my chest is relaxed, my shoulders are relaxed, my neck is relaxed, my face is
relaxed, my jaws are relaxed, the muscles around my eyes are relaxed, the top of my head is relaxed, the back of my head is
relaxed…
Let every muscle in your body relax, including the muscles of your head, face and neck, as you bring your attention to your
breathing. Observe the breath and follow the breath – there is no need to think about the breath. Simply observe the pattern
of your breathing and don’t try to make any changes to it. As you listen to your breathing, count quietly in your mind and
encourage your body to relax even further:
One, two – relax deeper, deeper, and deeper.
Three, four, five – deeper still, deeper still, and deeper still.
Six, seven – by now your eyes should feel like shutting if you haven’t already closed them. If they are still open, allow them
to close now and focus completely on the breath.
Eight, nine, ten – deeper and deeper still. Now, with your eyes closed, imagine that you are going on a holiday, all expenses
paid, to a part of the world where you are immeasurably happy. Imagine yourself enjoying your favourite relaxing activity:
playing golf, swimming in the sea, lying on the beach, or taking a gentle walk through the countryside.
13
13
As you relax further and further, broaden your imagination to create idyllic surroundings which take up the full focus of
your mind. Take, for example, the walk down a country lane:
As you walk leisurely along the country path, you see in the distance a garden, full of beautiful coloured plants and trees
and shrubs. As you approach the garden each step takes you closer and closer to this magnificent view. A sudden turn in the
path brings you right into the garden, and you are taken aback by the beauty of the sights all around. The sun is shining,
white clouds are floating across the blue sky, the green foliage of the trees overhead matches the lush green grass beneath
your feet, and yellow, red and blue flowers fill your surroundings. You can hear birds singing in the trees and feel the
warmth of the sun, and right at this moment life is wonderful. As you walk around the garden, the flowers bloom around
you and everything grows in such abundance that you feel as if you are in a dream state.
As you continue to visualise your dream holiday in your dream location with your dream people, continuously bring a
feeling of relaxation to your body. Disperse your attention from your head throughout the body, imagining and feeling every
part of you relaxing even more.
Expect your mind to wander from time to time during this exercise. When it does, simply bring your attention back to your
visualisation or inner body sensations, and continue to enjoy the feeling of relaxation. Use whichever technique works best
for you. Some people will find it easier to hold their attention on relaxing different parts of their body one by one, while
others will prefer to go on a mental journey to an idyllic place. To evoke even deeper inner relaxation, direct your eyes
14
14
upwards without raising your head and gently let them close. This will allow you to bring your attention inwards, to
concentrate better, and to relax completely.
Today’s busy world is constantly clamouring for our attention, and it is so important to take the time to allow our bodies
and minds to relax. This relaxation time is an opportunity for you to connect with your body and to give it the attention it
deserves, as well as gently training yourself to breathe in a relaxed manner.
Exercise 3: Walk with your mouth closed to create a need for air
This involves walking at a pace whereby you feel a need for air, but not too much that you need to open your mouth. To
achieve a tolerable shortage, block one nostril with finger to restrict air intake.
15
15
Exercise 4: Holding breath during walking
a) Walking with small air shortage
b) Walking with medium to strong air shortage
Exercise 5) Steps (suitable for children and adults with no other condition than mild/moderate asthma)
Exhale through nose. Pinch nose with fingers to hold the breath. Walk as many steps as possible while holding your
breath. When you feel a medium to strong need for air, walk faster or even run to hold your breath for a few more steps.
let go of nose and resume breathing. Continue walking for a few paces and calm breathing as soon as possible.
16
16
Exercise 6) How to stop wheezing and coughing attack
Take a small breath in and allow a small breath out. Pinch nose with fingers to hold the breath for 2 to 5 seconds. Let go
of nose and resume breathing. Breathe normally for ten to fifteen seconds. Repeat small breath hold followed by normal
breathing. Continue until symptoms have passed. If you are having a severe attack or cannot stop your symptoms within
ten minutes, take your rescue medication.
Exercise 7: Relaxation- Listen to Buteyko CD by Patrick McKeown
If wheezing, coughing or hyperventilating, do many small breath holds.
If heart rate remains elevated ten minutes after doing steps exercise, then stop doing the exercise.
17
Most accurate CP is first thing in the morning.