Learning Guide of Exercises for Trainees

Nose clearing exercise

Uses of:
1. to clear the nose so one can easily breathe through it.

Seated.
Breathe in and out normally through you nose. Pinch your nose at the end of the exhale, hold
your breath and nod your head until you feel uncomfortable. Release your nose and gently
breathe through it.

















Walking.
Uses of:
1. For those with neck problems and cannot nod their head without discomfort.
2. For stubbornly blocked nose.

Breathe in and out normally through you nose. Pinch your nose at the end of the exhale, hold
your breath and walk briskly until you feel uncomfortable. Release your nose and gently
breathe through it as you keep walking. Repeat as needed until you can easily nose breathe
constantly.












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Control Pause
Uses of:
1. Combined with taking ones pulse, the CP measures ones basic breathing health and
general health, if taken first thing in the morning.
2. To measure whether or not Reduced Breathing is being done correctly.
3. Combined with the pulse to measure if one has a food sensitivity or is hyperventilating
while asleep.
4. Combined with Reduced Breathing, one can overcome asthma attacks
5. To overcome hyperventilation-related symptoms

As the brain adapts to different pressure of PaCO2 (due to doing Buteyko breathing) as the
trigger point for initiating the next breath, so also will the Control Pause change. If breathing is
changed for 2 minutes, then the carbon dioxide receptors in the brain will adapt to this
different pressure. (Guyton)

Breathe in and out normally. Pinch your nose at the end of the exhale. Do not try to empty the
lungs. Hold your breath until the first sign of discomfort, release your nose and gently breathe
through it. DO NOT OPEN YOUR MOUTH. The CP should not disrupt the breathing pattern
at all.








Mini Pause
Uses of:
1. To compensate for hyperventilation behaviour such as coughing, sneezing, yawning,
sighing, laughing, crying
2. To suppress a sneeze
3. To boost the immune system
4. To reduce a histamine reaction to an insect bite or sudden inflammation
5. To clear the nose
6. To support the body in fighting off a cold or flu
7. To eliminate post-nasal drip

Breathe in and out normally. Pinch your nose at the end of the exhale. Do not try to empty the
lungs. Hold your breath for 3 - 5 counts. Release your nose and gently breathe through it. DO
NOT OPEN YOUR MOUTH. If in public, one can hold ones breath without pinching the nose.
Note: if doing the Mini Pause for a cold or histamine reaction, do 3 - 4 per minute for 30
minutes for best results. Return to normal breathing between Mini Pauses.

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Horse Rider Position/Relaxed Breathing
Uses of:
1. To support proper use of respiratory muscles at all times
2. To improve posture and reduce tension of shoulders and neck
3. To support doing Control Pause and Reduced Breathing
4. As an intermediary step when doing Reducing Breathing is not possible yet for those who
have panic attacks or are claustrophobic from being chronic mouth breathers
5. In preparation for doing Reduced Breathing
6. While you are focussing on something else


Sit at the front of a chair with feet flat on the floor or slightly back underneath of the chair with
heels naturally slightly rising. The abdomen is elongated, the belly relaxed, the back straight
and aligned without tension. The shoulders are relaxed. The head is aligned with the spine
and one looks up at about a 100 degree angle or with eyes closed. One should feel upright
but relaxed.
Scan your body from head to toe, slowly looking for points of tension. Breathe into that
tension until it releases. Then continue to scan until you feel relaxed but not slumped. When
first starting to learn Buteyko, this is done before moving into the Reduced Breathing.

















Reduced Breathing
Uses of:
1. To reduce chronic hyperventilation symptoms
2. To restore healthy automatic breathing patterns
3. To normalize carbon dioxide levels in the bloodstream and alveoli
4. To reset the respiratory back into a healthy range
5. To improve oxygenation of the tissues
6. To improve efficiency of breathing (very important for those with diminished lung capacity)

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Sit in the horse rider position and do relaxed breathing first. The length of time is determined
by how long it takes for you to feel relaxed.
Reduced Breathing can also be done standing, walking or lying down. When standing, first try
it up against a wall with heels, bottom and shoulder blades touching the wall but not the head.
Relax shoulders as you do this.
The goal is to breathe less by relaxing the breathing muscles.
This means taking in slightly less air than usual, initially only 5% less. This also means NOT
speeding up the rate of breathing but slowing it down slightly.
One should feel a slight hunger for air but it should not be unmanageable. The chest and
shoulder muscles should be quiet with very little movement. Only the diaphragm moves.
You can put a finger under your nose to feel the air moving in and out. Focus on reducing
and even eliminating the feeling as breathing becomes more and more gentle.
Eventually you will breathe as a 3 month old: so quietly, so gently, that it does not look like
you are breathing at all.
As you do this, you will feel warmer in your hands, feet or face. If you feel hot, you are
reducing the breathing too much or else hyperventilating.
You will feel physically relaxed but alert as your body is aware that you are breathing
differently than usual. If you feel sleepy, you are doing relaxed breathing, not Reduced.
Your nose will be very clear.
If your chest was tight before beginning RB, now it feels relaxed
Breathing in for 2 counts and out for 3 - 4 counts is helpful for some. As this becomes easy,
breathing in for 2 counts and out for 5 counts will happen. As breathing improves there will be
a natural pause at the end of the out breath. This does not usually appear until the CP is
about 25.
For people with a very fast breathing rate, breathing in for 2 and out for 3 - 4 will be
impossible. In this case, modify so that they breathe in for 1 and out for 2 - 3. As this
becomes easy, they will do in for 2 and out for 3. It may take the entire course or even 2 - 3
weeks before this can happen.
You will feel better when you finish than when you started.
You know if you have done Reduced Breathing properly if the CP goes up and the P stays
the same or goes down at the end of the set.
Images to help with reduced breathing:
The sound of gentle waves upon the shore
Swaying up and down with the rise and swell of waves while in a boat
Watching the gentle close and opening of butterfly wings
Tracing breathing in ones mind with the knot of infinity
Quieting the chest with the image of a pre-mature baby curled up on your chest sleeping








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Very Reduced Breathing
Uses of:
1. To remove mucous build-up in the lungs (chronic bronchitis, bronchiectasis, chest
infections)
2. To raise carbon dioxide level quickly. The effect is like doing Reduced Breathing for twice
the time

Do a Control Pause. Then do a Maximum Pause. Take 10% of the MP and add to CP
E.g. CP 25 + (MP 30 10 = 3) = 28. Do a third pause of 28 and then immediately go into
Reduced Breathing with a strong sense of hunger for air. Maintain this for 3 - 5 minutes. Be
careful not to hyperventilate afterwards in compensation.
This exercise is not recommended for anyone who has an on-going chronic condition other
than simple asthma or allergies.









Extended Pause
Uses of:
1. Supports Reduced Breathing.
2. Improves CP
3. Combined with Reduced Breathing, it can be used to overcome an asthma attack. (An EP
of 45 is equivalent of 1 puff of ventolin)

Breathe in and out normally. Pinch your nose at the end of the exhale. Do not try to empty the
lungs. Hold your breath for the length of:
A CP of less than 20 plus 5 seconds
A CP of less than 30 plus 8 seconds
A CP of less than 45 plus 12 seconds
A CP of more than 45 plus 20 seconds
release your nose and gently breathe through it. DO NOT OPEN YOUR MOUTH. Recovery
should be within 2 - 3 breaths.

Note: Later in his career, Dr Buteyko discouraged the use of the EP as it can disrupt the
breathing pattern. Distractions are counter-indicated. People with asthma and no other health
problems may safely use this.


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Hyperventilation Reduction Exercise #1
Uses of:
1. For hyperventilation attack or severe asthma attack
2. For breathlessness or emphysema
3. For insomnia
4. For extreme upset

Breathe in and out twice. Hold for 1 count. Repeat until comfortable.
Breathe in and out twice. Hold for 2 counts. Repeat until comfortable.
Increase hold up to 6 (or 10 for asthmatics) Then reverse the pattern, holding for 5, 4,3,2








Hyperventilation Reduction Exercise #2
Uses of:
1. For erratic breathing patterns
2. For sleep apnoea
3. To calm breathing of an over-tired child
4. For hyperventilation attack (difficult to use for an asthma attack)
5. To interrupt a pattern of worrying
6. To help to go to sleep

Use a loudly ticking clock to do this.
Breathe in for 2 seconds. Breathe out for 3 seconds. Hold for 2 seconds. Repeat until
comfortable. Then..
Breathe in for 2 seconds. Breathe out for 3 seconds. Hold for 3 seconds. . Repeat until
comfortable. Then..

Breathe in for 2 seconds. Breathe out for 3 seconds.
Pause for 4 seconds.
Continue like this until you pause for 6 counts or
whatever you can comfortably reach.
Then reverse, pausing for 5,4,3,2 seconds.







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Hyperventilation Reduction Exercise #3
Uses of:
1. To reduce inhalation of toxic smell
2. For an asthma attack
3. To assist with physical exercise

As you walk, cover your mouth with a handkerchief:
Breathe in. Breathe out. Hold for 3-4 steps.
Breathe in. Breathe out. Hold for 10-11 steps.
Repeat until you are moving away from the fumes. Then..
Breathe in. Breathe out. Pause for 3-4 steps.





Hyperventilation Reduction Exercise #4
(created by Chris Bauman)
Uses of:
1. To calm down when doing the other exercises does not work
2. To synchronize body, speech and mind when feeling distracted
3. To warm up before physical exercise

As you walk:
Breathe in for 2 steps. Breathe out for 3 steps. Hold for 2 steps. Repeat until comfortable.
Then, breathe in for 2 steps. Breathe out for 3 steps. Hold for 3 steps. Repeat until
comfortable.
Then, hold for 3, 4, 5 steps and return to holding for 2 as you finish your walk.


Childrens Steps
Uses of:
1. A substitute for CP (see below)
2. To clear the nose
3. To overcome asthma attacks
4. Monitoring improvement in breathing, in conjunction with taking the pulse
5. Testing food or other trigger sensitivity


Breathe in and out normally, pinch nose and walk until you must breathe. Stop, release nose
and gently breathe through it. DO NOT OPEN YOUR MOUTH immediately afterwards and for
a minute or two afterwards.
Children have a difficult time doing Control Pause accurately so the Steps are substituted.
They can be done at whatever exertion level the child can manage.

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Rabbit Breathing (Reduced Breathing. See above)
Used for:
1. To reduce chronic hyperventilation symptoms
2. To restore healthy automatic breathing patterns
3. To normalize carbon dioxide levels in the bloodstream and alveoli
4. To reset the respiratory back into a healthy range
5. To improve oxygenation of the tissues
6. To improve efficiency of breathing (very important for those with diminished lung capacity)

Children cannot do Reduced Breathing for extended periods of time.
General rule of thumb:
3 - 6 years 30 - 60 seconds
7 - 10 years 60 - 90 seconds
10 - 13 years 90 seconds - 3 minutes
13 years+ 3 - 5 minutes

You can use the images given above and include this:
Tall like a giraffe (for good posture)
Quiet as a rabbit
Slow as a turtle (breathing more slowly)








Maximum Pause
Uses of:
1. Combined with Reduced Breathing, it can overcome an asthma attack
2. To push CP to a higher level when a plateau has been reached for a long time

Not to be used by anyone except asthmatics who have no other health issues and people
who have no health issues but are focussing on better general health or improved sports
performance.

Breathe in and out normally. Pinch your nose at the end of the exhale. Do not try to empty the
lungs. Hold your breath while you distract yourself with walking around or thinking of
something else. When you must breathe, release your nose and gently breathe through it.
DO NOT OPEN YOUR MOUTH. You should be able to recover with 3 - 4 breaths and return
to normal breathing quickly. Be careful of hyperventilation a few minutes later.
Note: This exercise disrupts the normal breathing patterns and can trigger hyperventilation
afterwards. It has been observed that some people become addicted to this exercise.


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