Carbon dioxide is not waste
We think of carbon dioxide as nothing but exhaust. In fact it dilates blood vessels and airways and is required for oxygen to be released into the cells. Over-breathing loses it, and vessels constrict.
The method
What is the Buteyko Method?
Discovered by Soviet physician Konstantin Buteyko over three decades of research. The core idea is simple: most people breathe too much and too fast.
A discovery that began on a hospital bed
Konstantin Pavlovich Buteyko had high blood pressure himself. The best physicians in the Soviet Union could not help him, and he was told he had very little time left.
Lying in hospital expecting to die, he noticed something simple: the seriously ill patients around him were all breathing hard and deep. He asked himself the obvious question — were they breathing hard because they were ill, or ill because they were breathing hard?
When he consciously reduced his own breathing, his blood pressure fell. That observation began thirty years of research, tested on thousands of people.
The science behind it
Nitric oxide and the nose
Nasal breathing produces nitric oxide in the sinuses. In 1998 three scientists won the Nobel Prize for showing it to be a signalling molecule in blood vessels. Mouth breathing forfeits that advantage.
The nervous system
Slow rhythmic breathing stimulates the vagus nerve and moves the body into rest and recovery. Fast shallow breathing holds it in the stress state instead.
Craniofacial development
Tongue position widens the palate and shapes the upper jaw. A child who breathes through the mouth develops a different facial structure. The field is called myofunctional therapy.
The five marks of correct breathing
This is how the course defines it. Miss any one and the breath is not yet right.
1
Nasal
Through the nose, never the mouth.
2
Diaphragmatic
From the diaphragm, not the chest.
3
Rhythmic
Around six breaths a minute.
4
Unpaused
No stop between in and out.
5
Silent
It should not be audible.
How it differs from other methods
There are many breathing methods. They have different aims, and some run in the opposite direction to Buteyko.
| Method | Core principle | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Buteyko | Reduce breathing, build carbon dioxide tolerance | Asthma, sleep, anxiety, blood pressure |
| Wim Hof | Over-breathe, then hold for long periods | Cold tolerance, immunity, energy |
| Pranayama | Many rhythms, contemplative practice | Meditation, yogic systems |
| Holotropic | Fast continuous breathing | Psychological work |
The course covers these differences in detail. None of them is wrong — they simply have different goals.
A good life starts with breathing well.
Join the next class?
The four-hour course runs online over Zoom at 99,000₮. You get instructions as soon as you register.