Artour Rakhimov - Advanced Buteyko Breathing Exercises

Artour Rakhimov (PhD)

Content copyright Dr. Artour Rakhimov. All rights reserved - 2013.

This book is copyrighted. It is prohibited to copy, lend, adapt, electronically transmit, or transmit by any other means or methods without prior written approval from the author. However, the book may be borrowed by family members.

The content provided herein is for information purposes only and not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent cystic fibrosis or any other chronic disease. (Always consult your doctor or health care provider before making any medical decisions.) The information herein is the sole opinion of Dr. Artour Rakhimov and does not constitute medical advice. These statements have not been evaluated by Ontario Ministry of Health. Although every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information herein, Dr. Artour Rakhimov accepts no responsibility or liability and makes no claims, promises, or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information provided herein and expressly disclaims any liability for errors and omissions herein.

Buteyko breathing exercises have been evolving since the 1960's, when Dr. Konstantin Buteyko, MD, PhD, developed his first respiratory technique. It is known as the "Buteyko reduced breathing exercise" and it forms the foundation for various subsequent Buteyko exercises. For example, some years after the invention of this exercise, Dr. Buteyko and his colleagues added breath holds as a part of his exercises. During the following decades, there were various changes in the structure of Buteyko exercises. These changes are mainly related to duration of a single breathing session and types and frequencies of applied breath holds.

Throughout the last 50 years, over 150 Soviet and Russian medical professionals (mostly family physicians or general practitioners) have applied Buteyko respiratory exercises on thousands of their patients. In total, well over 300,000 people learned these exercises from these doctors. Obviously, they accumulated rich clinical experience in this area. For example, it was discovered that people with panic attacks and hypertension can't get health benefits while practicing more common forms of Buteyko exercises developed for people with asthma, bronchitis, and diabetes.

In addition, they found that there are experience-related differences. Learners or novices get maximum health benefits and the highest results for the body oxygen test, if they practice breathing exercises for learners. The majority of advanced students, though, are able to get maximum benefits from advanced Buteyko breathing exercises.

While the title of this book suggests only advanced exercises, it includes those respiratory exercises that were designed and have been used for novices. In other words, the book includes initial, intermediate and advanced exercises developed and used by Dr. Buteyko and his medical colleagues.

Bear in mind, that according to experience of Soviet and Russian doctors, a breathing student needs to learn and understand certain physiological facts and laws before starting breathing retraining. These physiological facts and laws include:
- Clinical norms for breathing at rest
- Breathing parameters in people with chronic diseases
- Why overbreathing (or breathing more than the medical norm) reduces O2 delivery to body cells
- Main qualities and effects of carbon dioxide on the human body
- Why slower and easier breathing at rest increases body oxygenation (even if you breathe 2-3 times less than the medical norm).

While teaching hundreds of Western students, I have discovered that additional education in relation to breathing during sleep and exercise, as well as certain other facts and laws, greatly assists better learning and improves their final results. This book outlines these additional factors and provides detailed descriptions of Buteyko breathing exercises from the initial to advanced level.

All chronic pain, suffering and diseases are caused
from a lack of oxygen at the cell level."
Prof. A.C. Guyton, MD, The Textbook of Medical Physiology*

* Worlds most widely used medical textbook of any kind
* World's best-selling physiology book

The DIY body-O2 test is a very accurate health test. Clinical experience of Soviet and Russian Buteyko doctors shows that this test is the most representational in relation to the health state of people with health symptoms and/or chronic diseases. This test is also called the CP (Control Pause).

CP (Control Pause) = Body O2 test

You can eat tons of supplements and super-foods, drink canisters of herbal drinks, have hundreds of colonic irrigations, and practice (modern) yoga for many hours every day, but if your body oxygen level remains the same, you will suffer from the same symptoms and require the same dosage of medication.

Let us now consider the test itself.

Sit down and rest for 5-7 minutes. Completely relax all your muscles, including the breathing muscles. This relaxation produces natural spontaneous exhalation (breathing out). Pinch your nose closed at the end of this exhalation and count your BHT (breath holding time) in seconds. Keep the nose pinched until you experience the first desire to breathe. Practice shows that this first desire appears together with an involuntary push of the diaphragm or swallowing movement in the throat. (Your body warns you, "Enough!") If you release the nose and start breathing at this time, you can resume your usual breathing pattern (in the same way as you were breathing prior to the test).

Do not extend breath holding too long, trying to increase the control pause. You should not gasp for air or open your mouth when you release your nose. Your breathing after the test should be the same as before the test, as it is shown here:

The test should be easy and not cause you any stress. This stress-free test should not interfere with your breathing. Here is the most common mistake that I have observed in thousands of people:

It is common for novices to make this mistake. However, if you repeat this test 3-4 times (with about 3-4 minutes of rest between successive attempts), you will find out that you can do the test correctly. Or, if you overdo the test by, let's say, 2-3 seconds, you need to subtract these 2-3 seconds in order to define your real CP.

Warning. Some, not all, people with migraine headaches, panic attacks, and heart disease, especially hypertension, may experience negative symptoms minutes later after this light version of the test. If this happens, they should temporary avoid this test.

Practical suggestion . Measure your CP throughout the day so that you know your usual CP dynamic. It will help you to find out those adverse lifestyle factors or environmental parameters that are most destructive for your health.

If a person breath-holds after a normal exhalation,
it takes about 40 seconds before breathing commences
From the textbook Essentials of exercise physiology