It all began in a city gripped by fear, its air choked with flying debris and dense smoke—scenes that paralyzed the world after September 11th. Firefighters bore the heaviest burden: many were left with persistent coughing and a host of breathing issues. The crushing stress and exhaustion only deepened their struggle. While medical care was available, it simply could not restore their once-strong, steady breaths. At that time, New York City authorities decided to introduce Buteyko Breathing to these first responders. This method was known to activate the lungs’ natural self-cleansing mechanism, improve respiration, and strengthen the function of the immune system. But qualified Buteyko instructors were hard to come by in the U.S. and Europe in 2001, so teachers were brought from Australia—the country Dr. Buteyko visited and where he taught his foundational techniques. These practitioners offered Buteyko Breathing classes to the firefighters.
That’s how Chris first discovered the method. Living in New City, she came across an announcement for a local Buteyko workshop and decided to give it a try. Although not a firefighter, she fought her own battle for every calm, steady breath. Asthma, fatigue, and frequent colds, rooted in weakened immunity acused by years of chronic hyperventilation, made breathing a daily challenge. Her medication suppressed symptoms but did not truly improve her respiration or overall vitality. The lingering stress of the city’s compounded her difficulties.
Chris was amazed by how much a single Buteyko workshop helped her breathing; however, even with some improvement, she still had many respiratory issues and health concerns. In 2009, when The New York Times published an article about Sasha’s and Thomas’ work, Chris traveled to Woodstock, NY, where the Buteyko Breathing Center was located at the time. She began learning the method from Sasha, who was also working with some of the New York City firefighters, helping them continue to enhance their breathing.
Chris was fully committed to practicing the Buteyko Method to improve her breathing, yet her healing journey was not easy. She accepted her slower pace and never stopped doing Buteyko, as it remained the only natural approach that consistently helped her. Gradually, she reduced and even discontinued some of her medications. Still, she couldn’t handle Tempering—exposure to cold air, cold water, or high humidity set her back. Allergies posed another challenge.
In 2021, recognizing that Chris needed more consistent support, Sasha invited her to join the Buteyko BreathMastery & International Community program. Chris declined. She did not want to attend online meetings and, after working with Sasha for many years, felt uncertain that a group program would offer additional benefits. She decided to continue with private sessions instead of joining the Community.
Progress came slowly, and Chris often felt stuck. Two years later, still grappling with some lingering health issues, she decided it was time to try BreathMastery. (See the video below where Chris shares her story.)
With the steady support of the Buteyko Community, Chris’s health and respiration improved significantly. She found it particularly helpful when she took the “hot seat,” sharing her Buteyko practice and lifestyle choices with the community. During this session, members analyzed her healing journey and offered constructive feedback on how she could continue to improve.
In 2023, she attended a high-altitude retreat in Colorado, where she embraced Tempering. She soaked in hot springs, strolled in a swimsuit through snowy trails, and discovered a newfound harmony with the elements that once challenged her. By the summer of 2024, she was walking for hours and swimming nearly every day in a cold mountain stream in upstate New York—an unimaginable change from her earlier days. During the winter, she now walks outdoors, breathing cold air effortlessly. Sometimes, if she wakes in the middle of the night, she heads to her screened porch, where the air can be freezing, and jumps on her rebounder. The Buteyko lifestyle had truly become a natural part of her daily life.
Recently, Chris adopted Lily Boo (see picture at the top of this page), a beautiful rescue dog. Even though she still experiences a slight allergic reaction to her new companion, she’s confident she can overcome it by continuing her breathing exercises instead of resorting to a rescue inhaler. She remains active in the BreathMastery program, using it to stay on track and keep perfecting her use of Dr. Buteyko’s life-saving method.
