Until I applied the Buteyko Breathing Method, I suffered from asthma attacks, or the threat of one, since was a small child. My condition was triggered by exercise, dust, animals and who knows what else. For almost fifty years I took asthma medication every day. While I led a healthy lifestyle, exercising every day, eating wholesome food and trying to reduce allergens in my home, I was dependent upon pharmaceutical drugs to give me the feeling that I could breathe with comfort.
My asthma seemed well under control using medication every night, but I worried about the side effects, having read the long list that comes with each prescription. I was also tired of shelling out close to $200 for each refill as my insurance didn’t cover it. When I came across the New York Times article about Buteyko Breathing center USA, I thought What have I got to lose? I bought the Buteyko Method CD and through diligent application of the methods given thereon, I was able to get stop my inhaler use within a few weeks. However, my recovery felt rocky and I was intrigued as to how far this practice could be taken, so I enrolled in the Buteyko Breathing Normalization training. I’m happy to say, it has freed me from my dependence on drugs and now I enjoy having the knowledge that I need not have an asthma attack again.
But it goes beyond that. (But wait, there’s more!) I feel better in my physical being than I have in years. I now live my life in a more relaxed state, I find the time to drive more slowly and don’t feel so offended by the bad habits of other drivers, I have more clarity of thought, greater concentration and a general overall improvement in health. In yoga, my body seems to be gaining elasticity at a faster pace and my muscles recover more quickly. While others around me seem to be suffering from allergies, mine have not bothered me. My guitar playing is more focused and even my singing has improved! I find I need less sleep and so have gained the time in which to do the exercises. I feel better than I have in years.
Consequently, I want to offer my thanks to my teachers, Thomas Fredricksen and Sasha Yakovleva, to their teachers Konstantin Buteyko, Ludmila Buteyko and Andrey Novozhilov, to Buteyko Center Program Coordinator, Jesse Steinberg, and to everyone else who has helped bring the Buteyko breathing method into my life.
I am very happy to be involved with the programs being offered by the Buteyko Breathing Center and I look forward with great excitement to learning more and gaining greater understanding of the Buteyko Method. I have enrolled to become a Buteyko practitioner so that I can help share this remarkable discovery and guide those who seek a holistic, gentle remedy for asthma, and other conditions, in Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic region as a whole.
Thank you to all of you who have helped and guided me thus far to make my life so much better.
Richard Bannister Columbia, MD