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Buteyko Breathing Method

If you often feel short of breath, tense in your chest, stuck in stress breathing, or reliant on mouth breathing, your body is not broken. It may simply be breathing more than it needs to.

 

The Buteyko Breathing Method is a gentle, structured form of breathing retraining that helps you return to calmer, quieter breathing, especially through the nose. At Roots Health Clinic in Prague, we teach breathing techniques in a practical, step by step way, and we integrate it with chiropractic, physiotherapy, and functional training so it actually transfers into real life.

Calm Water Ripples

What is the Buteyko Method?

The Buteyko Method, developed by Professor Konstantin Buteyko, is a series of breathing exercises designed to help you:​

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  • slow the breath down

  • reduce over-breathing habits (like frequent sighing or mouth breathing)

  • build comfort with lighter breathing

  • teaches tools for self-regulation and lasting transformation

  • improve everyday breathing patterns during rest, stress, and movement

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It is most often discussed in the context of asthma and breathlessness, but we also use it to support stress regulation, sleep quality, and functional movement.

What is going on when breathing feels off?

Breathing problems do not always mean lung problems.

 

Many people with normal test results still experience:

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  • air hunger (the feeling you cannot get a full breath)​​

  • tight chest or upper rib tension

  • frequent yawning or sighing

  • breathlessness during light activity

  • a busy mind and a body that will not switch off

  • shallow breathing into the upper chest

  • mouth breathing (day or night)

 

Often, this is a pattern issue: how the nervous system is driving your breath. When breathing is fast, high, and loud, the body tends to stay in go mode. When breathing becomes slower, quieter, and nasal, the body often finds it easier to shift into rest and repair.

Who is this for?

Buteyko breathing retraining can be a great fit if you:

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  • have asthma and want extra tools to support symptom control (alongside medical care)

  • feel breathless or tight chested under stress

  • notice chronic mouth breathing, snoring, or blocked nose patterns

  • feel anxiety symptoms that show up as breathing symptoms

  • get dizzy, lightheaded, or wired with certain breathwork styles

  • want breathing tools that are calming, not activating

 

Important: If you have severe or unstable respiratory symptoms, we will recommend coordinating with your medical team.

How we integrate breathing at Roots

At Roots, breathing is built into your care, not added on. We use it to improve movement, stability, recovery, and stress regulation.

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We choose the right approach for your goal:

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  1. Calming breathing (often Buteyko inspired): nasal, quieter breathing for stress breathing, breathlessness, mouth breathing, and asthma support.

  2. Rehab and mechanics breathing (often DNS inspired): diaphragm and ribcage coordination to improve posture, core control, and movement efficiency.

  3. Performance breathing (select tools): resilience for training and recovery, without forcing intensity.

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How it fits your plan:

  • Chiropractic: reduces protective tension and improves rib and spinal mechanics.

  • Physiotherapy: adds control and load tolerance to rehab exercises.

  • Functional training: breathing strategies that hold up during lifting, sport, and long workdays.

 

Result: breathing becomes your new baseline, not another exercise to remember.

Try this now: gentle 2 minute reset

This is a safe starting point. It should feel subtle, not intense.

 

1) Sit comfortably. Relax shoulders and jaw.

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2) Close your mouth and breathe through your nose.

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3) Make your breathing quieter and smaller (as if you are trying not to fog a mirror).

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4) Keep it calm. You should feel fine. Slight under-breathing is ok, but do not force it.

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5) Continue for 1 to 2 minutes.

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6) Stop if you feel dizzy, strained, or uncomfortable.

 

If you have asthma symptoms, follow your asthma action plan and use your prescribed medication as needed.

Comparing breathing methods: Buteyko vs DNS vs Wim Hof

Breathing methods are tools, not religions. The right one depends on your symptoms, your nervous system, and your goal.

 

Buteyko

  • Best fit for: stress breathing, mouth breathing, chronic breathlessness, asthma support

  • What it feels like: calm and subtle

  • Typical style: nasal, quieter breathing with reduced volume, sometimes gentle pauses

  • Safety note: not for a severe asthma attack, do not change medication without a clinician

 

DNS breathing

  • Best fit for: rehab, posture, core control, ribcage mechanics, athletic movement patterns

  • What it feels like: grounded and structured

  • Typical style: diaphragm and ribcage expansion coordinated with trunk stability

  • Safety note: most useful when breathing is linked to pain, posture, or movement control

 

Wim Hof method

  • Best fit for: energizing breathwork, cold exposure training, high arousal tolerance

  • What it feels like: intense and activating

  • Typical style: cycles of deep breathing and breath retention

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