Martha Roe

Martha profile croptMartha Roe has been practicing the Buteyko for method three years and has been teaching/training as an associate practitioner for nearly 2 years. She suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome for many years and through gaining a high level of skill in the method, has returned to a state of good health. She lives in Lewes, England were she conducts workshops with Christopher Drake and teaches the method to individual students. Below is her experience with the Buteyko method.

My story – The Buteyko practice has brought me to good health.

After 15 years with CFS/ME having tried many mind and body management methods to ease the symptoms I was still searching for the cause and the route that would make a significant difference to my health which was deteriorating as I got older.
In the winter of 2006 symptoms such as brain fog, anxiety/hyper-vigilance and low energy needed a lot of management.  The lack of energy, painful and inflamed muscles and joints were not helped by my significant increase in weight. I was heading for a size 18. Climbing a slope was very slow having to stop to recover my breath on the way up and at the top. I crawled on my hands and knees up to bed early evening and woke 4am in the morning feeling like I hadn’t slept.  I observed this situation thinking this is not OK at the age of 50. My sense was that I had a biochemical problem.

This question would keep coming up in the mind ‘what do I have to do to sort this imbalance out?’

I had had various illnesses, traumas, disappointments as one does in life, but many people have worse and can readjust over time, whereas my system was so out of kilter and it did not have the capability to return to a healthy balance. The only activity I had found that helped my symptoms was singing and the associated exercises; extensive practice of breath and sound exercises helped the symptoms in the short term. This activity had helped me maintain my daily obligations and improve my mood.

I had been running some voice workshops at a family events week end at Amaravati Buddhist Monastery and was talking to the facilitating monk about the deterioration of my symptoms, since my singing teacher had gone on a 3 year retreat . He told me matter of factly to do the Buteyko method – that I would get better!! The Buteyko practitioner Christopher Drake had visited the monastery and helped people with Emphysema, Bi-Polar, ME/CFS, and more. The results described were significant; this had been witnessed by someone I could trust with my life!!

I rang Christopher on Skype and signed up for instruction.  I made a commitment to practice day after day for 15-20 minutes, 4 times a day before meals and got excellent results. It was mind blowing what a difference it made to my symptoms:

  • Able to organise my household jobs and make clear decisions.
  • Active all day, everyday with 6 hours sleep.
  • Happy and at ease with life, able to address problems.
  • My muscles were not inflamed and the joints were no longer in pain.
  • I could use my hands to open jam jar lids.
  • I slept like a baby and woke up rested.
  • Gradually my nervous system stopped flinching in shock from sudden changes.
  • Gradually my muscles became stronger and flexible so I could do yoga postures and ski.
  • Gradually I lost 2 stone in weight.

Now I can safely say I no longer have Chronic Fatigue syndrome.

My friends and family observed the changes in me and this has lead me to supporting them to get significant improvements in their own health, and so it is continuing.

With Best Wishes
Martha Roe