Kath

The coldest winter in England for the past three decades during the end of 2009 and at the beginning of 2010 has made life very difficult for many. People with less than optimum health have been affected by the hard weather more than most.

Kath has asthma and allergies and have endured over twenty years of constant sinus pain and blocked, inflamed ears with deafness, plus fuzzy headedness and bouts of fatigue. This has resulted in substantial time off work while ill.

Martha Roe, Associate Buteyko Practitioner started working with Kath at the beginning of December when she was worn down by a long-running ear infection. Kath had tried Buteyko four years earlier with a London practitioner but felt she hadn’t gained any benefit from the exercises. One essential difference between the original practitioner’s methods and that of Martha’s is that the teacher didn’t phone to check on Kath’s progress on a daily basis like Martha does.

The Buteyko Breathing Method involves relearning how to breathe. Kath said “Retraining my breathing is hard work and having someone there to hold my hand throughout is probably the only practical way to achieve long lasting results.”

Within eight weeks Kath was feeling the benefits. Martha explained “When Kath started the Buteyko exercises in December her breathing was up in her chest. This caused her a lot of mental agitation resulted in sore ribs and back muscles.”

Within the first session Martha got Kath breathing in a more relaxed way from down in her belly. This brought a great relief to her immediately. Kath said it gave her a temporary feeling of clear headedness and lightness in her sinuses and her back muscles even started to relax.

Within a few weeks of starting the exercises the constant sinus spasm above her right eye that had been bothering her for at least four or five years had cleared. Kath also reported that the maddening itching she had had in her ears mostly had gone too.

Kath believed the health improvements allowed her mind and body to relax and the tissues then could begin to heal. The next step for Martha to work on with Kath was to help her lightening her breathing.

Recovering from chronic disease is a bumpy ride and few people understand the deep frustration a person can feel. Martha is empathetic while still maintaining her objectivity. Kath said of Martha “I find her a practical, patient and dedicated teacher. When at my most down moments, Martha has called and reminded me what good work I’ve been doing, how far I have come and that this hard work will pay off in the end.”

Kath now feels confident she is on the road to health and hopes that she is only few months away from a significant breakthrough. “For me the choice is simple; if I work hard with the Buteyko Breathing Method I will not have to give in to spiraling health problems for years to come.”

“Taking responsibility for my own health is hard work but I’ve seen people who have transformed their lives through Buteyko. As Robert Frost said ‘I shall be telling this with a sigh, Somewhere ages and ages hence, Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference’.”