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On this episode of the Connecting Minds podcast we have world-renowned breathing expert Patrick McKeown discussing the dangers of breathing too much (which many of us do) and mouth-breathing (which many of also do) in adults and children. We discuss the techniques he teaches with the Buteyko Breathing Method and how to normalise our breathing volume for better sleep, reduced anxiety, improved concentration and focus, and find relief from chronic conditions.
Patrick McKeown, BA, MA (TCD), Dip BM (Prof KP Buteyko), FBPI, FRSB, is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin. In 2002, Patrick completed his clinical training in the Buteyko Breathing Method at the Buteyko Clinic, Moscow, Russia. This training was accredited by Professor Konstantin Buteyko. Having suffered from asthma, rhinitis and sleep-disordered breathing for over 20 years, Patrick is able to offer both theoretical knowledge and his own experiences to help clients to overcome similar challenges.
To date, Patrick has written seven books and produced four DVD sets on the Buteyko Method, including two Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk bestsellers for the management of asthma: Close Your Mouth and Asthma-Free Naturally. The Buteyko self-help manual Close Your Mouth has been translated into ten different languages including French, German, Italian, Spanish, Norwegian and Russian. His latest book titled The Oxygen Advantage, improves sports performance by addressing dysfunctional breathing patterns and simulating high altitude training. The Oxygen Advantage is currently available in English, Dutch, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese and Polish. By September 2018, it will be published in German, Spanish, Chinese and Taiwanese.
Links to Patrick’s Resources:
Buteyko Clinic website: https://buteykoclinic.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/buteykoclinic
Oxygen Advantage: https://oxygenadvantage.com/
Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Patrick-McKeown/e/B006X1OD3U
Buteyko breathing exercises: https://buteykoclinic.com/breathing-exercises/
MyoTape: https://oxygenadvantage.com/product/myotape/#a_aid=christian
Topics discussed on this episode:
- How Patrick discovered Buteyko breathing.
- The physiology of over-breathing (and the health issues it can cause) and how transitioning to lighter breathing can improve health.
- Frequent yawning or sighing can keep you in a state of over-breathing (chronic hyper-ventilation).
- When carbon dioxide levels in the blood drop, it reduce blood flow in the brain.
- How chronic over-breathing or mouth-breathing can affect children’s growth and development.
- Link to Bonuck 2012 paper discussed: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/230790921_Pediatric_Sleep_Disorders_and_Special_Educational_Need_at_8_Years_A_Population-Based_Cohort_Study
- An overview of the Buteyko Method exercises.
- Patrick’s new book.