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Eucapnic Breathing

Healthy breathing depends on maintaining the balance between oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood. Overbreathing, as in asthma, causes a shutdown in the uptake rate of oxygen into the blood, as well as a hold on the right amount of carbon dioxide. Asthmatics feel as if they don't have enough oxygen. In fact, they don't have enough carbon dioxide.

How do you know if your breathing is out of balance?

Very simple. Inhale normally for two seconds. Exhale for three seconds softly. Hold your nose to hold your breath until you feel a distinct desire to breathe. Count the seconds as you hold your breath. If you can hold it for 60 seconds, this is the optimal ratio of 6.5 percent carbon dioxide in the alveoli. Fifty seconds indicates 6.0 percent; 40 seconds indicates 5.5 percent; and 30 seconds indicates 5.0 percent. This is still an acceptable level of carbon dioxide in the blood. Less than 30 seconds indicates that you need to modify your breathing in order to reestablish healthy homeostasis.

How do you modify your breathing pattern to improve the level of carbon dioxide in the blood?

Breath awareness-the ability to observe your breath to slow it down-is taught in a classroom setting for five to ten meetings of two hours each. Postural adjustments can also assist diaphragmatic breathing.

Deep breathing-taught by yoga and breathwork teachers-destabilizes the autonomic nervous system to generate altered states. Eucapnic Breathing-exactly the opposite of this---is a rhythmic shallower breathing pattern. In Eucapnic Breathing you learn a variety of ways to hypoventilate. You practice shorter and longer breath-holdings designed to raise the carbon dioxide in your blood. The result is healthier endocrine, autonomic, nervous, and immune systems. Once you reach homeostasis, you should experience reduced symptoms and renewed resiliency.

Jocelyn Oliver (48) is the director and founder of Alive and Well, The Institute of Conscious Bodywork in San Anselmo, California.