It is easy to speak about the Buteyko Method, but difficult to live it.
It is tempting to teach a simplified version of Buteyko — something like: If you start breathing correctly, you will become super-healthy. But guiding someone through the real journey from illness toward health is much more difficult.
It is also wonderful to speak about peaceful breathing “as if you are meditating” under any circumstances. But when life throws unpredictable and painful situations at you, it is tempting to forget everything you know about the method.
By now, especially after James Nestor’s book Breath, it has become more acceptable to speak about Dr. Buteyko’s discovery about breathing. At least some holistic health enthusiasts recognize its importance.
But it is still difficult to speak about his other discoveries — the ones that remain almost unknown in the West or are considered too radical, just as his discovery about breathing was when I began teaching the method in 2009.
My book tries to present both the easy and difficult parts of this work — and to do it honestly, even when this honesty may work against me as a teacher and business owner.
This book is not about promoting my business or myself as a teacher. It is about sharing lived experience and preserving knowledge that may benefit more than one generation.
It is a colossal task.
In my previous email, I told you that I cannot do it alone. I really cannot. To complete this book, I need to take at least three months away from my regular work, while still keeping the Breathing Center alive and covering its expenses.
But today, I want to tell you something else:
I do not feel alone anymore.
Since my last letter, 12 people have joined the Living Buteyko Book Circle.
When I received their contributions, I almost cried… actually, not almost. I did cry.
Never (and I mean NEVER) in my life have I asked others for support in this way. It took a lot of courage for me to do it.
When I sent my previous request for support, I was not sure whether what I am doing and what I find so important would also matter to others, but now I know that it does.
I received not only contributions, but also heartfelt letters from people who were helped by the Buteyko Method — people who found the Breathing Center when they were severely ill and, through this work, gradually became stronger, healthier, and more able to function in daily life.
Here is one letter that truly touched my heart. It came from a person I have known since 2009 – the same year I began writing this book.
“I am so happy that you are setting aside the time to complete this book.
This is important work. The Buteyko Method is a legacy that needs to be remembered and taught properly. I remember you talking about it over the years since I’ve known you. Yes! The world needs this more than ever.
I read the note you sent out in your newsletter to my husband, as it touched me deeply. He started to get emotional and then said, ‘The Buteyko Method gave me my wife back.’
I was so sick when I met you and Thomas. You were a lifeline, and the teachings saved my life. I will always continue to practice and deepen my understanding of this method.
You are surrounded by many who treasure these teachings — here and beyond. And many more will need this work after we have left this world.
So much love to you as you go deeper into this journey ahead. I am filled with gratitude.
Love,
Cathy”
I also have another update for you.
Because of the supportive Book Circle that is now forming, I felt inspired to write a new chapter of the book. I would like to share a small excerpt with you here.
This excerpt describes one of the most difficult times in my life — a time when it was very tempting to forget everything I knew about Buteyko and stop applying the method.
Of course, this short piece does not represent the whole book, but it gives you a taste of its style: creative nonfiction woven from personal story, lived experience, and Buteyko teachings. In this book, Dr. Buteyko’s teachings and my own life are inseparable — just as they have been for almost twenty years.
I also mentioned before that, in some ways, this book is a love story. I hope this excerpt helps you feel that, too, even though it is not exactly about romance.
I hope it also shows clearly that this is not a lesson book on the Buteyko Method. It is a memoir — and my attempt to preserve the depth, precision, and original spirit of the method as I received it in Russia.
READ THE EXCERPT
For those who missed the first announcement, the Living Buteyko Book Circle is a summer support circle for this book. It allows me to dedicate July, August, and September to writing, while offering members a meaningful way to deepen their own Buteyko practice.
Join the Living Buteyko Book Circle
Your support helps me set aside protected writing time, reduce my regular teaching schedule, keep the Buteyko Breathing Center functioning, and bring forward the stories, teachings, and details of the original method that might otherwise remain scattered in memory, old notes, and recordings.
When you join the supportive circle around the book, you will receive summer access to the Advanced Self-Study Course — a rare video course that allows you to learn the Buteyko Method directly from the Russian source. This is a unique opportunity that most Buteyko practitioners in the West have never had.
You will also receive the Buteyko Breathing Step-by-Step video course, which will guide you through every step of applying the Buteyko Method in daily life.
It is a win-win situation: your support helps this book be born, and in return, you receive access to teachings that can continue to support your own breathing, health, and life.
Support the book. Preserve the lineage. Deepen your practice.
If you have any questions, please email me directly. I will be happy to hear from you:
sasha@breathingcenter.com
