COPD
Let’s see where you’re at.
What does this look like in real life?
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“I've had three sessions with Alana so far. Since then my need to use Ventolin for asthma symptoms has decreased dramatically. From needing to use it almost daily, I've gone as long as three weeks without using it since practising the breathing exercises Alana taught me.”
Mia, Melbourne VIC
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What might we look at?
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How are you breathing at rest?
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How much effort are you using?
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Are you breathing predominantly through your upper chest?
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Do you breathe through your mouth?
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What happens to your breathing when you stand up and walk?
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How quickly does your breathing increase?
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What happens when you become breathless?
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And perhaps most importantly, what happens in your mind when you feel that breathlessness?
Because breathlessness isn't simply a measurement of how much air is moving in and out of your lungs. The sensation itself can become frightening, which can then influence how you breathe and how much you move.
This can create a cycle of:
Breathlessness → fear → more effort → less movement → reduced fitness → more breathlessness.
We can work on the parts of that cycle that are within our scope.
Research & Further Reading
Breathing during movement
I also particularly want to look at how you breathe when you're walking and exercising.
We don't necessarily want to force nasal breathing at every intensity. With COPD, your breathing needs to respond appropriately to the metabolic demands of movement.
Instead, we work within your individual capacity.
Can we make your breathing calmer at lower intensities? Can we reduce unnecessary effort? Can we help you feel more confident with movement?
And can we gradually build your tolerance to physical activity alongside your existing pulmonary rehabilitation or exercise program?
I don't replace your respiratory team
Pulmonary rehabilitation is an important part of COPD management and has strong evidence for improving exercise capacity, breathlessness, quality of life and confidence in managing the condition.
I don't replace your respiratory specialist, GP, physiotherapist or pulmonary rehabilitation team.
I become another part of the team.
My role is to look specifically at your breathing pattern and help you develop strategies that may make breathing and movement feel more manageable.
Want to start learning? Breathing 101
Learn the foundations of functional breathing and discover the skills no-one ever taught you. A 75-minute introduction to the Buteyko Breathing Method, with practical exercises you can take into everyday life.
Or ready to explore your breathing?
Let’s talk about your story, what you’re experiencing, what you notice, and explore whether breathing retraining could benefit you.
What about COPD?
COPD is different from asthma, and I want to be very clear about that. Of course, there are some similarities.
If you have COPD, appropriate medical management, medication, monitoring and pulmonary rehabilitation remain important. Breathing retraining doesn't replace any of these.
But there is another part of the COPD conversation that I think is worth exploring. Your breathing.
Breathlessness can become one of the most frustrating parts of living with COPD. You may start to avoid movement because you know it makes you breathless. You may find yourself taking bigger, harder breaths in an attempt to get more air. And over time, the fear of becoming breathless can start to influence how you move, exercise and live your life.
This is where breathing strategies can become another tool, as well as working on your nervous system.
Research into breathing exercises in COPD has found potential benefits for aspects of ventilation, respiratory rate, exercise tolerance and quality of life.
A 2025 systematic review of non-pharmacological breathing strategies in adults with stable chronic lung disease found low-quality evidence that breathing techniques may reduce dyspnoea and that breathing retraining may improve health-related quality of life.
I want you to imagine if I trained you to learn everyday breathing that allows a breath cycle to move through your respiratory system calmly and effortlessly. Wouldn't that make breathing feel a whole lot different?