They help how you feel with asthma, and they do not change how your lungs measure. A 655-person British trial and a Cochrane review both found breathing retraining improved asthma quality of life and symptoms, with no change in lung function or airway inflammation. Nasal breathing, slower and lighter breathing, and a calm response to the first sign of tightness are worth learning. Your inhaler is still your inhaler.
The steps
- Nose breathing by day, as a habit. The nostril anchor is a practice for it.
- Smaller, slower breaths at rest, exhale longer, belly moving.
- At the first sign of tightness: sit, exhale slowly through pursed lips, small nasal inhales, and use your reliever as prescribed. Breathing is not instead of the reliever.
- A physiological sigh is fine; bellows breath and breath-holds are not for asthma without a clinician’s say-so.
- Ask your clinician about a breathing retraining program; the trial found a DVD version worked as well as face-to-face.
When not to, and when to get help instead
Never reduce or delay asthma medication because breathing feels better. An attack that does not respond to your reliever is an emergency. Cold air, humming into a blocked chest and any vigorous breathing can trigger symptoms; go gently and go with your asthma plan.
What the research says
The BREATHE trial randomized 655 adults to a self-guided breathing program, face-to-face physiotherapy, or usual care; both breathing groups had better quality of life at a year and no change in FEV1 or exhaled nitric oxide. The Cochrane review of breathing exercises in adult asthma reached the same shape of conclusion. That is a real benefit, at its real size.
Other methods people use
Buteyko and the Papworth method are the named programs; both land in the same evidence: feel better, breathe the same. Allergen control, inhaler technique and a written asthma plan do more for the lungs than any of them.
Questions people also ask
Can breathing exercises replace my inhaler?
No. In the trials, lung function did not change; symptoms and quality of life did. Breathing is an add-on to medication, never a swap.
Is the Buteyko method proven for asthma?
Breathing retraining programs including Buteyko improve quality of life in asthma without changing lung function. That is the proven part; the claim that it cures asthma is not.
In the book
Techniques
Rooms
Two rules, no exceptions
Never practice any technique on this site while you are driving, operating machinery, or doing anything that needs your full attention. The slow ones can make you drowsy, faster than you’d expect. And never practice a breath-hold, bellows breath, or any vigorous breathing in or near water. Read Before you begin for the doctor’s list and the rest.
More in “The body”
- Can breathing exercises lower blood pressure?
- What breathing slows a racing or pounding heart?
- How do I breathe at the dentist or during a medical procedure?
- What breathing helps with needles and blood draws?
Written by Eric Bradley. Last reviewed October 2026. One performer’s craft, offered for general information; not medical advice, mental health treatment, or a substitute for care.