“Inhale fresh, life-giving oxygen… exhale toxic, dead carbon dioxide,” said my yoga teacher. I’ve heard some variation of this hundreds of times in classes. Oxygen is good, carbon dioxide is bad. In with the good, out with the bad. Right? 

As it turns out, this kindergarten understanding of breathing physiology is wrong. Most of us could really benefit from more CO2 because it opens up your air passageways, relaxes smooth muscle tissues, and allows for greater absorption of oxygen. Lack of CO2 actually leads to a lack of oxygen. Confused yet? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. 

On this week’s show, we’ll set the record straight and help you understand why slow breathing boosts CO2, and why that’s a good thing. 

Listen & Learn:  

• The CO2 paradox: why you need carbon dioxide to actually absorb oxygen
• Why 4-6 liters of air per minute is what we need but most people breathe 2x that much 
• How over-breathing reduces (not increases) oxygen levels
• Why over-breathing and mouth breathing is associated with dozens of neurological disorders and diseases 
• How to slow down your breath 

Links & Resources: 

• Artour’s Site

ABOUT OUR GUEST 

Dr. Artour Rahkimov has been teaching the Buteyko method and breath retraining to thousands of students for more than 17 years. He was trained by Ludmila Buteyko and Dr. Andrey Novoh-zhilov, MD, the Chief Physician of the Buteyko Clinic in Moscow. Dr. Artour trained numerous breathing practitioners in the US, Germany and Denmark.

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