Smart Belt – The Guardian Angel of Your Breathing

The essence of Professor Buteyko’s method is to restore the disrupted respiratory homeostasis by raising the body’s carbon dioxide levels back to normal. This involves reducing the amount of air we breathe per minute, both during inhalation and exhalation. The Buteyko Smart Belt assists in teaching the Buteyko breathing reduction method. While the Buteyko breathing technique may seem simple, only a few people can achieve a sustainable reduction in their breathing without external assistance, allowing their bodies to adjust to the current amount of air intake, or even less. It requires patience and perseverance, as our bodies need time to adapt to this seemingly low, yet normal and healthy level of air intake. Some people give up prematurely because they lack sufficient willpower, perseverance, and patience. The reason is that they can only focus on their breathing and reduce it for a short period. It becomes challenging, for example, to focus on withholding breath even during work or any other activities. Despite reducing our breathing for 10-20-30 minutes, if we do not pay attention afterward, our body will “take back” the amount we withheld, thus undermining what we have built and rendering our breathing reduction practice ineffective. Anyone who has tried to reduce their breathing must have noticed that when successful in reducing breathing, they feel an almost irresistible urge to take one or more large breaths. It is even difficult to resist this incredibly strong urge when we are aware of our breathing and consciously focusing on it. And when we are not paying attention to our breathing because something else occupies our mind, these large breaths are bound to occur, causing us to revert to our pre-breathing reduction state, and we have to start all over again. It’s no wonder that some Buteyko practitioners lose motivation and give up on their goals. However, this can no longer happen to those who use the BUTEYKO SMART BELT™!

There are two ways to reduce the amount of air we breathe per minute: by taking smaller breaths or by breathing less frequently. Ideally, we should be able to do both simultaneously, meaning taking smaller breaths less frequently. For a beginner, this would be too challenging, and it would likely lead to forced exertion, which not only fails to reduce breathing but might even increase respiratory effort.

Therefore, I suggest not trying to achieve everything at once. In the beginning, focus on one aspect and gradually incorporate the other. Reducing and slowing down the breathing might seem easier because it can be measured in seconds. However, many people who start with this approach fall into the trap of measuring liters in seconds. Those who solely focus on slowing down their breathing rhythm and attempt to measure it in seconds inevitably start taking larger breaths, especially if they haven’t developed a strong awareness of their breathing. However, we cannot slow down our breathing at the expense of taking larger breaths because, overall, our respiratory ventilation per minute will increase instead of decreasing.

To be successful in the Buteyko breathing technique, you must first accurately perceive the amount of air you inhale and then develop the ability to take slightly smaller breaths than before. The BUTEYKO SMART BELT™ assists in this process. When properly adjusted, it immediately alerts you if you fail to take small breaths. The belt can significantly shorten the learning process of perceiving and reducing the amount of inhaled air.

I have created the packaging and other plastics using PLA (polylactic acid) through 3D printing. PLA is a compostable plastic made from corn and is exceptionally strong. The belt itself is made of 100% cotton. The device can be charged from any USB source, and the package includes a charging cable.

Gyula Varga-Szilágyi