A few years ago, during exercise, I noticed I was breathing worse than before. When running and during lighter activities, I felt as though I couldn't take a proper breath. My doctor told me it was probably asthma.

It wasn't true. The problem was somewhere completely different — I had a stiff diaphragm and poor breathing habits, amplified by stress. This experience led me to a deeper study of breath and, eventually, to the hypopressive method.

What is asthma — and when it isn't asthma

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterised by narrowing, excessive mucus production and hypersensitivity. Typical symptoms include wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness and coughing.

But not every breathlessness is asthma. Functional breathing problems — where the body isn't ill but breathing isn't working properly — are far more common than we think. These include:

What happens when breathing is impaired

During physical activity, the body's need for oxygen increases. If the diaphragm and ribcage aren't functioning optimally, breathing capacity is limited. A feeling of suffocation arises, performance drops and the body enters a stress response — which makes the situation worse.

The diaphragm, however, isn't just a breathing muscle. It's a centre that connects breath, postural stability and the nervous system. If the diaphragm is stiff or dysfunctional, everything is affected — from back pain to digestion.

How the hypopressive method helps

The hypopressive method integrates breath, posture and conscious work with the diaphragm. With regular practice:

The method doesn't cure asthma — I say that openly. But many of my clients who came with an asthma diagnosis, or simply with a feeling of "I can't breathe properly", experience significant improvement after regular practice.

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