Ulf’s Air Hunger Story: From “decades of fear, confusion, and loss of control” to comfortable breathing and “a completely different place in my life.”

Two weeks ago, an email arrived out of the blue that I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to share with the wider community. It was a breathing story from Ulf, a 38-year-old man from Germany whose name I thought I recognized from the Air Hunger Help Community but with whom I had never had any direct contact or conversation. It was therefore both a surprise and a delight to discover within this email one of the most insightful and inspiring air hunger recovery stories I’ve read.

After decades of suffering from air hunger, Ulf embarked on an ultimately successful two-year journey of searching, experimenting with various approaches, hitting a wall, and then steadily working through the layers of his breathing issues to finally restore his breathing. As you’ll see, his story contains a wealth of insight and detailed information for those seeking healing for their own disordered breathing.

I knew immediately that Ulf’s story was going to help a lot of people understand their own experience with air hunger as it sheds light on the struggle, the winding and sometimes opaque path, and the eventual understanding of the change process that opens the door to relief.

Here’s the story. Thanks, Ulf!

—Simon

Please note: for further information on some of the terms and concepts appearing in this account and how they connect to the LNB program — including Constructive Rest, the Alexander Technique, carbon dioxide (CO2) tolerance, and the time needed to restore your breathing — please see the FAQs section that follows Ulf’s breathing story.

My Story with Air Hunger — and Deep Gratitude to Simon Spire and Liberating the Natural Breath

—by Ulf, LNB-Air Hunger Help Community member (2024-26)

I want to share my story because I finally feel that I have arrived at a completely different place in my life. After decades of fear, confusion, and loss of control, I now feel that I truly understand what was happening to me. Most importantly, I finally feel that I have regained comfort in my breathing and my life.

First and foremost, I want to express my deepest gratitude to Simon Spire, Amira Glaser, and the “Liberating the Natural Breath” program. Without this work, I honestly do not believe I would have found my way to where I am today.

How It Began

Looking back, it probably started when I was a child — maybe in third or fourth grade during school sports. During intense running exercises, I experienced for the first time that terrifying feeling of not being able to breathe properly. A constant urge to suck in air deeply, desperately searching for that one satisfying breath that would finally bring relief.

Naturally, this was accompanied by panic and fear. But at that time it only appeared during intense physical activity. I simply assumed I had poor endurance or weaker lungs than other people.

Over the years, the issue came and went. It was unpleasant, but it did not dominate my life continuously. That changed later.

When It Became Constant

At some point, many years later, the sensation became constant.

Suddenly it was there 24/7:

the feeling of not getting enough air,

constant deep inhalations,

forced yawning,

endless attempts to achieve a satisfying breath.

At that time there was essentially no information available online. I went to countless doctors:

pulmonologists,

cardiologists,

chiropractors,

various specialists.

The result was always the same:

“You are completely healthy.”

Eventually I was referred to psychologists. But even there, I felt that nobody truly understood the symptom itself. Everything was reduced to anxiety, without understanding the actual physiological and neurological mechanisms behind the experience.

The condition affected every part of my life. At times I developed intense fear around reading aloud in school, presentations, public speaking, traveling, or being trapped somewhere without help.

I also experienced long episodes of depersonalization and derealization — terrifying states that, in hindsight, shared many similarities with air hunger itself.

Decades Without An Explanation

One of the strangest things was this:

Whenever I focused on my breathing, the air hunger immediately intensified. If I forgot about it, the symptoms often faded.

That always seemed deeply strange to me.

But of course, trying not to think about breathing is almost impossible.

Getting to sleep was often the only solution to get out of air hunger. After waking up I would have a few minutes of complete peace — and then the sensation would return again.

Anyone who has experienced this knows how terrifying it can become: the feeling that you are suffocating, despite all medical tests showing perfectly normal oxygen levels.

There are moments where it genuinely feels as if you might die within the next seconds. And then after many attempts, when your body is already tensed up to the extreme, you just get a small relief, only to start the cycle again…

And yet every medical test says: “There is nothing wrong.”

Eventually I gave up hope that medicine had any explanation or treatment for this. I honestly believed I might be the only person in the world suffering from such a condition.

The Major Relapse

For many years the issue stayed mostly in the background and appeared only occasionally. But around two years ago, everything came back with full force (today I am 38)

At the time, I was under enormous stress:

a new leadership position,

extremely demanding consulting work,

constant travel,

long working hours,

the covid period changed a lot,

family health concerns,

and deep emotional stress related to chronic illness affecting my beloved dog.

Then the air hunger returned intensely — sometimes together with derealization symptoms.

This time I decided that I absolutely had to understand and solve it, I would not accept to live like that.

Discovering That I Was Not Alone

During my research I eventually came across videos by Howard Cooper.

For the first time in my life, I heard someone describe exactly what I had experienced for decades.

That realization alone — “I am not the only person with this condition” — was profoundly relieving.

Soon after, I discovered the “Liberating the Natural Breath” program.

To be honest, my initial reaction was skepticism. I read about constructive rest, Alexander Technique, and “non-interference,” and at first I dismissed it as something vague or overly abstract.

At the same time, I worked with a private doctor in Germany who used Buteyko-style breathing reduction techniques with capnometry and biofeedback. I decided to not follow LNB and go with the recommendation of that private doctor.

That approach did help to some degree. I improved significantly compared to my worst periods. But I still never felt true control or freedom. The symptoms always eventually returned.

Almost half a year later I was again in a dead-end, because the most promising approach did not help me.

Being lost, I again begin researching and eventually reconsidered LNB as a final option. There was nothing I could lose trying...

The Turning Point

Then something important happened.

I decided to seriously try constructive rest — openly and without immediately rejecting it.

And then, boom! Lying down. Feeling the support of the floor. What an intense, and incredible feeling! For the first time in my life, I experienced a noticeable reduction on the actual air hunger drive itself while being conscious about it!

That moment genuinely shocked me.

I remember thinking: “This must be it! That is the solution!”

The very same day I searched for an Alexander Technique teacher near my home, found one only minutes away, and started working with him intensively.

Over the next year and a half, we worked together regularly.

Interestingly, in the beginning we barely discussed breathing at all.

Instead, the focus was on:

non-interference,

unnecessary tension,

automatic reactions,

posture and movement,

allowing rather than forcing,

and letting go of constant control.

At first, I struggled to understand how this could possibly relate to my breathing problem.

But in hindsight, this became the central key.

The Most Important Insight

Today I believe the core mechanism is this:

The more you consciously try to control breathing, the more the system becomes dysregulated.

You constantly search for the “right” breath. But the search itself becomes the problem.

The harder you interfere, the stronger the drive becomes.

The automatic breathing system is incredibly sophisticated — but only when it is allowed to function automatically.

This does not mean that hyperventilation or CO2 dysregulation are irrelevant. They absolutely play a role. But for me, the solution was not purely CO2 levels.

The real breakthrough came from combining:

Alexander Technique,

non-interference,

desensitization,

nervous system regulation,

and later integrating aspects of Buteyko work in a much less forceful way.

The Slow Return to Normality

The recovery process was not linear.

There were setbacks, plateaus, difficult phases, and periods of doubt.

But over time something fundamentally changed: I learned that I could always return to safety again.

Through:

constructive rest,

relaxation,

non-interference,

movement,

sleep,

stress reduction,

better self-care,

and learning not to constantly monitor my breathing.

Today I only rarely experience brief moments of breathing tension. But I can now clearly distinguish tension from actual lack of oxygen.

That distinction changes everything, and also reduces my fear.

Meanwhile my buteyko control pause improved dramatically. My chronic nasal congestion and allergies are gone. My fear of traveling, presentations, exercise, and being trapped disappeared.

Most importantly: I got my life back.

What I Would Say to Others Suffering From This

When you are trapped inside severe air hunger, it can feel completely hopeless. I know that firsthand.

But improvement is possible — even after decades of symptoms.

One of the hardest parts is understanding that the solution often lies not in doing more, but in gradually learning to interfere less.

That sounds deceptively simple, but it is actually a very deep process that takes patience and time.

The layers of tension and interference are often unconscious. You only begin noticing them gradually over months.

That is also why I initially dismissed many of these ideas. I simply could not yet perceive what I was doing.

Today, however, I understand why Simon, Amira, and the LNB program describe these mechanisms so precisely. Once you begin experiencing the process yourself, many of those descriptions suddenly become extraordinarily accurate.

My own best working Alexander type direction is saying to myself "I am not breathing". Which might sound crazy for someone not into Alexander Technique. But it is our body breathing...not me!

...or it is even the universe breathing through me?

Final Thoughts

I am deeply grateful to Simon Spire for bringing visibility and understanding to this condition.

Air hunger can be one of the most isolating and frightening experiences imaginable. That is why I wanted to share this story.

If someone reading this currently feels trapped in that cycle of fear and constant breathing distress, I hope this offers at least some hope.

For me, the combination of:

understanding,

non-interference,

Alexander Technique,

careful Buteyko work,

stress reduction,

and changing my relationship with my body and nervous system

ultimately led me back toward freedom.

And for that, I am profoundly thankful.

I want to end with a quote from the Alexander Technique teacher Bruce Fertman: “The body is designed to breathe itself.”

***

Thank you, Ulf, for sharing this wonderfully informative, honest, and detailed story! For those of you who are members of the Air Hunger Help Community, Ulf has posted his story within the “Breathing Stories” space and has said he’s happy to respond to any questions community members post there in the comments section.

Please note: for further information on some of the terms and concepts appearing in this account and how they connect to the LNB program — including Constructive Rest, the Alexander Technique, carbon dioxide (CO2) tolerance, and the time needed to restore your breathing — please see the FAQs section below.

Frequently Asked Air Hunger Questions

We’re glad you read Ulf’s illuminating story! To aid in making connections between the LNB program and the experiences Ulf describes — both for those who are already members and for those who may join in the future — I want to provide some context for some of the areas that are explored. Here are some topics that Ulf discusses, along with how they connect to LNB:

The Alexander Technique and Constructive Rest

The Alexander Technique is a body of work that provides many of the foundational principles, practices, and understandings for the LNB program and method. Constructive Rest is a practice that comes from the Alexander Technique. We teach it in LNB, and it forms one part of the daily practices — alongside the Daily Reminders — that help support the overall change process. It’s important to understand that just learning Constructive Rest on its own doesn’t usually solve air hunger. There are many nuances to this practice, and it requires guidance, instruction, and incorporation within a larger system. Within LNB, we tailor this practice specifically to people with air hunger and provide instruction on how to use it for dealing with air hunger. Within LNB, this practice exists within the larger picture of the principles and practices of the overall change process.

The Alexander Technique and Individual Lessons

Individual lessons with an Alexander teacher are a possibility that some in LNB choose to pursue (while others don’t). Ulf had regular individual lessons with a local Alexander teacher and evidently found them very helpful.

Carbon Dioxide Tolerance

This is a topic that’s often discussed with regard to breathing pattern disorders such as air hunger. At LNB, although we recognize the role that carbon dioxide imbalance and sensitivity can play, we see these dynamics as typically existing downstream of the deeper causal layers of air hunger. The way we teach Constructive Rest is designed to regulate carbon dioxide sensitivity and build tolerance without adding further somatic dysregulation and tension — and with the primary aim of attending to the fundamental somatic and nervous system layers of air hunger. Ulf discusses utilizing Buteyko practices — at first less effectively and later on more effectively. At LNB, we support people in incorporating whatever additional practices they may find helpful, as long as they aren’t done in a way that reinforces the deeper somatic drivers of air hunger. So if you are going to engage in controlled breathing practices such as those taught within Buteyko, we recommend you heed Ulf’s earned wisdom featured later in his story when he describes “later integrating aspects of Buteyko work in a much less forceful way” and “careful Buteyko work.” The new BreathFinder article that was published around the same time as Ulf’s story contains a section that briefly explores this topic.

Will it take me that many months to be free of air hunger?

It’s the age-old air hunger question: How long will it take for me to feel relief?

The answer is that there’s a wide range of experiences, and for the most part it simply has to do with the particular patterns of interference and tension that have developed for each individual. For some, those habits can be addressed in a few short weeks. For others — as Ulf and other members can attest — it can take months of being in a steady process of unwinding years of interference, tension, bracing, compensatory stabilization and patterns, and nervous system dysregulation.

We’ve seen both ends of the spectrum many times — from a couple of weeks to many months — as well as everything in between. What matters is that you find the support you need, learn to trust and listen to your body, and keep moving in the right direction so that you can reclaim the freedom and comfort that you deserve.

Where to next?

• Follow the link to learn more about our LNB program and the Air Hunger Help Community

• Follow the link tosign up for the 3-month program and community