Coachman position: A brief introduction to the breathe-easy position

The coachman position is a position that makes it easier to breathe. The position can help against shortness of breath in patients with asthma and COPD or other chronic obstructive respiratory diseases. As you sit in the coachman position, breathe calmly and as relaxed as possible. As you breathe out you can use the pursed lip technique.

Respiratory therapist Marlies Ziegler explains what the coachman position is and how to do it.

The coachman position is a very well-known and commonly used breathe-easy position. This breathe-easy position derives its name from the position in which coachmen used to sit. They slept on the bench at the front of the cart, hunched after a hard day’s work, while the horses found their own way home. We imitate this very relaxed position with the coachman position.

It is important that your breathing is calm and relaxed for the coachman position. Use the pursed lip technique to breathe out. This resolves the shortness of breath and ensures a better supply of oxygen into the body.

The coachman position is a seated breathe-easy position. You cannot do it lying down. If you want to do the coachman position in bed, sit at the edge of the bed and continue as per the instructions above.

A breathe-easy position you can adopt lying in bed is sitting like a pasha.

People with asthma, COPD and other chronic obstructive respiratory diseases often suffer from shortness of breath and respiratory distress. The coachman position helps to get breathing under control in these situations and eases shortness of breath. For this reason, people with asthma and COPD should learn and regularly practise the coachman position, so they can intuitively adopt it in emergencies.

By supporting the weight of your shoulders and arms on your legs, the respiratory muscles can work more easily and so better support breathing. Abdominal breathing also improves. If you practise the coachman position regularly even when your breathing is normal, it is easier to recall this position if you are short of breath.

This article was written in cooperation with Marlies Zieger. She works as a physiotherapist in private practice in Munich. She specialises in respiratory therapy. She has been treating patients with chronic obstructive and restrictive airway diseases such as asthma, COPD, cystic fibrosis (CF) and primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD), for more than 20 years.

More exercises and information for free breathing

• 9 techniques that anyone with asthma should know: Breathing exercises for asthma
• These 3 tips can help: How can I deal with respiratory distress
• Everyone should know these: Helpful breathing techniques
• Exercises and advice from a physiotherapist: Shortness of breath and panic attacks
• Positions that make it easier to breathe: How to sit or stand and what to do if you are short of breath or have a cough

Note: The information in this blog post is not a treatment recommendation. The needs of patients vary greatly from person to person. The treatment approaches presented should be viewed only as examples. PARI recommends that patients always consult with their physician or physiotherapist first.