Perfect Breathing »

We breathe without thinking about it—but those life-giving breaths are actively at the heart of everything that we do, and the single common denominator underlying every dimension of our being. The power of breath goes beyond the need for oxygen; conscious breathing techniques can accelerate healing, improve cognitive skills, enhance sex and intimacy, intensify meditation, boost athletic performance, and open our receptivity to greater spiritual awareness.
Perfect Breathing teaches us how to become conscious of that all-important breath, to recognize those situations where we need to breathe most efficiently, and to remember to take full, cleansing, powerful breaths every moment of the day. Each section contains valuable information that applies to significant areas of your life—your health, mind and emotions, physical performance, and spirituality—so you’ll grasp the scope, breadth, and influence of breathing on each one. The techniques are all relatively simple to master; with just a few minutes a day and this easy-to-follow program, you’ll slowly integrate conscious breathing into your life and routine.
Backed by compelling science and evidence from people for whom breathing is central (astronauts, fighter pilots, Olympic athletes, adventurers, performing artists, and others), and complete with exercises that address specific problems, Perfect Breathing is an important book in the science of breathing and a critical link to living longer, healthier, more robust lives.

Publishers Weekly

Starred Review.

Writer Campbell and meditative coach Lee (a 25-year "conscious breathing" practitioner) blame rampant stress and information overload for ruining our bodies' most basic and most restorative coping mechanism: breathing. Even worse, they say, is trying to counteract that stress with "flimsy self-help advice and pills." In their place, the authors offer the mind-body tools needed to break bad breathing habits and recapture the respiratory power we're born with. Exercises like "the 6-second breath" aren't just quick and simple, they can provide relief from conditions like high blood pressure, anxiety, pain, and even asthma and premature aging. Skeptics may be turned off by repeated spiritual and religious references, but the authors' practical advice is suitable for almost anyone suffering pain or illness. For readers who find themselves skipping pages, the last section, "Between Death and Dying," is not to be missed; what the authors and a hospice worker have to say about breath and the dying process is so compelling, it may have skimmers taking a deep breath of their own before returning to the previous sections with a new attitude.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Acknowledgments vi

Preface vii

Part 1 Introduction

Chapter 1 The Energy of Life 3

Chapter 2 First Breath, Last Breath, and Every One in Between 9

Part 2 Your Perfect Breath

Chapter 3 Breath Awareness 19

Chapter 4 Body Awareness 25

Chapter 5 Emotional Awareness 35

Chapter 6 Spiritual Awareness 41

Chapter 7 Perfect Breathing 47

Chapter 8 Transformation 59

Part 3 Health and Healing

Chapter 9 The Four Dimensions of Health 67

Chapter 10 Beating Stress 73

Chapter 11 Healing 85

Chapter 12 Renewal 97

Part 4 Performance

Chapter 13 Physical Performance 111

Chapter 14 Mental Performance 127

Chapter 15 The Zone 143

Part 5 The Power of Emotions

Chapter 16 Feeling the Breath 157

Chapter 17 The Eye of the Storm 165

Chapter 18 Emotional Control 173

Chapter 19 The Energy of Emotions 181

Part 6 Our Spiritual Experience

Chapter 20 Breathing in Spirit 191

Chapter 21 Prayer, Meditation, and Contemplation 201

Part 7 Last Breath

Chapter 22 Between Two Worlds 217

Afterword 224

Appendix 226

Recommended Reading 230