The Breathing Book: Good Health and Vitality Through Essential Breath Work

I guess I bought this book a few years ago, when I was dealing with some insomnia, and developing a meditation practice. I don't do much in the way of yoga, but am an avid swimmer, and stretch each day. Recently I noticed the need to combine my stretching and my breathing, using my breath to find the stretch. After more searching to find a book in that vein, I came back to the Breathing Book. This has it all: understanding your breath, using it to stretch, to grow, to meditate. I can't imagine how much work went into making this book just right. It's wonderful, nuanced, appropriate, accessible, complete. It has just the right amount of pranayama, just enough to start meditating (though I use a different method), just enough to find a good stretch, to find your "history" in your body and release it. It's good for beginners as well as more advanced students. I've read many books on the subjects of meditation and breathing. This is the go to if you want to start a practice on the breathing side. And, btw, yes, meditation and breathing practices are effective in treating insomnia and anxiety.

I have over the last 45 years had to deal with chronic migraine headaches. Over the last 20 years or so I have practiced asanas and breathing associated with yoga. Have read more literature on the subjects than I care to mention. I read non-fiction in the same way as I read newspapers, fleetingly. This work is probably the most interesting, informative and helpful that I have found and have read every single word, cover to cover, twice over. I recommend this book to everyone, not only to those who endure certain conditions but even those that feel they don't require it. The importance of breath and the correct way to breathe is better expressed than anything I have come across!

This book is very easy to read - has lots of pictures and diagrams with great explanations. I have a lot of tension in my shoulders - the left side in particular - and when I feel the burn of tension, I know I'm not breathing properly. It helps SO MUCH! I can get the pain to go away almost instantly when I realize how I am breathing. I constantly check in with myself now. It definitely helps me feel more grounded and just plain better in general. And I'm not even through the entire book yet - I can't wait to see how much it helps in other areas - such as with my horses!

As someone who is well into his senior years, I have been a voracious reader for more than 7 decades, My reading interests have always been wide and varied. This is why while browsing on Amazon when I came across this 240 page large format soft cover book (The breathing book: Good health and vitality through essential breath work by Donna Farhi) I decided to purchase it. Over the years I have read numerous books on this and related topics. This is one of the most comprehensive volumes on this subject, and even though it is dated to some degree; nevertheless, there are some excellent Yoga exercises and breathing exercises in this book. This book covers an enormous amount of material and is illustrated with numerous black and white photographs. If you are into Yoga, Tai Chi, of just desire to learn more about properer breathing methods you may want to check out this book. Rating: 4 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Martial Art and Warrior Haiku and Senryu).

Having chronic breathing problems, I've read a lot of books about self-help breathing techniques. This is one of the best, as it has info even I hadn't read before. For starters, when people try to breathe properly from the diaphragm (instead of from the upper chest), they can develop an equally bad habit of tightening other chest muscles, to stop the upper-chest breathing. The author stresses the importance of allowing the entire body to be part of the breathing cycle, and she gives many exercises to help the reader do just that. The black-and-white photos and diagrams are helpful learning aids, as well.

This book really helped me deal with some of the dysfunctional ways in which I breathe. Often, when I have been in the middle of a yoga class, I have found myself all tangled up in the breathing: when the instructor says to breathe in, I am halfway into an outbreath. I tense up trying to do the pose, so I breathe high up in my chest and fail to bring enough breath into my body to maintain the position. Like many women, I don't always breathe into the sides of my abdomen. The author gives experiments that help the reader diagnose where the problems are. Then there are excellent exercises to open up where one needs to or to strengthen an area that is weak. I intend to keep it close to my side as a tool and reference for both hatha and meditation practice.

I love this book. I have had terrible asthma all my life, this book is helping me relearn how to breath in a responsible, work with my doctors kind of way. It's exciting to be able to cut back on some of my meds. I'm so thankful that my yoga teacher turned me on to this book. It's a must read, then do kind of book for anyone who wants to use breath work to help overcome lifes difficulties...

Plenty tools to work with to help me in various ways! Excited to learn more on this subject and use these tools/exercises regularly.

Lo estoy leyendo y me ayuda a profundizar en aspectos básicos de la respiración

Donna Farhi gives a wonderful account on breath and how to use it to positively change your life! There are great illustrations on the way the muscle and diaphragm move with the breath and the suggested inquiries are a wonderful way to get started with exploring ones breath patterns. At the end of the book are suggested practices to overcome various health problems such as back pain, tiredness, help with asthma or even to build up stamina to name but a few. Using the breath in a specific way can avoid chronic illness and visits to the doctor. This book a wealth of information and practical application do do just that!

Donna Farhi vermittelt auf grundlegende Art die Bedeutung des Atmens und bietet zugleich praktische Übungen, sich selbst damit ganz konkret zu befassen.

I am always giving this book to people I love because it’s the best book on breathing I’ve ever read. It was required reading in my yoga teacher training class so, that’s where I discovered it. The author is a nurse and explains the breath and it’s importance in an easy to understand way. She is excellent at explaining clearly how to improve awareness and improvement of breathing.

Uno de los mejores libros sobre la respiración, la base de cualquier pranayama, la base de la salud en general. Un joya auténtica!