Breathing Exercises For Dummies

by Shamash Alidina

Take control of your breath, take control of your life.

Breathing Exercises For Dummies teaches you more than 50 ways to reduce stress, practice mindfulness, improve your sleep and beyond. Breathing exercises help you feel and perform at your best. These strategies have been in use since ancient times, and modern research shows how effective they can be. This book teaches you meditative breathing exercises to reduce anxiety and improve focus in the moment, as well as tips for retraining your normal breath to be more supportive of your everyday well-being. Need to relax? Need to reenergize? Need a boost to your creativity and decision making? There's a breathing exercise for that.

Learn about the benefits of breathing exercises and the scientific evidence behind them Discover 50+ exercises, including pursed lip breathing, diaphragmatic breathing, 4-7-8 breathing, and beyond Manage pain, address insomnia, get relief from anxiety, and improve your creativity, all with the power of your breath Use breathing exercises at home, at school, at work, on the field, or on the stage Anyone who breathes can benefit from breathing exercises! Whether you're managing physical or mental health challenges or just want to be more successful, Breathing Exercises For Dummies gives you the tools to make easy breathwork a part of your everyday routine.

400 pages, Paperback

Published November 4, 2025

Reviews

[Iris Mihaila]

The book is a clear, practical, and reassuring guide that makes the power of breathing accessible to everyone. I particularly appreciate the simplicity of the explanations, combined with solid scientific grounding and a strong focus on everyday wellbeing.
I regularly use exercises from this book in the wellbeing sessions I facilitate, and participants consistently find them easy to follow, effective, and deeply calming. The step-by-step approach helps people reconnect with their breath without feeling overwhelmed or feeling that they are “doing it wrong,” which is especially important in group settings.
A real added value of this book is that many of the breathing exercises are accompanied by recorded audio guides that can be listened to online. This makes the practices even more accessible, allowing people to continue benefiting from them between sessions and integrate them easily into their daily lives.
This book is a valuable resource for anyone interested in stress reduction, emotional regulation, and cultivating greater presence. Whether you are new to breathing practices or a wellbeing professional looking for reliable, practical tools, Breathing Exercises for Dummies is a book I wholeheartedly recommend.

[Louise Nicholas]

I became interested in Mindfulness and Breath work after doing a course on Mindfulness to help with anxiety, low mood, pain and managing my Multiple Sclerosis. I have Shamash Alidina's Mindfulness for Dummies and thought this would be a good companion. The lay out is easy to follow and you can jump to wherever you want, if you have some experience, or read from the start if you are a beginner. I am thoroughly enjoying the different techniques and find it really helpful in my daily life. There are detailed content pages if you just want to practice something specific and useful icons used throughout the book to help your learning and understanding. I also love the in depth information about all things breathing. It is suitable for all levels of interest and i will be using it for many years to come for myself and my grandchildren.

[saroj bell]

A few weeks ago, I practiced a trial 'breathing' workshop presented by Shamash Alidina. It was an eye opening inspiration! Whilst I know that without air, we cannot live, I am amazed at how much I have learned about breathing techniques and how they support mental and emotional health. The short trial was great but there is so much more in the book. Easy to read and follow, many different techniques to test out and explanations on why they work. Shamash strongly states each one of us will have preferences for different types. This is an important message - we are all different, yet the same! My son who is a sceptic commented that the book is great because the author relates to his target audience. Thank you, Shamash.

[Tobias S]

Shamash Alidina does a beautiful and exciting job covering this essential subject , so necessary for a healthy and comfortable life. Excellent mix of information and practice. Fantastic range of subjects necessary to introduce and explore the topic of breathing and the importance of the numerous ways this shows up in our lives. A vital and applicable tool for improving our life , health and comfort.