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Do Breathe: Calm your mind. Find focus. Get stuff done
When you get the right balance in life you can do amazing create, perform, lead a team, build a great company, raise a family. But so often the scales tip and we feel overwhelmed and stressed.
Michael Townsend Williams, an adman turned yoga teacher and mindfulness coach, is an advocate of ‘welldoing’ – leading a busy and productive life, but not at the expense of our health and wellbeing. And key to this? Our breath.
The crucial link between mind and body, our breath reflects what we’re dealing with at any given moment. It tells us when we’re out of our depth. With simple breathing exercises and elements from yoga, meditation and mindfulness, Do Breathe will help you
* Reduce stress and increase productivity
* Improve focus and work flow
* Cultivate new good habits and drop the bad
* Build courage and resilience
Why not breathe yourself better?
From a life of 'doing' in the world of advertising to a life of 'being' as a yoga and mindfulness teacher, Michael Townsend Williams now works on the integration of both. His business, Stillworks, coaches individuals, teams and organisations on Mindful Productivity and Mindfulness. He is also co-creator of the iPhone app Breathe Sync™, which brings your breathing into sync with your heart to reduce stress and improve focus. He believes the world needs to calm down and we would all get a lot more done if we did.
Michael Townsend Williams, an adman turned yoga teacher and mindfulness coach, is an advocate of ‘welldoing’ – leading a busy and productive life, but not at the expense of our health and wellbeing. And key to this? Our breath.
The crucial link between mind and body, our breath reflects what we’re dealing with at any given moment. It tells us when we’re out of our depth. With simple breathing exercises and elements from yoga, meditation and mindfulness, Do Breathe will help you
* Reduce stress and increase productivity
* Improve focus and work flow
* Cultivate new good habits and drop the bad
* Build courage and resilience
Why not breathe yourself better?
From a life of 'doing' in the world of advertising to a life of 'being' as a yoga and mindfulness teacher, Michael Townsend Williams now works on the integration of both. His business, Stillworks, coaches individuals, teams and organisations on Mindful Productivity and Mindfulness. He is also co-creator of the iPhone app Breathe Sync™, which brings your breathing into sync with your heart to reduce stress and improve focus. He believes the world needs to calm down and we would all get a lot more done if we did.
128 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 14, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
January 21, 2020
This is such a short book and yet I love it!
As someone who struggle with anxiety almost daily, I found the tips in this book very helpful:
1) De-stressing by simply deep breathing.
Long exhales enable relaxation and calmness, because when your exhale is even a few counts longer than your inhale, the vagus nerve sends a signal to your brain to turn up the parasympathetic nervous system. So basically just breathe!
2) Simplicity.
Avoid using multiple mobile apps, multiple calendars and multiple emails, and mute nonessential notifications, all these things can overwhelm you.
Also when writing to-do lists, write clearly what you need to do and be "very specific" (tip: use a "verb" to describe the task), because that would allow you to know exactly what you need to do and would make your task simpler.
3) Face your fears.
"Do one thing every day that scares you"
Courage is a skill that you can obtain by changing a "fixed mindset" to a "growth mindset".
And how do you that? focus on the process not the outcome, because once you focus on the results you might attach that to failure and eventually decide not do the task out of fear.
For example, just focus on the act of writing a paper for one or two hours, but don't focus on finishing and submitting it.
4) Live in the moment.
"Forever is composed of nows".
Let go of past regrets and stop worrying about the future.
How do we do that? With mindfulness, by praying daily for example. It can be done with simple daily acts like walking home from work but with being mindful of everything around you.
5) The importance of physical health.
It's the source of your energy! You cannot establish anything without energy.
We should relax to recharge our bodies, not to get away and hide from our responsibilities. Supernaps, brainfood, sleeping well are other important sources to increase our energy. We should avoid sugary food and coffee for energy boosts but try brainfoods instead.
The book also mentioned an important point which is that relaxing by doing pleasurable things like watching Netflix or drinking wine are important BUT they shouldn't override meditation and mindfulness because these are the actual sources of energy that will actually recharge us.
6) Mental focus.
Use the pomodoro technique to actually sustain your focus. Yoga and meditation helps too.
7) The flow state.
"Seeking struggle then release" this is how you get a "flow state" or the ultimate creative state.
How do you get to that? When you do a task that stretches your ability but not to the point where it's too challenging.
Seek struggles! be persistent and don't give up easily (this is the release part).
8) Breaking bad habits.
Find the cues that cause you to do that habit, or the reward feeling that it give you, and then find alternatives, breaking a bad habit is easier than we actually think.
Jan, 21, 2020.
As someone who struggle with anxiety almost daily, I found the tips in this book very helpful:
1) De-stressing by simply deep breathing.
Long exhales enable relaxation and calmness, because when your exhale is even a few counts longer than your inhale, the vagus nerve sends a signal to your brain to turn up the parasympathetic nervous system. So basically just breathe!
2) Simplicity.
Avoid using multiple mobile apps, multiple calendars and multiple emails, and mute nonessential notifications, all these things can overwhelm you.
Also when writing to-do lists, write clearly what you need to do and be "very specific" (tip: use a "verb" to describe the task), because that would allow you to know exactly what you need to do and would make your task simpler.
3) Face your fears.
"Do one thing every day that scares you"
Courage is a skill that you can obtain by changing a "fixed mindset" to a "growth mindset".
And how do you that? focus on the process not the outcome, because once you focus on the results you might attach that to failure and eventually decide not do the task out of fear.
For example, just focus on the act of writing a paper for one or two hours, but don't focus on finishing and submitting it.
4) Live in the moment.
"Forever is composed of nows".
Let go of past regrets and stop worrying about the future.
How do we do that? With mindfulness, by praying daily for example. It can be done with simple daily acts like walking home from work but with being mindful of everything around you.
5) The importance of physical health.
It's the source of your energy! You cannot establish anything without energy.
We should relax to recharge our bodies, not to get away and hide from our responsibilities. Supernaps, brainfood, sleeping well are other important sources to increase our energy. We should avoid sugary food and coffee for energy boosts but try brainfoods instead.
The book also mentioned an important point which is that relaxing by doing pleasurable things like watching Netflix or drinking wine are important BUT they shouldn't override meditation and mindfulness because these are the actual sources of energy that will actually recharge us.
6) Mental focus.
Use the pomodoro technique to actually sustain your focus. Yoga and meditation helps too.
7) The flow state.
"Seeking struggle then release" this is how you get a "flow state" or the ultimate creative state.
How do you get to that? When you do a task that stretches your ability but not to the point where it's too challenging.
Seek struggles! be persistent and don't give up easily (this is the release part).
8) Breaking bad habits.
Find the cues that cause you to do that habit, or the reward feeling that it give you, and then find alternatives, breaking a bad habit is easier than we actually think.
Jan, 21, 2020.
August 29, 2024
Some good ideas. But overall I felt it was an advertisement book, intended to trying to sell me some apps for wellbeing. It makes sense, as the guys who wrote it was working in advertisement before. Also I have problems with all these "great personalities" mentioned in the book, like Churchill, Steve Jobs, etc. I find those characters quite disturbing, and the representation of Capitalism/Imperialism at it's best, and worst. It feels as if this book is aimed at increasing productivity instead on an real sense of inner peace and wellbeing.
December 31, 2020
I read in English but this review is in Bahasa Indonesia
Sengaja membaca Do Breathe di penghujung 2020 sembari mengingatkan diri sendiri bahwa pencapaian terbaik tahun ini adalah untuk tetap hidup dan masih bisa bernapas tanpa kesulitan--sesuatu yang menjadi sebuah kemewahan di tengah pandemi yang masih saja menggila ini.
Michael Townsend Williams sebelumnya adalah seorang praktisi di bidang pemasaran dan periklanan. Lalu ia berubah haluan menjadi instruktur yoga. Olahraga yang bagi banyak orang seperti sebuah meditasi diakui oleh Williams dapat membantu kita menjalani hidup dengan lebih ringan. Semua itu berawal dari bagaimana kita menyadari napas kita: apakah tenang, memburu, atau malah seperti orang yang baru saja dikejar anjing?
Buku ini terbagi menjadi 3 bagian yang masing-masing berisi 3 bab. Diurutkan dari hal paling mendasar: bernapas. Bagi Williams, ketika kita sudah menyadari bagaimana kita bernapas maka untuk dapat merasakan momen akan menjadi lebih mudah. Memerhatikan napas kita adalah salah satu bentuk dari mindfulness yang akan memudahkan kita untuk fokus. Apabila kita membuatnya menjadi sebuah kebiasaan, maka bukannya tidak mungkin akan bahwa kita menjadi produktif yang sehat (bukan sekadar sibuk hanya untuk mengisi waktu).
Aku sengaja memberikan 4 bintang karena menurutku, buku ini bisa menjadi langkah awal yang mudah diikuti dan dipahami mengenai pembentukan fokus dan untuk menjadi mindfull. Williams menyebutkan referensi lain yang bisa ditelusur oleh pembaca dengan harapan, pembaca akan menggali lebih jauh dan menerapkan metode yang sesuai dengannya.
The Greek Philosopher Socrates said, "The unexamined life is not worth living" and he had a good point. The more you look inside openly and honestly, the more baggage from your past you find. Many stop at the first ugly suitcase, few empty the closet completely.
Sengaja membaca Do Breathe di penghujung 2020 sembari mengingatkan diri sendiri bahwa pencapaian terbaik tahun ini adalah untuk tetap hidup dan masih bisa bernapas tanpa kesulitan--sesuatu yang menjadi sebuah kemewahan di tengah pandemi yang masih saja menggila ini.
Michael Townsend Williams sebelumnya adalah seorang praktisi di bidang pemasaran dan periklanan. Lalu ia berubah haluan menjadi instruktur yoga. Olahraga yang bagi banyak orang seperti sebuah meditasi diakui oleh Williams dapat membantu kita menjalani hidup dengan lebih ringan. Semua itu berawal dari bagaimana kita menyadari napas kita: apakah tenang, memburu, atau malah seperti orang yang baru saja dikejar anjing?
Buku ini terbagi menjadi 3 bagian yang masing-masing berisi 3 bab. Diurutkan dari hal paling mendasar: bernapas. Bagi Williams, ketika kita sudah menyadari bagaimana kita bernapas maka untuk dapat merasakan momen akan menjadi lebih mudah. Memerhatikan napas kita adalah salah satu bentuk dari mindfulness yang akan memudahkan kita untuk fokus. Apabila kita membuatnya menjadi sebuah kebiasaan, maka bukannya tidak mungkin akan bahwa kita menjadi produktif yang sehat (bukan sekadar sibuk hanya untuk mengisi waktu).
Busy is bad for business. And the glorification of busy is bad for life. Busy can be a great way of appearing to be working when in fact you are just filling time.
Aku sengaja memberikan 4 bintang karena menurutku, buku ini bisa menjadi langkah awal yang mudah diikuti dan dipahami mengenai pembentukan fokus dan untuk menjadi mindfull. Williams menyebutkan referensi lain yang bisa ditelusur oleh pembaca dengan harapan, pembaca akan menggali lebih jauh dan menerapkan metode yang sesuai dengannya.
September 19, 2017
This is a slow drip easily readable book with essentially one main message: viz Breathing exercises will calm your mind and body.
The power of the book is the way the author manages to repeat this message over and over without getting boring. Several different methods are proposed and as one reads smiling here and there at the anecdotes and snippets of personal story, the message goes in deeper.
Don't get me wrong there are many other useful quotes, information, strategies included but, like many people, knowing something is not the same as doing it... Actually putting it into practise whenever stress is beginning to become too much. Thus the repeated message about breathing becomes not simply "heard" but "heard, understood, and invested in."
The power of the book is the way the author manages to repeat this message over and over without getting boring. Several different methods are proposed and as one reads smiling here and there at the anecdotes and snippets of personal story, the message goes in deeper.
Don't get me wrong there are many other useful quotes, information, strategies included but, like many people, knowing something is not the same as doing it... Actually putting it into practise whenever stress is beginning to become too much. Thus the repeated message about breathing becomes not simply "heard" but "heard, understood, and invested in."
September 11, 2022
Short, snappy & motivating. Exactly what I needed.
January 2, 2024
Will definitely try to reach for this book when I start to struggle
May 23, 2026
I’m eating that damn frog
May 14, 2019
A great little book that reminds about the importance and wonders of breathing, relaxation, meditation, mindfulness, etc. Or, if you're new to the topic, this provides a very easy-to-read introduction to a lot of these things.
November 2, 2023
Easy quick read and easy to do because the tips are practical and makes sense.
1. Breathe slowly to detoxify from stress' cortisol
2. Simplify - don't rely on productivity apps
3. Courage is a skill which you can learn through growth mindset. Do 1 thing each day that scares you. Take risks and embrace challenges, remove fear of failure and embarassment or fear itself.
4. Avoid stimulants (caffeine and sugar), live in the present, take relaxation in a deeper and more mindful way to replenish the energy reserves you need for physical and mental clarity.
5. Mental focus is a muscle and attention is the most expensive resource!
Distraction can be a good signal for something or divert us to waste our attention.
Meditation - hones mental focus.
a) soft focus (mindfulness) - awareness without judgment vs. b) laser sharp focus
6. Flow - do effortlessly without self-criticism
Get there by cultivating 2 conditions:
a. cultivating conditions that are favorable to achieving the first two stages of the flow cycle
i. Enthusiastically see challenging tasks/struggle as entry point to flow state - persistence
ii. Work towards release from that struggle - breath and surrender - patiences (i don't agree with the author that it is a self-contained experience. In fact, it involves humility and connection to let go of preconceived notions)
7. Break bad habits. 40% of our decisions are habit-based (system 1 in thinking fast and slow book)
Dismantle your habit loop
a. Cue/trigger (the nudge in the nudge book)
b. Reward
8. Adjusting your stance can instantly boost confidence - feet a little wider than your hips
1. Breathe slowly to detoxify from stress' cortisol
2. Simplify - don't rely on productivity apps
3. Courage is a skill which you can learn through growth mindset. Do 1 thing each day that scares you. Take risks and embrace challenges, remove fear of failure and embarassment or fear itself.
4. Avoid stimulants (caffeine and sugar), live in the present, take relaxation in a deeper and more mindful way to replenish the energy reserves you need for physical and mental clarity.
5. Mental focus is a muscle and attention is the most expensive resource!
Distraction can be a good signal for something or divert us to waste our attention.
Meditation - hones mental focus.
a) soft focus (mindfulness) - awareness without judgment vs. b) laser sharp focus
6. Flow - do effortlessly without self-criticism
Get there by cultivating 2 conditions:
a. cultivating conditions that are favorable to achieving the first two stages of the flow cycle
i. Enthusiastically see challenging tasks/struggle as entry point to flow state - persistence
ii. Work towards release from that struggle - breath and surrender - patiences (i don't agree with the author that it is a self-contained experience. In fact, it involves humility and connection to let go of preconceived notions)
7. Break bad habits. 40% of our decisions are habit-based (system 1 in thinking fast and slow book)
Dismantle your habit loop
a. Cue/trigger (the nudge in the nudge book)
b. Reward
8. Adjusting your stance can instantly boost confidence - feet a little wider than your hips
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 11, 2020
This book focuses more on the author and how he took control over his life than anything else. There are a lot of good points made, but if you read one or two "selfhelp" books there wont be a lot of new information (keep your desk clean, your calendar organized, work with a purpose, etc.). For me a bit dissappointing because I hoped it would be a book solely focused on breathing which is not the case.
February 21, 2016
Inspiring!!!!!!
January 21, 2020
“Life can often feel overwhelming and complicated. But the strategies you need to manage life’s stressors don’t have to be either of those things. When you’re feeling under pressure, going back to basics will help you find focus, clarity, and fulfilment. Bringing your awareness to something as simple as breathing is enough to create lasting and positive change.
Actionable advice:
Strike a (power) pose!
The way you position yourself physically affects how others see you, as well as your own mood. Adjusting your stance can instantly boost confidence. The next time you need a quick self-esteem fix, try standing with your feet a little wider than your hips. Put your hands on your hips and take a few deep breaths into your belly. You’ll soon feel ready to take on the world!”
Actionable advice:
Strike a (power) pose!
The way you position yourself physically affects how others see you, as well as your own mood. Adjusting your stance can instantly boost confidence. The next time you need a quick self-esteem fix, try standing with your feet a little wider than your hips. Put your hands on your hips and take a few deep breaths into your belly. You’ll soon feel ready to take on the world!”
January 21, 2020
Michael Townsend Williams beautifully asserts that mindfulness is a powerful tool for calming your mind, finding your flow state, and living in the present.
Hence, mindfulness is the best solution to cope with overwhelming complicated bewildering and convoluted complications of Kafkaesque nightmare of the modern life. Learning to live with mindfulness is the best gift you can bestow yourself. This helps you to manage life’s stressors with relaxed focus and mental clarity.
With practicing mindfulness you will experience the blessings of calmness.
Hence, mindfulness is the best solution to cope with overwhelming complicated bewildering and convoluted complications of Kafkaesque nightmare of the modern life. Learning to live with mindfulness is the best gift you can bestow yourself. This helps you to manage life’s stressors with relaxed focus and mental clarity.
With practicing mindfulness you will experience the blessings of calmness.
October 6, 2018
A sweet little book, but it was a bit saccharine.
If only breathing could solve all of life's problems! But it sure is a great basis for slowing the mind and body before activating the reaction, so definitely important.
Some nice quotes and suggested resources for general growth.
A good little bedside read for when you need a push to remember to meditate the next morning.
If only breathing could solve all of life's problems! But it sure is a great basis for slowing the mind and body before activating the reaction, so definitely important.
Some nice quotes and suggested resources for general growth.
A good little bedside read for when you need a push to remember to meditate the next morning.
April 2, 2019
Found at Volumes Bookstore in Wicker Park. Slow, easy read. Had some neat meditation strategies and overall good vibes to start the new year. But it took me 4 months to get though because I kept putting it down and forgetting about it. But this is a good book to do that with, and I plan to revisit it from time to time.
January 6, 2020
Life can often feel overwhelming and complicated. But the strategies you need to manage life’s stressors don’t have to be either of those things. When you’re feeling under pressure, going back to basics will help you find focus, clarity, and fulfilment. Bringing your awareness to something as simple as breathing is enough to create lasting and positive change.
January 23, 2020
A very good & detailed book which starts out around breathing and slowly enters into the realm of focus, mindfulness & GTD :) When life will feel overwhelming and complicated this book will help you out with understanding simple strategies to simplify and create better focus, clarity & fulfillment.
Thanks Michael! :D Loved it!!
Thanks Michael! :D Loved it!!
September 29, 2023
"Do Breathe" by Michael Townsend Williams is a concise and accessible guide to harnessing the power of conscious breathing and mindfulness. Williams presents practical exercises and real-world examples to help reduce stress and improve overall well-being. While it's a bit brief (1oo pages only), it's an excellent starting point for those exploring the benefits of breathwork and mindfulness.
June 2, 2024
Cita favorita: "Eres lo que es tu profundo deseo. Como tu deseo, así es tu voluntad. Como tu voluntad, así son tus acciones. Como tus acciones, así es tu destino."
Reseña: Pensé que era un mezcla entre manual de respiración y de meditación. Sin embargo, trata de muchísimos temas sin conexión y a menudo da la sensación de no hilar los temas entre sí y mucho menos con el título del libro.
Reseña: Pensé que era un mezcla entre manual de respiración y de meditación. Sin embargo, trata de muchísimos temas sin conexión y a menudo da la sensación de no hilar los temas entre sí y mucho menos con el título del libro.
April 13, 2025
A small book with a big impact. Do Breathe really helped me put things in perspective — I never realized how powerful something as simple as breathing could be. What I loved most was how practical it is: clear breathing exercises you can actually do, all grounded in science. A calming, insightful read that brings mindfulness into real life. Highly recommend if you need to slow down and refocus.
January 24, 2018
A very clear manual on breathing well, organization and mindful presence. If you had to leave the house with a concise and portable instruction book on "how to get through a tough day and come out on top" this would be the one to purchase! <3
April 11, 2019
I don't typically read books like these, but my boyfriend was really into it so I gave it a try. Ultimately I found the information to be unremarkable and the writing style to be just okay, but the breathing exercises the author included intrigued me so I decided on 3 stars.
April 12, 2020
Brilliant and short book giving concise and useful advice about not only the importance of breathing, but awareness and mindfulness in our everyday busy lives. I will take a lot of the concepts outlined in this book and make use of them.
November 4, 2020
Beautiful, short, very easy read with some really great practical advice. Great for beginners and people new to meditation/mindfulness, but also a nice reminder and new info for those (like me) who practice it regularly.
July 19, 2023
It’s the second time reading this but possibly won’t be the last! Yes it’s about breathe work but so much more too. It shows how the breathe underpins our daily lives - offering solution to the stress, anxiety and lack of energy that we feel in a day!
January 5, 2024
I liked this book! I would read it again. I am going to try to optimize my breathing and already I'm attaching verbs to all of my to-do tasks. I might even run an experiment and see if the tasks on my list with verbs associated with the items get done sooner than the ones without.
February 16, 2024
What a read! While the book itself is not long, there is a lot of great advice. I suffer from anxiety, and there are quite a few great tips in the pages.
Grab this book and learn about some fantastic recommendations in controlling your anxiety, and getting life back on track.
Grab this book and learn about some fantastic recommendations in controlling your anxiety, and getting life back on track.
February 3, 2026
The title and introduction felts deceiving as I sought a book about breathing. This was more a summary of a bunch of self help books that offers a quick guide.
I, like most people, understand that planning is calming for the mind, I don’t need another book to tell me this…
I, like most people, understand that planning is calming for the mind, I don’t need another book to tell me this…
September 7, 2026
I took my time with this book because I feel that sometimes we read things at certain moments in life when we need to see them. I loved a lot of the techniques and exercises at the end of the chapters and will practice some of them. I’m sad the app no longer exists, but an informative read.
February 19, 2019
Good. A good companion to "The Courage to be Disliked".
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews