What do you think?
Rate this book
Perfect Breathing: Transform Your Life One Breath at a Time
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.
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.
- GenresNonfictionHealth
240 pages, Hardcover
First published January 6, 2009
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 17, 2023
Disclaimer: I got this as a gift many years ago, never read it, then 3 days ago put it on a donation site, and as soon as someone claimed it, I felt an irresistible urge to read it.
This is the curse of a self-help book: There is advice, simple and obvious but nevertheless useful. The advice can fit on a page, maybe two if you stretch it. But two pages do not a book make. So the advice is repeated, padded out and stretched ever so thinly to fill up enough paper that can be bound and sold on airports.
(A less cynical perspective is: the advice needs to be repeated many times, otherwise it would be quickly agreed with and even more quickly forgotten.)
Let me get this clear: I wholeheartedly believe that breathing is super important and anyone would benefit from improving their breathing methods. I will even try out the basic breathing exercise presented here! But "Perfect Breathing" is so bland and generic, it provides not a single insight that could be considered useful. It is a trove of fascinatingly basic facts like:
• Did you know a lot of processes in your body require oxygen?
• Did you know marathon runners need to keep track of their breathing?
• Did you know emotional intelligence is really important? And if you want to be aware of your emotions, why not practice being aware of your breathing first?
And banalities like these are repeated over and over, chapter after tired chapter. There are dozens of exercises, sure, but they are all pretty much a variation of: breathe in, hold, breath out. Sometimes, imagine you're breathing out of your feet. Sprinkle with positive affirmations.
50 pages in, I tried amusing myself by attempting to read each chapter with as few breaths as possible. I also read a couple of chapters hyperventilating. None of it helped. I finished the rest of the book yawning.
This is the curse of a self-help book: There is advice, simple and obvious but nevertheless useful. The advice can fit on a page, maybe two if you stretch it. But two pages do not a book make. So the advice is repeated, padded out and stretched ever so thinly to fill up enough paper that can be bound and sold on airports.
(A less cynical perspective is: the advice needs to be repeated many times, otherwise it would be quickly agreed with and even more quickly forgotten.)
Let me get this clear: I wholeheartedly believe that breathing is super important and anyone would benefit from improving their breathing methods. I will even try out the basic breathing exercise presented here! But "Perfect Breathing" is so bland and generic, it provides not a single insight that could be considered useful. It is a trove of fascinatingly basic facts like:
• Did you know a lot of processes in your body require oxygen?
• Did you know marathon runners need to keep track of their breathing?
• Did you know emotional intelligence is really important? And if you want to be aware of your emotions, why not practice being aware of your breathing first?
And banalities like these are repeated over and over, chapter after tired chapter. There are dozens of exercises, sure, but they are all pretty much a variation of: breathe in, hold, breath out. Sometimes, imagine you're breathing out of your feet. Sprinkle with positive affirmations.
50 pages in, I tried amusing myself by attempting to read each chapter with as few breaths as possible. I also read a couple of chapters hyperventilating. None of it helped. I finished the rest of the book yawning.
June 12, 2018
It’s not an exaggeration to say that there is no set of yogic practices with a greater power to transform one’s life than breathing exercises (pranayama.) With this in mind, I’m always on the look out for new sources of insight into breathing – be it from free-divers, Buddhists, sports scientists, yogis, martial artists, or else-wise. This book provides an overview from a diverse set of experts with descriptions of a number of different breathing practices (e.g. Taoist qi gong, yogic pranayama, a practice for runners, etc.,) but it takes as its central tenet a six-second breath that it recommends as the titular “perfect breath.”
Breathing practices are often underestimated. People, after all, figure that they’ve been breathing every day of their lives, so who can teach them anything on the subject. The idea of reading a book on breathing is right up there with watching the paint dry or the grass grow for excitement. Unfortunately, in parts – many densely pack up front – the authors do too little to dissuade readers of this belief. In early chapters and sprinkled throughout, the book is rife with truisms and banal comments that will leave the rankest neophyte thinking they aren’t going to learn anything of value. That said, I’m glad I kept with it, because the authors convey some powerful insights by telling the stories of people from various walks of life who’ve achieved great things by improving their breath.
The book is organized around a central structure of breathing as a tool for improvement of body, mind, emotion, and spirit. This is sound approach to covering the topic, and the discussion of breath as a means to emotional control is particularly beneficial and welcome. It could be argued that the coverage of the topic of spirituality could have been jettisoned without much loss. The authors talked around the subject in away that was vague and insubstantial. To be fair, they may have been trying to avoid running afoul of individuals who were either secular / scientific (non-spiritual) or who had strong sectarian beliefs on spiritual matters.
The book has seven parts. Part I consists of two chapters that offer an introduction into the topic. These could have been pared down without substantial loss of value. Part II (Ch. 3 – 8) is entitled “Your Perfect Breath” and it discusses developing awareness of breath, body, emotion, spirit, and introduces the fundamentals of how one should breath the “perfect breath.” Part III (Ch. 9 – 12) explores the role that breathing practices can have on improving health outcomes. It’s well established that the body puts healing / rebuilding on hold under high stress, when the sympathetic nervous system is engaged. Breathing practices can help trip parasympathetic (rest and digest) activity. Part IV (Ch. 13 – 15) is of particular interest to athletes and those who want to perform better at some physical or mental activity. In addition to discussing both physical and mental performance, the authors devote a chapter to what is sometimes called Flow (Csikszentmihaly) or The Zone, and how breath can play into quieting the mind to facilitate said state. Part V (Ch. 16 – 19) is about breathing as a means to take control of one’s emotional life. People in the throes of emotional turmoil are unlikely to notice how that turmoil influences their breath, but it has a major impact -- and it’s a two-way street, i.e. one can help mitigate excessive emotional response through breath. Part VI (Ch. 20 – 21) is devoted to spirituality and the nexus of breath and prayer or meditation. The final part (Ch. 22) explores the idea of the final breath. I thought this was a valuable discussion, given the tremendous anxiety of coming to one’s last breath and its impact on people’s lives.
There are no graphics in the book. They aren’t greatly missed, but might have been useful in places. (It’s probably more accurate to say the authors could have gone into more depth if they’d used graphics and not stayed in such vague territory.) There is an appendix that lists and briefly describes the included exercises, and the e-book / Kindle version includes hyperlinks to the detailed description in the book’s interior. Having a link to the practices is a useful feature. There is also a short section of recommended readings.
While it took me a bit of time to get traction in reading this book, once I did, I learned a great deal. I would recommend it for anyone who is interested in an overview of breathing practices for health, emotional control, and increased physical performance. The authors transmit expertise from a broad range of experts from various walks of life.
Breathing practices are often underestimated. People, after all, figure that they’ve been breathing every day of their lives, so who can teach them anything on the subject. The idea of reading a book on breathing is right up there with watching the paint dry or the grass grow for excitement. Unfortunately, in parts – many densely pack up front – the authors do too little to dissuade readers of this belief. In early chapters and sprinkled throughout, the book is rife with truisms and banal comments that will leave the rankest neophyte thinking they aren’t going to learn anything of value. That said, I’m glad I kept with it, because the authors convey some powerful insights by telling the stories of people from various walks of life who’ve achieved great things by improving their breath.
The book is organized around a central structure of breathing as a tool for improvement of body, mind, emotion, and spirit. This is sound approach to covering the topic, and the discussion of breath as a means to emotional control is particularly beneficial and welcome. It could be argued that the coverage of the topic of spirituality could have been jettisoned without much loss. The authors talked around the subject in away that was vague and insubstantial. To be fair, they may have been trying to avoid running afoul of individuals who were either secular / scientific (non-spiritual) or who had strong sectarian beliefs on spiritual matters.
The book has seven parts. Part I consists of two chapters that offer an introduction into the topic. These could have been pared down without substantial loss of value. Part II (Ch. 3 – 8) is entitled “Your Perfect Breath” and it discusses developing awareness of breath, body, emotion, spirit, and introduces the fundamentals of how one should breath the “perfect breath.” Part III (Ch. 9 – 12) explores the role that breathing practices can have on improving health outcomes. It’s well established that the body puts healing / rebuilding on hold under high stress, when the sympathetic nervous system is engaged. Breathing practices can help trip parasympathetic (rest and digest) activity. Part IV (Ch. 13 – 15) is of particular interest to athletes and those who want to perform better at some physical or mental activity. In addition to discussing both physical and mental performance, the authors devote a chapter to what is sometimes called Flow (Csikszentmihaly) or The Zone, and how breath can play into quieting the mind to facilitate said state. Part V (Ch. 16 – 19) is about breathing as a means to take control of one’s emotional life. People in the throes of emotional turmoil are unlikely to notice how that turmoil influences their breath, but it has a major impact -- and it’s a two-way street, i.e. one can help mitigate excessive emotional response through breath. Part VI (Ch. 20 – 21) is devoted to spirituality and the nexus of breath and prayer or meditation. The final part (Ch. 22) explores the idea of the final breath. I thought this was a valuable discussion, given the tremendous anxiety of coming to one’s last breath and its impact on people’s lives.
There are no graphics in the book. They aren’t greatly missed, but might have been useful in places. (It’s probably more accurate to say the authors could have gone into more depth if they’d used graphics and not stayed in such vague territory.) There is an appendix that lists and briefly describes the included exercises, and the e-book / Kindle version includes hyperlinks to the detailed description in the book’s interior. Having a link to the practices is a useful feature. There is also a short section of recommended readings.
While it took me a bit of time to get traction in reading this book, once I did, I learned a great deal. I would recommend it for anyone who is interested in an overview of breathing practices for health, emotional control, and increased physical performance. The authors transmit expertise from a broad range of experts from various walks of life.
September 28, 2010
Too tired to exercise? No healthy cooking skills? Don't like fruits and vegetables? Do you want to improve your health but not really exert that much effort? Perfect breathing is for you. Lee and Campbell outline the many ways "perfect breathing" (taking a full deep breath from your belly) can benefit you. Unlike many self help books, there is no program for you to adopt, no massive changes to make to your lifestyle. All you have to do is adopt the six second breath and you are on your way to better health. Sure, there are other exercises which you can do or not do. There is even a handy appendix which summarizes all of the exercises in the books. But really, the authors would be happy if you just revert to the belly breathing you did naturally as an infant.
December 15, 2015
too many words, use the appendix to find the exercises.
Breathing is important and you're probably doing it wrong.
Breathing is important and you're probably doing it wrong.
September 25, 2018
There are a bunch of exercises, but most of them seem unproven. I've liked other breathing books better.
October 19, 2020
Provided some good breathing techniques will apply them to my daily living.
July 1, 2017
Perfect Breathing by Al Lee & Don Campbell is an indispensable resource for individuals seeking to learn the intricacies of what the ‘perfect breath’ entails.
For me, the notion of ‘perfect breathing’ was rather intriguing at first blush for a variety of reasons. The deeper one delves within the pages of this book, the easier it was to see the various ways individuals can end up carrying out imperfect breathing.
As the authors note:
“During times of stress – and that can be anything from lack of sleep, screaming kids, or a bad day at work to physical confrontations, overwork, or being chased by lions – we become shallow chest breathers. Chest breathing stimulates the sympathetic nervous system’s fight-or-flight response, a response we’ll speak of often. It makes the body react as if it’s in a state of emergency and produces a buildup of stress-related chemicals such as adrenaline and lactic acid. Researchers have found that prolonged shallow, rapid breathing – while necessary to protect us from immediate danger – can make us feel chronically anxious, fatigued, or disoriented. Shallow breathing also contributes to stress-related and stress-affected disorders such as PMS, menstrual cramps, headaches, migraines, insomnia, high blood pressure, asthma, back pain, and allergies.”[1]
That passage resonated with me quite profoundly, because before knowing that, because of stress and a particular disease shallow breathing plagued me quite often. Something else that bothered me often as well was holding my breath unknowingly in times of stress.
Fortuitously, the book also provides a kaleidoscope of breathing exercises that can help an individual breathe optimally.
Another small gem of information that’s shared by the authors regards one of the exercises suggested. The authors suggest [what we’ll call the 2-1-2-1 breathing technique] inhaling for two seconds, holding breath for one second, exhaling for 2 seconds, and holding for one second, and repeating as needed. This technique has been used by me for years now, while alternating with another one.
This was used in tandem with a modified 4-4-4-4 system, based on the suggestion of Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, in his book On Combat. Both breathing techniques help me greatly, except the later one helps me slow down not only my breath, but also helps slow down my mind a lot more which aids me personally in a variety of circumstances. The instances will dictate what feels right at the time for me.
In any case, as the authors note about the 2-1-2-1 breathing technique:
“This exercise, as simple and innocuous as it seems, is the most important exercise to master. Once you have developed the habit of slow, deep breathing and your body remembers that this is the natural way to breathe, it will slowly become a part of everything that you do. It will become your “secret weapon” when you need an extra burst of energy; it will become your rock when you are feeling emotional shattered; and it will become a peaceful, quiet refuge at times when you need sanctuary.”[2]
As someone who’s used this technique and others more and more over time several times daily, the benefits have been quite great for myself as well as those friends of mine who also chose to use it.
The authors also showcase easily a few dozen references to studies conducted in respect to breathing, stress, and various other physiological issues.
In its totality, this book is a masterpiece in the art of breathing, and it should be highly considered by everyone, particularly those experiencing stress regularly, or disease. Either way, the book has enough information for any individual to take advantage of this book. And the best part about it is that its advice is free, and easy to follow.
__________________________________________________
Sources:
[1] Al Lee & Don Campbell, Perfect Breathing, pg. 12-13.
[2] Ibid., pg. 53.
For me, the notion of ‘perfect breathing’ was rather intriguing at first blush for a variety of reasons. The deeper one delves within the pages of this book, the easier it was to see the various ways individuals can end up carrying out imperfect breathing.
As the authors note:
“During times of stress – and that can be anything from lack of sleep, screaming kids, or a bad day at work to physical confrontations, overwork, or being chased by lions – we become shallow chest breathers. Chest breathing stimulates the sympathetic nervous system’s fight-or-flight response, a response we’ll speak of often. It makes the body react as if it’s in a state of emergency and produces a buildup of stress-related chemicals such as adrenaline and lactic acid. Researchers have found that prolonged shallow, rapid breathing – while necessary to protect us from immediate danger – can make us feel chronically anxious, fatigued, or disoriented. Shallow breathing also contributes to stress-related and stress-affected disorders such as PMS, menstrual cramps, headaches, migraines, insomnia, high blood pressure, asthma, back pain, and allergies.”[1]
That passage resonated with me quite profoundly, because before knowing that, because of stress and a particular disease shallow breathing plagued me quite often. Something else that bothered me often as well was holding my breath unknowingly in times of stress.
Fortuitously, the book also provides a kaleidoscope of breathing exercises that can help an individual breathe optimally.
Another small gem of information that’s shared by the authors regards one of the exercises suggested. The authors suggest [what we’ll call the 2-1-2-1 breathing technique] inhaling for two seconds, holding breath for one second, exhaling for 2 seconds, and holding for one second, and repeating as needed. This technique has been used by me for years now, while alternating with another one.
This was used in tandem with a modified 4-4-4-4 system, based on the suggestion of Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, in his book On Combat. Both breathing techniques help me greatly, except the later one helps me slow down not only my breath, but also helps slow down my mind a lot more which aids me personally in a variety of circumstances. The instances will dictate what feels right at the time for me.
In any case, as the authors note about the 2-1-2-1 breathing technique:
“This exercise, as simple and innocuous as it seems, is the most important exercise to master. Once you have developed the habit of slow, deep breathing and your body remembers that this is the natural way to breathe, it will slowly become a part of everything that you do. It will become your “secret weapon” when you need an extra burst of energy; it will become your rock when you are feeling emotional shattered; and it will become a peaceful, quiet refuge at times when you need sanctuary.”[2]
As someone who’s used this technique and others more and more over time several times daily, the benefits have been quite great for myself as well as those friends of mine who also chose to use it.
The authors also showcase easily a few dozen references to studies conducted in respect to breathing, stress, and various other physiological issues.
In its totality, this book is a masterpiece in the art of breathing, and it should be highly considered by everyone, particularly those experiencing stress regularly, or disease. Either way, the book has enough information for any individual to take advantage of this book. And the best part about it is that its advice is free, and easy to follow.
__________________________________________________
Sources:
[1] Al Lee & Don Campbell, Perfect Breathing, pg. 12-13.
[2] Ibid., pg. 53.
Read
December 28, 2010This is an incredibly practical book that teaches about how important breathing is. Obviously, we all know that we need to breathe to live but most of us do not breathe correctly nor do we realize how many functions our breathing actually performs. Since this is the one most vital tasks that our bodies perform, doing it mindfully and re-teaching our bodies to do it correctly can only be a good thing.
April 1, 2014
Bardzo lekka książka o tym, co robisz w każdej sekundzie, czyli o oddychaniu. Przyjemnie się ją czyta można ją streścić jednym zdaniem: "Świadome oddychanie to sposób na doskonałe zdrowie, dobre emocje i spokój ducha".
Czytałam ją pod cel związany ze zdrowiem i sportem i znalazłam kilka ciekawych ćwiczeń oddechowych. W zasadzie można przejrzeć same ćwiczenia i wybrać te, których potrzebujesz. Reszta to przekonywanie, że oddech jest ważny. Ja już to wiem, a TY?
Czytałam ją pod cel związany ze zdrowiem i sportem i znalazłam kilka ciekawych ćwiczeń oddechowych. W zasadzie można przejrzeć same ćwiczenia i wybrać te, których potrzebujesz. Reszta to przekonywanie, że oddech jest ważny. Ja już to wiem, a TY?
November 1, 2012
I've been trying to read this for a few days now. There's alot of "theory" in the first couple of chapters. I need to get to the meat of how to use controlled breathing to enhance my life!
Tried, I breathe better, but I guess I will have to control my life in another way.
Tried, I breathe better, but I guess I will have to control my life in another way.
February 18, 2015
Our first breath prepares us for our last breath and this book can help with every breath inbetween the first and the last. Easy to read book broken into segments of body, mind and soul. Great breathing exercises for on and off the yoga mat.
August 24, 2013
Poletje 2013 - vsak dan sem vadil in imel na mobitelo opomnik triktrat na dan. Avtomatizma še ni, nekako me mineva motivacija.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews