A Practical Guide to Breathwork: A Remedy for the Modern Human Condition

by Jesse Coomer, Kasper Van Der Meulen (Foreword)

You have been breathing your whole life; now learn how to breathe better to positively influence your mental and physical well-being. This book is exactly what it says it is, a practical guide. Nothing esoteric. Nothing “woo woo.” What you will find in this book can be applied today in a real way to improve your life. Learn how to use your breath to communicate to your physiology and psychology in predictable and replicable ways using nothing more than focused conscious breathing. You Will Learn: *How breathing communicates with your body *How to test and improve your CO2 Tolerance *Learn to read and write Breathwork Notation *Breathing techniques for calming down *Breathing techniques for increasing energy *Breathing techniques for improving focus during stressful situations *How to increase CO2 tolerance *Superventilation techniques for breaking the dopamine feedback loop *Pre-work-out breathing techniques and protocols *Post-workout breathing techniques and protocols *Breathing techniques for strengthening breathing muscles *Breathing techniques to enhance meditation *An Altered State Breathing Technique *How to build a daily practice around your needs *How to create a breathwork session with multiple techniques *Sample sessions *Multiple example daily routines for different goals *Tips for creating your own breathing techniques

Genres: Health, Self Help, Nonfiction

196 pages, Paperback

Published September 11, 2020

Reviews

[Ana-Maria Petre · Rating 5 out of 5]

A straight-to-the-point introduction to breathwork plus catalog of techniques one can try and experiment with at will. The title does it justice: the book is more than 60% practical, with little fluff. I have "read" it, but actually finishing it will be a longer endeavour as I try his suggestions in my own practice.

[Vytas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once you start asking questions and building the goals for your breathing habits - that's the book. Breathing 101. Breathing handbook

[Galia Angelova · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first part explains in plain English the role of the breath on the body, brain and mental state. In the second part the breath practices are explained for achieving different effects- relax, sleep, activate, improve sport performance... I listened to the audiobook , which contains also almost 2h of guided practices by the author, which are not included in the written book. I ended up buying also the paper book to be able to put together exercises for different occasions and for everyday practice. I highly recommend this book.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good stuff in this, but it was difficult as an audio book.

[Mrs Schuller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love how this book, in plain English, connects the dots between modern life and evolutionary biology. I loved it so much I consumed it in a week on audio. I’ll also be buy the book to be able to refer back.

P.s audio voiceover was a “no” and slight put off for me, but I loved the book so much I made it through.

[Chris C · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful book if your interested in how some simple breathing techniques can transform your life, from improving your health, to topping up your energy levels and also relaxing, unwinding and getting to sleep. I will be dipping in and out of this from now on

[Don Jurgens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic summary of the science of breathwork and as purported a wonderful practical guide to use as a reference.

[Kenneth · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Nestor book is more comprehensive if you’re looking for a deeper dive. But the second half of this book had very useful and clear sessions and ideas listed out for the readers to come back to.

[Oak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great practical guide to get into breath work - teaches you techniques for different situations very well and succinctly.

[Audio Athena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Non-audiobook review:

This is a very clear and easy to understand book on breathwork. It sticks to the facts, the science, so the modern-day person can accept the concepts without getting distracted by aspects of Eastern Philosophy that are commonly found in breathwork books. There's no talk of healing chakras, prana, etc. It is simply hyperoxic, hypoxic, breathing uppers, and breathing downers. I like Coomer's emphasis that we are all different and may experience each technique differently.

"There is no magic code; there are only the principles behind each part of your breathing technique, combined with your sense of interoception and your ability to focus."

That is far different, and better in my opinion, than most yoga specific breathwork books, which promise cures for every ailment but only if you do their magical ancient wisdom techniques just as they say to do it.