Insomnia? Gone. Anxiety? Gone. All without medication. Unpleasant side effects from blood pressure pills? Gone. A cheap and effective way to combat cardiovascular disease, immune dysfunction, obesity, and GI disorders? Yes. Sounds too good to be true? Believe it.
Contemporary science confirms what generations of healers have observed through centuries of practice: Breath awareness can turn on the body's natural abilities to prevent and cure illness. The mental and physical stresses of modern life, such as anxiety, frustration, sexual dysfunction, insomnia, high blood pressure, digestive woes, and immune dysfunction can all be addressed through conscious control of your breath. In addition, it can increase energy, accelerate healing, improve cognitive skills, and enhance mental balance.
Yet most of us stopped breathing in the anatomically "right" way, the way to take advantage of these benefits, when we were four or five years old. We now mostly breathe in a way that is anatomically incongruous and makes for more illness. Dr. Vranich shows readers how to turn back the tide of stress and illness, and improve the overall quality of their life through a daily breathing workout. In a fascinating, straightforward, jargon-free exploration of how our bodies were meant to breathe, Dr. Belisa Vranich delves into the ins and outs of proper breathing. By combining both anatomy and fitness with psychology and mindfulness, Dr. Vranich gives readers a way of solving health problems at the crux and healing themselves from the inside out. BREATHE is an easy-to-follow guide to breathing exercises that will increase energy, help lose weight, and make readers feel calmer and happier.
About the Author :
As a clinical psychologist with over twenty years of experience, DR. BELISA VRANICH has spent the last decade dedicating herself to the study of breathing. She is the founder of The Breathing Class and has appeared in dozens of national media outlets, including Anderson Cooper, CNN, Fox, The Today Show, Good Morning America, Inside Edition, The Wall Street Journal, Cosmopolitan, Men's Fitness and Huffington Post. She is the former sports psychologist for Gold's Gym
Review :
Praise for BREATHE:
"Breathe was a game changer for me and after only a short time of doing the exercises I was considerably improved. Not only is Dr. Belisa extremely knowledgeable about her subject, but her intuitive sense and sincere care shine through on every page of her book. Healers like Belisa are hard to come by, so I feel very fortunate to have found her."--Jen Widerstrom, trainer, The Biggest Loser
"The key to staying calm is your breathing. In this book, Dr. Belisa teaches us to breathe in a way that immediately calms us, and hence everyone around us. Simple, practical and extremely effective."--Cesar Millan, dog behaviorist and bestselling author
"Clear, simple, powerful - in her new book Dr. Belisa shows why everything starts with the breath, and how to improve your breathing for mental and physical health, energy and maximum performance. The ideas in this book -- and Dr. Belisa's techniques -- are a revelation."--Jason Fine, managing editor, Rolling Stone
"Revitalize sleep, energy and mood with this easily accessible program that taps into our body's most innate health function, the breath!"--Patrick McKeown, author of The Oxygen Advantage
"Breathe is basic training for the breath. Dr. Belisa Vranich's book is a must read for anyone serious about taking control back of their health through the free medicine of breathing. I personally use these principles with my SEALFIT athletes and have seen profound results."--Mark Divine, New York Times bestselling author
of 8 Weeks to SEALFIT, The Way of the SEAL, and Unbeatable Mind, Founder of SEALFIT
"Dr. Vranich has managed to lay out a convincing, accessible and friendly guide to making friends with your breath. This is the book to give to someone who suffers from stress, headaches, sleeplessness, or any of the multitude of modern day ills, yet hasn't made the connection between these conditions and something very simple: poor breathing patterns. Every single cell in the human body requires oxygen to create energy--learning to breathe more effectively may be the best thing you ever do for improving your health."--Donna Farhi, author of The Breathing Book
"Dr. Belisa Vranich is the real deal. Her book, Breathe, and breathing workshops are a must for everyone looking to optimize their health and life!"--Michael Galitzer M.D., author of Outstanding Health
"We are living at a time when we are so caught up in 'doing things' and trying to keep up with the rapid escalation of information and media that we often forget to stay connected to that which is most essential -
BREATHING. Rudolf Steiner informs us that the average person breathes 25,900 times daily. How we breathe has a radical influence on the balance of our autonomic nervous system, our acid/alkaline balance, our digestion and elimination, and our posture and the muscles themselves. Dr. Belisa Vranich has put together a simple, effective program to help anyone learn to breathe effectively, which is an essential first step to body-mind integration."--Paul Chek, Holistic Health Practitioner, Founder, C.H.E.K Institute
"Breathe expertly combines relevant science, repeated inspiration and pinpoint guidance to propel readers to develop a fundamental tool to restore their health: a regular breathing practice. With this book, Dr. Belisa Vranich lays out in plain English -- and wonderful humor -- how to reclaim your vitality and reboot your body by doing something we all forgot how to do long ago -- breathe!"--Anthony J. Lyon, MD, Medical Director, The Ash Center, NYC
"I was smiling - and breathing! - as I read Dr. Belisa's wonderful book, Breathe. With a great sense of humor, and an even greater understanding of her craft, she reminds us how breathing is our birthright, despite its neglect by modern (wo)man. She further connects us to our breath with relevant hows and whys, and empowers us to reclaim respiration with practical exercises. A full, deep breath benefits us on so many levels; I frequently recommend breath work to patients and am delighted to now be able to recommend this book." -- Stephanie Marango, MD, RYT, founder of i.m.body, author of Your Body and The Stars
"Over the last few years, it's been refreshing to see some individuals in the fitness industry shedding light on the importance of proper breathing and the benefits it has on one's overall well being. BREATHE differentiates itself from the pack in its thorough explanation of proper body mechanics. I've had the fortunate experience of working and studying with Dr. Belisa, and as a result have had tremendous success with my own training as a martial artist, fitness enthusiast, and firefighter. I have also applied her methods in training clients, students, and probationary firefighters in understanding the proper breathing techniques, which has led to their own success. BREATHE will teach the beginner and the elite athlete alike how to take the necessary steps in an easy-to-understand system to feeling and looking better."--Joe March, Firefighter, NASM CPT CES MMASC, BJJ blackbelt
"Dr. Belisa Vranich draws on her years of clinical knowledge, skills, and insights to provide critical information in a direct way. Breathe equips us with essential and innovative tools that allow us to rejuvenate our physical and mental well-being."--Dr. Adeyinka M. Akinsulure-Smith, Senior Supervising Psychologist at the Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture and Associate Professor at the City College of New York and The Graduate Center, City University of New York
"The concept of breathing awareness may strike some readers as far-fetched and unsubstantiated by scholarly research, but Vranich will win them over with her detailed descriptions of strenuous-sounding but practical exercises to expand lung capacity and improve diaphragm strength. For those suffering from shortness of breath or ailments related to breathing or core strength, this work and its accompanying exercises depict an appealing and methodical program for improvement."--Publishers Weekly
Testimonials for Dr. Vranich's Breathing Class:
"With her remarkable talent for making important health information poignant and practical, Dr. Belisa is a wealth of information like no other." --Lisa Oz, Radio and television personality, six-time New York Times Bestselling Author including You: The Owner's Manual series
"Innovative and effective stress relief. Amazing experience. It made such a difference in my clarity and energy. Just spectacular!"--Dr. Mathew Reid, Capt., US Army Medical Corps, Emergency Dept., Atlanta GA
"I left Dr. Belisa's feeling like I was walking on air."--Drew Grant, New York Observer
"A lightheaded, blissed-out state that, for some, borders on hallucinogenic. Even Xanax can't compare."--Katie Becker, W Magazine
"Successful, long-term weight loss needs you to address your stress/cortisol levels as cortisol causes your body to hold on to fat. Breathwork and meditation is the most successful way to do this, and Dr. Belisa teaches this in an easy, fast way. Many of my clients have worked directly with Dr. Belisa and see immediate results in not just their waistline but in their overall happiness! Bravo, Belisa, for showing us how!"--Lyn-Genet, author of New York Times bestseller The Plan: Eliminate the Surprising "Healthy" Foods That Are Making You Fat - and Lose Weight Fast
"This was the most effective class I've ever taken. It changed the way I felt instantaneously."--Julia Edelstein, Real Simple, Staff Health Editor
"Dr. Belisa's class helped alleviate my sciatica like no other treatment, so I was able to perform at Carnegie Hall once again! It is extraordinary."--Ieva Siuksta, The Manhattan Symphony Orchestra violinist, New York City
"Dr. Belisa is an incredibly open and gifted healer of others and her book is full of her amazing wisdom!"--David Elliot, healer and author of Reluctant Healer and Healing
