The Healing Power of the Breath: Simple Techniques to Reduce Stress, Enhance Concentration, and

Balance Your Emotions by Richard Brown, MD and Patricia Gerbarg, MD, (Shambhala, 2012)
As pioneering researchers in the field of mind body practices and mental health, Drs. Gerbarg and Brown
have researched the ancient traditions, both Eastern and Western, and know what works. They keep it
simple--no religion, no deities--just clear breathing instruction easily introduced in a clinical setting or
for use at home.
The authors have researched across cultures to find universal practices that they describe in simple
language that is easy to follow. The anchor breath upon which other practices are added is Coherent
Breathing, an even inhalation and exhalation that slows the breathing rate to five breaths per minute.
This simple breath increases heart rate variability and balances the stress-response system.
In each practice, the authors offer trouble shooting tipswhat to do if your nose is stuffed up, what if
you fall asleep, what if you run out of breath, or what if the practice hurts the throatso that practice
can be adapted to every readers circumstance.
The authors suggest a combination of practices that they call Total Breath. This practice includes
Coherent Breathing, the yoga pranayama Ujjayi, which they call Resistance Breathing and Breath
Moving, an ancient practice from China, which involves visualizing the breath moving through different
parts of the body. Its fascinating to learn that many of these practices were developed independently
in Hawaii, and by Russian monks. Traces of these practices, say the authors, have remained as part of
the training for elite Russian Special Forces soldiers.
There are stories of healing in relationship through breath practice, as well as the beneficial impact on
the symptoms of post-traumatic stress syndrome. I came away [from a two-day workshop with the
authors] with a sense of being reunited with my life and my loved ones, says a woman deeply affected
by the terrorist attacks on September 11
th
, 2001. The authors have taken their breathing training,
Breath~Body~Mind to areas of the world where disaster has struckthe Sudan, first responders to
the attack on the World Trade Center and into a clinical setting for those who have suffered from early
childhood trauma. Brown and Gerbarg discuss these cases with compassion and insight, often using the
patients words to describe their positive changes as a result of the breathing.
In addition to the narrative descriptions, the Appendix contains clear charts that indicate how and when
to use each practice and the suggested order of practice.
In the CD included with the book. Dr. Brown leads listeners through each exercise. This is a wonderful
learning tool that can be used daily to guide your own practice.
--Amy Weintraub, author of Yoga Skills for Therapists (W.W. Norton), Yoga for Depression (Broadway
Books).