Breathwork Books

I am always looking for books that treat the woman as a complete person--mind, body, sexuality, etc. It is very difficult to find a book that does this. Until I came across Dr. Taylor's book. What a star she is. I have transformed my health and eating habits through following her program. I am sharing this book with all my friends. It makes a great gift for someone you really care about. Kudos to Dr. Susan Taylor!

A close friend of mine recommended Dr. Taylor's book to me, as she had taken a workshop Dr. Taylor gave at the Learning Annex in NYC, and thought highly of her work and ideas. I have only been on the program laid out in the book for 2 weeks, but the difference I am feeling in my energy and vitality is downright extraordinary. I read the entire book in one night, as I found it so engaging and readable (she has a great sense of humor too). I was impressed to discover how deeply the her ideas are grounded, academically and scientifically. Normally pretty skeptical about things that smack or even hint of new age nonsense, it became clear very quickly that this was a book rooted in research, wisdom-and common sense not common enough. I have changed my diet, and am in the process of changing my way of looking at myself in terms of sensuality and vitality--and the reaction I am already getting from friends and strangers suggests that it's not all in my imagination. This is an integrated, holistic view and treatment, of the mind and body-and I recommend it HIGHLY to anyone wishing to recover -or maintain vitality, health, and radiance. (Don't get waylaid by the title-it's about that but also so much more!).

Susan Taylor's very readable and engaging book makes some very good points, but as with many books of its type, successful practitioners of everything she advocates would need to fit the profile of her anecdotal cases - who all seem to be actors, opera singers, etc. That is, women in glamor professions with very flexible hours and plenty of money, not to mention leisure for endless self-focus. As a single working woman of average income (and a one-hour lunch break), I don't have TIME for her elaborate meal preparations, especially at lunch, or the money to afford the multitude of ingredients. (With the recent citrus freeze, her fruit shake recipes alone make for a $5 breakfast.) And if it's hard enough for a single woman, how many married women or women with children have time to toast their own oats for breakfast? Sounds like a Martha Stewart parody. I started trying to follow the plan, but I can see I won't make it until the next payday. Home-made falafil for lunch? Wouldn't it be nice. And who eats the rest of the four cups of chickpeas, since the recipe plan changes daily? As for never eating after 7 p.m., I rarely make it HOME before 6:45! Just once I'd like to read a book of health recommendations NOT written for the leisured upper middle class - a book that acknowledges that affording vitamins can sometimes be a problem, and that it's NOT "simple" to track down all of this rotating fresh produce. As for Taylor's book, I'd like to see the recipes re-written as single portions - OR an acknowledgement that this one serves 4 (at least, I can't believe that two pounds each of three leafy vegetables is a single serving!). In other words, a tiny dose of reality to go with the pep talk and the illustrations that reinforce the idea that sexual love is for the physically perfect (or maybe that's her point).

I love the integration of East and West. The best of all possibilies. The passion and energy of this author is apparent on every page. And to meet her was further reinforcement that she practices what she teaches. A must for very woman (or man) of any age.

Dr. Taylor provides a simple presentation of the fundamentals of metabolism combined with sexuality. For those who come from different walks of life, her program is adaptable. It is for those who want to take charge of their health. What I liked most is it is authentic offering clear difinitive ways that people can restore their vitality. This is definitely material for Oporah. I hope we see Dr. Taylor in the media. Her message supports the health and welfare of humanity. Three cheers to Dr. Susan Taylor. You have helped me change my life. I will pass your book on to others.

I recently heard about Holotropic Breathwork, rebirthing, and other associated non-ordinary states on consciousness from an online alternative healing forum. It seems like an interesting concept. A way to allow the body and mind to let go of whatever obstacles it's holding onto so that healing can naturally occur. I wanted to learn a bit more so I started looking for more resources.

The Breathwork Experience by Kylea Taylor is the foremost guide to Holotropic Breathwork. The book intuitively covers all of the answers that those new to this methodology would ask: what is it, how does it work, what happens during a session, can I do it alone, etc. The author also cleared up a lot of confusion that I had about the qualifications that I should look for in a good facilitator, extremely important being as the process requires such openness and willingness to experience what should occur. Now, I am armed with knowledge and some further resources about Holotropic Breathwork and other programs.

One of the more easily understood psychotherapeutic models of using the breath as an adjunct to therapy, personal transformation and recovery. Michael Grant White, Breathing Specialist

Kylea Taylor's beautiful little book (135 pages of text, expanded with Appendices)is a labor of love, and a testimony to her devotion to the work of Stanislov and Christina Grof. Their particular combination of accelerated breathing, spirituality, a supportive field, and evocative music is called Holotropic Breathwork. The short descriptions of experiences of amazing healing and remission of symptoms, and relative freedom from unwanted recurring behavior patterns are compelling. As a breath-worker myself, I longed for the text to live up to the overly-expansive title. Only 8 (of 20 or so)leading breathwork approaches are even named, and the barely adequate descriptions are given in one or two paragraphs buried in Appendix A. In short, this is a manual on Holotropic Breathwork masquarading as The Breathwork Experience.

If you're curious about Holotropic Breathwork and don't want to spend the time reading really in depth psychology books on the subject, then this would be a good book for you.

Also it is written in a style that makes it easier for woman to identify with.

I understand some of the comments posted here from less favorable reviews. But, I also believe the people writing those reviews are probably a bit further down the path in terms of their understanding about the importance of breath work. So, of course it would seem boring to them to learn about the author, the value of learning how to breath well, etc. But, as a counselor and someone who values the importance of breathing, I find most of my clients enjoy this book. They find it a good first step and especially like the techniques and pictures. Of course, if they want to spend a little more I encourage them to take it to the next step and get The Breathing Box: 4 Weeks To Healthy Breathing. That is really my favorite item from this author. - Dr. Lisa Love, Beyond the Secret

If only we breathed as we began life doing! As Gay Hendricks puts it:

"if you want to see healthy diaphragmatic breathing, watch the way a baby breathes. The belly rises and falls effortlessly with the breath. The chest moves somewhat, but the primary movement is below the diaphragm. Later, breathing becomes restricted as the baby is affected by the various shocks life has to offer. It is rare to see poor diaphragmatic breathing in kindergarten, but it is rare to find proper diaphragmatic breathing by high school." (p. 44)

CONSCIOUS BREATHING is notably well written, lacking the smart alecky colloquial banter that even weight loss giants like Mehmet Oz (YOU ON A DIET) feel compelled to sport.

The book abounds in drawings. Early on we are led inch by inch as a single breath works its way into our lungs, deposits its oxygen and removes carbon dioxide (pp. 4 - 7). Take air in through the nose, not the mouth. That warms your breath and purifies it. See the four lobes of the lungs, all resting on the diaphragm. Breathing better, says Gay Hendricks, will increase your oxygen by 5% per breath.

And better breathing means better health. One Minneapolis hospital studied 153 heart attack patients. Not one breathed "in the effective abdominal style." Rather they tensed stomach muscles and therefore not enough oxygen got to the bottom of their lungs. And 76% of those heart attack patients were mouth breathers, not nose breathers. (p. 17) Surprisingly small amounts of the body's toxins are "discharged through sweat, defecation and urination." A whopping 70% of toxins are removed by exhaling. (p. 17)

Dr Hendricks's principal action recommendations boil down, I think, to the following five:

What are the GENERAL elements of proper breathing throughout the day?

--(1) Breathe in with your stomach muscles relaxed. Breathe, that is, like a baby.

--(2) Breathe through your nose, not your mouth.

--(3) Do not hold your breath. (This is not easy, as we instinctively clench up when faced with pain or danger.)

What additional recommendations relate to systematic breath EXERCISING?

--(4) When doing "breathwork," i.e. conscious breathing exercises, do them slowly, gently.

--(5) Block one nostril, then the other.

Dr Hendricks stresses that his book is based on his 20+ years of doing and teaching conscious breathing. He believes that theory is still way behind practice. But theory there has been and is and he points toward some of it in his Appendix B: "A Bibliographical Note." There he begins with Wilhelm Reich, commending the 1984 biography by Myron Sharaf, FURY ON EARTH. For the personally inarticulate Moshe Feldenkrais, Hendricks suggests beginning with Thomas Hanna's 1980 THE BODY OF LIFE. He also cites books on Hindu psychology and western medical and bio-feedback traditions.

This is a rich, very well written book. I have omitted far more topics than I have sketched. If you have not given much thought to the subject but are nonetheless seriously concerned to improve your breathing -- for whatever reasons -- I can recommend CONSCIOUS BREATHING unreservedly. -OOO-

The author speaks from years of experience teaching people how to lower their stress and improve their health by learning how to breathe correctly. Very readable with clear instructions for the exercises. I'm using it with my yoga students. It's been life transforming.

Suggestions if you want to waste your money on this book.
1. Skip pages 1 -60 useless, boring, information about the author.
2. Read only areas that are in bold. These are the exercises.
3. Skip all the filler. It is about the author lending no interest, content, inspiration, etc. to the book.
4. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY. THIS APPEARS TO BE NOTHING BUT A PRODUCTION AUTHOR WHO CRANKS THESE THINGS OUT EVERY FEW MONTHS. Its as if he wrote the whole thing in a day. The exercises are just rehashed from other people's books and videos.

I agree with the reviewers who gave low marks....

This book is empty. Very little content, very little substance.

Of course, if it's the first time you ever heard of conscious breathing or tried it, it will definitely do some good (which explains the positive reviews, if indeed they are from real readers and not the author).

Any small effort in conscious breathing will help people remove stress and feel better, so yes, this disappointing book may have some merit.

I'm looking for a better book on the subject, any recommendations?

Eternal Breath is a beautiful book. It offers many details and wonderful, authentic stories about Leonard Orr's amazing life and work. I personally know Leonard, and I feel that Pola has captured his amazing Spirit and personality with great accuracy and heart-felt care. This book is a great documentation to the history of Rebirthing. I also recommend Rebirthing in the New Age for anyone desiring to learn more about Leonard Orr and the story of how Rebirthing was born.

Seven years of research and self-exploring resulted in the book `A Voyage in Consciousness.' A.J. McGettigan, a 41 year-old author grew up in Pennsylvania, but moved to California soon after his 18th birthday. He needed to get away to explore many things inside himself and now was the time to learn how to dance. To dance to many different songs as we will have to learn to deal with many different people in different relationships.

The book focuses on how we must be aware of our inner feelings and consciousness before we can `mingle' with other people to create relationships. McGettigan tells us about scarcity consciousness and abundance consciousness and these concepts are the keywords through the book.

My favorite chapter was `Dancing to the many songs.' It was in this chapter my consciousness awoke and made me think about the importance of my own consciousness in proportion to those I'm closest to. If you meet a person you fall in love with or get a new job there will always be something new to explore and learn. It can take months - even years - to get the steps right to the rhythm of the song.

This book is a very interesting read both for young adults and those older adults who are still in search for their inner self. It's never too late to learn how to dance to a new song.

Curious that the book is 23+ here?

I thought this book was an absolute waste of money. It was more of a infomercal for her workshops than anything else. I didnt get an idea of the techniques she uses at all from the book (other than a conscious breathing exersize i nthe beginning of the book) but rather heard lots of case stories of how fabulous her work was. The book hype so turned me off that I cancelled my participation in a workshop.

WOW! The book was fascinating and almost unbelievable until I had a facilitated Transformational Breath experience. It was amazing. Much more powerful than previous Holotropic or Rebirthing breath sessions. My life has been totally transformed and revitalized. Through the book and the session, I saw how wonderful and simple life can be. It starts with correct breathing..

this book is a good introduction to deep breathing as a modality to work on emotional issues.After reading the book a class with trained facilitators would be the next step.

Dr. Judith Kravitz has done a beautiful job of describing the most powerful healing technique we have seen so far. The best part is that there is no ongoing cost! Breathing is still free. The stories of total transformation give me hope that there is finally a universal self help modality. I look forward to facilitating this amazing process. Check her website at breath2000.com.

I, as a few of the other reviewers, found the title to be a bit misleading. When the word Shamanic was used, I figured I would be reading a bit more 'weirder' breathwork stuff than I ended up reading.

Overall though, the book is an excellent introductory on the different types of breathwork that one can participate in. It also talks about her theories and techniques, which a practicing breathworker can also adopt as their own.

I would recommend this book to anyone that is curious about breathwork. If you are looking for more of a text-book, then there are better ones out there.

My situation being in search of a tool that can help me with Shamanic Journeying - am a bit weak in the drumming/ visualising thing and understand breathwork might help induce the desired trance state. The blurb above suggests this book demonstrates how breathwork can be applied to among others, the shamanic experience.
By page 81 I am feeling a bit discouraged. So far it seems some background has been supplied on the subject with an emphasis on origin, terminology and protocol. It feels like I have attended a very short lecture aimed at people that are interested in running (politically correct) breathwork (workshops). There seems to be a general vagueness at this stage concerning whether one can pursue this independently, with emphasis being on a facilitator/client orientation. I have noted fleeting insignificant parallels drawn between breathwork and shamanism.
By the time I reach it, I am doubting there will be anything in the book that I can use, but because Part Three is titled Beginning Breathwork, I understand perhaps an actual breathwork "how-to" will now be divulged...
The next chapter: Grounding and Awareness provides pointers to prospective breathworkers and exercises for prospective breathers. Some case histories are thrown in to demonstrate elements/ problem areas of Grounding and Awareness, as well as some of the spin-offs. I'm keen to get to the part that says okay, Grounding and Awareness; check, next step.
Instead there are more pointers aimed at the prospective breathworker, and a whole bunch of case histories, and I am really starting to loose my patience. Then potential hazards with breathwork (and how to deal with them). Breath Mastery starts off with a whole bunch more case histories, moves on to some exercises/ experiments and wraps up with more parallels with Shamanism.
That Shamanism provided a framework within which Joy could interpret her interest in breathwork gets explained, so its not quite a "This is how Shamans use this to enter trance" thing.
I'm in two minds about this book at this point. Maybe at another stage it will grab me and progress in my journey will be impossible without it, but at this stage it just frustrates me.
I did kind of feel reassured that at least some of the things I wish to achieve can be achieved with this tool, its just this book felt more like it was ABOUT the tool and was not actually THE tool (but then maybe it was never meant to be...).

Something happened on the journey from the book store to my living room. Whatever it was about this book that initially caught my attention was completely absent by the time I got through the first few chapters.

If someone is shopping for books on meditative breathing, I'll venture a guess that their main goal is to find out "how can I do this myself?" Instead, the readers of "Conscious Breathing" are treated to a repetitious series of pseudo-academic snippets about the histories and schools of thought surrounding breathwork.

The author also indulges us in a number of melodramatic descriptions about her "re-birthing" experiences and expends considerable effort to convince us that we, too, are reaching out to shamanic breathwork in order to come to terms with the traumatic events in our own birth and early childhood. Breathwork may have helped the author in this regard, but the self-pity exuding from these narratives did not help me find the peace and relaxation I was going for when I bought the book.

I give the book two stars to pay due credit to the fact that, moreso than the other books I browsed in the New Age section, it did bring my attention to a meditative tool that may one day transform my life -- even if the book itself didn't.

This is a very good book on breathwork. People who have an interest on breathwork focusing on holotropic breathwork and rebirthing will find it informative and easy to read. Her personal style and method of breathwork is called The Consious Breathing Method. Shamanic Breathwork is a style of breathwork that has been trademarked by Author and Breathwork Facilitator Linda StarWolf who runs Venus Rising Institute For the Shamanic Healing Arts.

The Spirit of Breathwork. A collection of lectures from the International Breathwork Foundation 1994-1999 Editor Gunnel Minett.

Reviewed by Vivienne Silver-Leigh

This book is a unique collection of lectures on the subject of Breathwork, These were all given between 1994-1999 at the annual Global Inspiration conferences of the International Breathwork Foundation (I.B.F.). by practitioners of Yoga and Pranayama , Chi Kung, Tai Chi , Holotropic Breathwork, and Rebirthing.

Gunnel Minett, a founder member of the organization and Editor of Breath and Spirit, transcribed the lectures of this collection of scientists, psychologists, therapists, and others, who came from several different countries..Many of them came from non-English speaking backgrounds, but gave their talks in their own flavour of English. Whether they call themselves Breath Therapists, Rebirthers, Psychologists, or Psychotherapists, they are all passionately interested in the Breath and how it can be used to create change, both chemically and psychologically.

The aim of the IBF was stated at its formation "to provide an opportunity for people world-wide to learn from breathwork and to use it as a therapeutic and transformational tool to reach health in body, mind and spirit". This book is its first production and it reflects the vibrancy and growing strength of the organization.

The 28 contributions to the book are presented under various headings:Breathwork and Spirituality, Breathwork and Psychology, Breathwork for Business. If you want to to extend your knowledge of Breath as a powerful tool for change there is much useful information. Academic and scientific presentation sit beside challenging claims for the successes of Breathwork practice. I enjoyed the personal stories, of Breathworkers and how they work in medical or clinical settings in their own countries.

Dr. Wilfred Ehrmann, Psychotherapist/Breathworker from Vienna, contributed two very important talks:"Breath is your companion," and "Sharing the Breath". In the first he considered Breathwork as a therapeutic tool, and in the second what Breathwork can learn from Psychotherapy.

From Dr. Joy Manne, Buddhist Psychologist, of Switzerland came "What is Rebirthing?", and "Rebirthing - an orphan therapy or a part of the family of psychotherapies?" . In "Breathwork - Instant Charm and Hidden Dangers" Russian scientist Dr. Sergei Gorsky discusses altered states of consciousness and how Rebirthing brings these about. He describes the chemistry of the body, its changes and the need to establish balance between the conscious and unconscious parts of the psyche, and the unsuitability of Breathwork for people with immature personalities.. In "The Role of Carbon Dioxide in a Rebirthing Session" he challenges the idea that Rebirthing is about oxygenation of the blood and the brain because Russian research has proved otherwise..

From the US, Kylea Taylor, author and Holotropic Breathwork Trainer at the Grof Institute, spoke on Ethics of a Right Relationship between Breathworkers and their clients, and how to deal with the spiritual sides of the work. From Professor Arturo de Luca of the University of Jean Monet in Brussels and the University of Rome comes material linking Music Therapy and Breathwork. Tilke Plateel-Deur, Director of the Institute of Integrative Breath Therapy in Holland considers the inner qualities desirable for students training in this field.

This first creation from the International Breathwork Foundation survived various traumatic production problems over transatlantic co-operation, which has resulted in unfortunate printing and layout errors. Nevertheless it is a very useful reference resource which gives an overview of approaches to Breathwork today. Hopefully it will stimulate more research and more publications in this neglected field.

The Spirit of Breathwork: Lectures from Global Inspiration, editor Gunnel Minett
The International Breathwork Foundation, Holland, 2001

This book is a collection of lectures from the Global Inspiration Conferences 1994-99 which is sponsored annually by the International Breathwork Foundation (IBF). The conference brings together breathworkers from over 20 countries. It is a forum for leading breathworkers from around the world to share their skills, knowledge and research, thus supporting the development of breathwork professionally.

Breathwork as a therapy is relatively new in the realm of mental health in western society. Due to its experiential nature and the history of its development, it has (with the possible exception of Holotropic breathwork) suffered from a lack of theoretical development and a scarcity of good literature. A body of well presented literature grounded in clinical practice would help explain breathwork to the world in general as the incredibly effective psychotherapeutic technique that it is. It would also help the profession to grow and evolve. A part of the IBF's brief is to promote the development of breathwork, and this book is its first foray into publishing.

The book is divided into six sections which correspond to the six conferences covered by the volume. Each conference has a theme which heads each chapter and they make an interesting guide to the direction breathwork has taken over the past decade as well as illustrating the improving quality of literature in the field. The contributions vary widely in quality and style from the purely personal, through new age woolly headed, to well-written, well-researched essays that make a valuable contribution not just to the field of breathwork, but to psychotherapy in general.

The opening lecture is an attempt to liken the history of the world to the process of birth, something which makes no sense to anyone with a reasonable knowledge of history. However, the contributions move on fairly quickly from this. The author, Sergi Gorsky PhD, makes other more valuable contributions in his later lectures on subjects such as the role of carbon dioxide in making breathwork so effective, and on the limitations of breathwork and its unsuitability for certain people. The first lecture is followed by a purely personal account by a Swedish clinical psychologist, Ingrid Wallin, of how she uses breathwork with her clients. This is the first in a small number of personal accounts of how some breathworkers practice their craft. These essays are interesting because they give glimpses into the potential for breathwork in a variety of fields, including the invaluable part it could play in mainstream psychotherapy. It would be nice to see them expanded with a greater level of detail.

As the years progress, the contributions in general begin to focus more and more on psychotherapy, breathwork's relationship with mainstream psychotherapy, and the realistic contribution breathwork can make to social integration. These essays place breathwork within a context, bring it in from the lonely landscape that is the home of the maverick, the rebel, the outsider. Breathwork takes place within a social structure and within a long established system of mental health care (Dr. Joy Manne, Rebirthing: An Orphan Therapy or a Part of The Family of Psychotherapies?, Dr. Wilfried Ehrmann, Sharing the Breath). These essays acknowledge that fact and begin the examination of the place of breathwork in society. There are very interesting and well thought out contributions on ethics from Holotropic Breathworker, Kylea Taylor, on the relationship between breathwork and psychotherapy from Manné and Ehrmann as well as from Dr. Gerhard Stumm and Dr. Alfred Pritz from Austria. There are also valuable contributions on how breathwork relates to social and economic life; the role it can play in social integration (Bo Walstrom from Sweden) and as a model for a new kind of business structure (Dr. Steve Minett from the UK). There are also interesting contributions on meditation from Eirik Balvoine from Norway who explains meditation simply but not simplistically, and on aspects of psychology such as the psychology of sub-personalities from Tilke Patteel-Deur from Holland.

This book has its faults. It is replete with typographical errors, most notably on the cover itself. Many of the contributors were not writing in their native language. There are gaps in some of the theories put forward. Some ideas are either not adequately explained or not fully thought out. This could be caused by language difficulties and if so, more stringent editing could have helped. Or it could be the result of careless writing. Whatever the reason, the result is that, in parts, this book can be quite irritating.

The contributions are transcriptions of lectures. At the time of giving the lectures contributors were not asked to write them up in acceptable academic format with references and a bibliography. Very few of the contributors submitted references and bibliographies for inclusion in this book. It is a great pity. For a long time breathworkers have been making claims for their therapies without supporting their ideas with research or reference to documented clinical practice. This does not do justice to a wonderful and invaluable therapy, and in fact, it may have done harm. The inclusion of references would lend credibility to these often very valuable contributions, would support the development of the profession, and would allow readers whose interest has been stimulated by these very interesting lectures, to explore the literature further. If there is to be another volume of Global Inspiration Conference lectures, these flaws need to be rectified by both the contributors themselves and the editorial team.

It would be nice if this book could be reprinted paying attention to its weaknesses. However, it is worth reading. It is stimulating, thought provoking and an important step in documenting the contribution breathwork is making in the field of mental, emotional and spiritual well-being.

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