Free Your Breath, Free Your Life How Conscious Breathing Can Relieve Stress, Increase Vitality, and Help You Live More Fully

by LEWIS, DENNIS

• ISBN13: 9781590301333
• ISBN10: 1590301331
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-05-18
• Publisher: Shambhala

Summary

This book will show you how being aware of your breathing can have a profound impact on your physical and emotional health in a most positive way. Whether you are interested in stress reduction, easing a chronic breathing problem, or exploring the more spiritual aspects of breathing practice, this illustrated guide will provide you with practical, simple exercises to calm, energize, and generally enhance your sense of well-being. The author, Dennis Lewis, also shows how becoming more conscious of your breathing can reveal a lot about your self-image and help you deal more effectively with difficult emotions and situations.

Author Biography

Dennis Lewis is a student, teacher, and practitioner of Taoism and other approaches to healing and self-transformation. He has studied Taoist meditation and qigong with masters Mantak Chia and Bruce Kumar Frantzis, and has studied the Gurdjieff Work and Advaita Vedanta. Since 1993, Lewis has taught classes and workshops in natural breathing, meditation, and qigong in the San Francisco Bay Area and nationally. He is also the author of The Tao of Natural Breathing and the coeditor, with Jacob Needleman, of Sacred Tradition and Present Need and On the Way to Self Knowledge.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	xi
Introduction	1	(10)
Ways of Working with Your Breath
Overview	11	(2)
Conscious Breathing	13	(4)
Controlled Breathing	17	(3)
Focused Breathing	20	(4)
Movement-Supported Breathing	24	(7)
Position-Supported Breathing	31	(11)
Touch-Supported Breathing	42	(6)
Sound-Supported Breathing	48	(5)
Opening Up the Breathing Spaces of the Body
Overview	53	(2)
A Simple Experiment with Unnecessary Tension	55	(2)
Following Your Breath	57	(3)
Opening Up the Space of the Lower Back	60	(9)
Opening Up the Spaces of the Lower Rib Cage	69	(5)
Opening Up the Space of the Back	74	(4)
Opening Up the Space of the Chest	78	(15)
Breathe Everywhere at Once	93	(1)
Getting Ready to Stop	94	(1)
Set a Daily Schedule to Get in Touch with Your Breathing Spaces	94	(1)
Working with Your Breathing Restrictions	95	(2)
The Metaphysical Breath
Overview	97	(3)
How Our Self-Image Influences Our Breathing	100	(7)
The Power of Exhalation, of Letting Go	107	(8)
Going Deeper---Practices and Meditations for Self-Exploration
Overview	115	(1)
Conscious Breathing	116	(5)
The Six Healing Exhalations	121	(5)
The Smiling Breath	126	(5)
The Breath of the Heart	131	(4)
Expanding Time	135	(4)
The Boundless Breath	139	(4)
Appendix A: Other Core Teachings and Practices
The Ten Secrets of Authentic Breathing	143	(1)
The Importance of Breathing through Your Nose	144	(4)
The Art of Effortless Effort in Doing Breathing Exercises	148	(1)
A Conscious Standing Practice	149	(5)
A Conscious Walking Practice	154	(5)
Appendix B: Helpful Breath-Related Exercises for Daily Living
A Safe, Simple Exercise for Stress Relief	159	(1)
Slowing Down Your Breathing	160	(3)
Breathing to Transform Anger	163	(2)
Breathing to Reduce Pain	165	(2)
Relaxing Your Face Muscles for Freer, Easier Breathing and More Energy	167	(1)
Breath-Related Shoulder Rolls for Neck and Shoulder Tension	167	(3)
Isometric Exercise with Belly Breathing for Neck Tension	170	(1)
Emergency Stress and Blood Pressure Reduction Exercise	170	(3)
Appendix C: Suggested Practice Routines
One Size Does Not Fit All	173	(1)
Daily Breathing Practices: Twenty to Thirty Minutes	174	(1)
Opening Up Your Breathing Spaces: Forty-five to Sixty Minutes Twice a Week	174	(1)
Stress-Buster Exercises: Two to Five Minutes	175	(1)
Daily Healing Practices: Ten to Sixty Minutes	175	(1)
Learning to Let Go and Live in the Present Moment: Thirty Minutes Daily	176	(1)
Notes	177	(10)
For Further Exploration	187	(4)
Index	191