Discover the secrets hidden in yoga and modern physiology — and restore your natural, healthy, confident way of breathing in just 10 minutes a day.
Discover the secrets hidden in yoga and modern physiology — and restore your natural, healthy, confident way of breathing in just 10 minutes a day.
Healing, Healing (general), Yoga
A concise handbook on how to improve your breathing. It’s based on a centuries-old understanding of the breath-mind-body relationship, backed by current medical research. Your breath is both a friend and a force which can open you up to breathe in a better way. Starting as a complete beginner, you can, step-by-step, restore your natural breathing cycle, so easily lost due to health issues or to physical or emotional stresses. You can work through the exercises at your own pace, guided by advice, clear instructions, illustrations, encouragement and inspirational anecdotes. In time, you can enjoy a more open, upright posture, speak more confidently and have a deeper sense of well-being. You’ll be ready to start traditional yoga breathwork (Pranayama) should you wish. This book, recommended by some of the world’s most experienced yoga teachers, will also fill a longstanding gap if you’re a teacher of yoga or mindfulness, a physiotherapist or a psychotherapist.
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This short treatise represents a Yoga approach to breathing in clear, uncomplicated language that should be accessible to any interested reader. The Yoga terms that the author introduces are generally well explained and their meaning and necessity in the text becomes obvious in the contexts in which they are used. The text mixes a nicely judged balance of anecdote from the author’s life and practice as a Yoga teacher with an introduction to elements of Hatha Yoga. The accounts of Yoga teachers and practices are integral to the text and should not be off-putting to the reader with no experience of Yoga (like me). Some of the concepts such as, for example, ‘Inner Fire’ will probably strike some readers new to Yoga as odd. Generally, such terms are presented in such context that the new reader can understand their significance in Yoga. It should interest many readers that the author gives several instances in which the outcomes and benefits of Yoga breathing techniques are paralleled and supported by medical and physiological research findings together with recent references to this work. The benefits of Yoga breathing practices to spinal health and strength are well explained. The main body of the text comprises the exercises and techniques of a Yoga approach to healthy breathing and breathfulness. The description of the exercises is generally clear and precise and should be easily understood by the novice (me). The length of each chapter and the number of exercises in each chapter are such that a reader can work through a whole chapter without needing to break. This is nicely judged. The notion of ‘breathfulness’ is intriguing. The author persuasively writes about the mental and emotional benefits we might gain when we practise improved breathing patterns. The list of named exercises (and naming is good) at the end of each chapter is very helpful. [Speaking personally,] I thoroughly enjoyed reading [your book] and found it an easy read in the sense that it engaged me and made me want to read more. I certainly think that ’the less-informed reader should be able to follow your drift.’ I tried almost all the exercises as I worked through the book and I intend to continue practicing them. I found that I was eager to try something further which I think speaks for how a reader can engage with the book. I used types of ratio breathing techniques frequently in my practice particularly for breathing problems associated with anxiety and stress. They were a great ’tool’ in moments of acute distress. ~ Dr Martin B Haslam, Privately solicited review by a retired medical practitioner and counsellor
Taking a deep breath could do you more harm than good. This instruction is correct, but the interpretation often is not. Breathing is multi-dimensional and when taught by the right teacher, it has the power to transform physical and mental health for the better. Yoga instructors trained in breathing from a number of dimensions can offer their students direct knowledge to regulate their physiology easily, safely and quickly. These tools should be accessible to everyone and Breath for Health offers the gateway to just that. ~ Patrick McKeown, author of ‘The Oxygen Advantage’, ‘Atomic Focus’ and ‘The Breathing Cure’
Hutchinson has written the guide to breathing that every yoga practitioner, yoga teacher and yoga therapist needs to have on their bookshelf. This is a guide to learning and teaching breathwork that lays out simple practices for everybody, yet offers tremendous depth and subtlety. Michael has taken the teachings of TKV Desikachar and written the book that we have all hoped someone would take the time and focus to write. He uses clear and simple language, interesting case studies, stories and experiential practices to help the reader understand how to use pranayama to transform all layers of the human system. I will be using this book for all of my yoga and yoga therapy trainings going forward. The next growth cycle in the field of yoga is to see practitioners move from an asana focus to a pranayama focus. The timing of this book is perfect for the next phase of refinement to occur in the world of yoga. ~ Dr Amy Wheeler, Ph.D & C-IAYT, Former President of the Board of the International Association of Yoga Therapists (2018-2020)
Pranayama (breathing exercises) is the fourth Añga (limb) of the Astañgayoga (the eight-limbed Yoga), which has a major role in achieving the goal of Yoga. Without Pranayama there is no Yoga, meaning practice of asana without breath co-ordination will simply make it a ‘physical exercise’ and also one cannot look to graduate to Dhyanam (Meditation). Breathing being a natural activity, often practice of Pranayama is assumed to be an easy task. As one starts getting into it, the difficulty in achieving the basics of the right technique of breathing will sometime put off people to proceed further. Guidance has an important role in this task. In Hathayogapradipika Verse 1 of Chapter 2 Swami Svatmarama says “After practice of asana-s, one should start practice of Pranayama under the guidance of a teacher, having controlled the senses and following the right diet.” The book “Breath for Health” by Michael Hutchinson comes in handy here. It is next to impossible to teach Yoga, particularly Pranayama, through a book. A reading of the book makes it clear that Michael has taken all precautions to present the lessons in a very simple but accurate way. Interspersed with a lot of technical points and references to medical science, the step-by-step method adds value for lay practitioners. I congratulate Michael on his attempt to make the complex science of Pranayama simple, in which he has succeeded. ~ Yogacarya S Sridharan, Advisor, Senior Mentor, Yoga Therapist Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram, Chennai
In my travels around the yoga world investigating the teaching of different traditions, the breath work taught by students of Krishnamacharya in his later life was the most subtle and profound I encountered. Breath for Health presents a program based on these principles that allows even raw beginners to learn the basics of healthy breathing, and then step-by-step safely build up to more advanced practices. The results for health and well-being of following this deceptively-simple program can be life-changing. ~ Dr Timothy McCall, MD, Author, Yoga as Medicine: The Yogic Prescription for Health and Healing (Bantam), Co-Editor and Contributor, The Principles and Practice of Yoga in Health Care (Handspring)
Currently, most articles and books dealing with yoga are either oriented towards postures (āsana) or towards the philosophy of yoga. Few books deal with breathing. This is why Michael's fills me with joy. This is a useful and quality work; I wish him great success and thank him for this contribution. ~ Frans Moors, co-author of 'The Viniyoga of Yoga' and personal student of TKV Desikachar
Breath is essential to life and how we breathe affects the quality of our health and well-being. Michael's book is a guide to harnessing these qualities. Yoga's wisdom has inspired his approach and links us to the understanding that breath is life. ~ Gillian Lloyd, personal student of TKV Desikachar, Former Chair of Viniyoga Britain
