Purposeful Breathing

Do you want to learn to uplift your energy to take on the world? Or perhaps you are looking for a tool to help calm an anxious mind or deal with depression? Purposeful Breathing by experienced psychologist Greg Smith is a masterclass in taking control of your mind and body using your most underrated superpower, your breath.  Grounded in practical examples and illustrated by case studies, this book melds Eastern traditions and Western science to give you access to the life-changing power of breathing with control and purpose.

Purposeful Breathing is a practical, user-friendly guide to simple breathing skills that can rapidly reduce states you don't want (such as stress and anxiety) and increase states you do want (such as feeling stronger, performing better or relaxing).

The breath is a remarkably powerful mind-body connection.  Anxiety, anger, deep calm or steady concentration each have their own patterns of breathing and we move between different styles of breathing every day without usually realising it.  If we can recognise these styles of breathing, we can also consciously change them.  People usually think of thoughts, feelings and physical states as different things, but if we think of moving between different 'modes' - survival mode, calm modes, meditative states - then it is easy to see that ways of thinking, feeling perceiving and breathing are all interlinked.  The breath can be used as a key to change these modes.

For anyone suffering from anxiety, feeling calmer can hapin in a breath or two.  For anyone wanting to boost performance,t he right breathing skills will help them to get into 'the zone' of peak performance.  Purposeful Breathing also teaches breathing skills for longer term health and healing, all of which are informed by new discoveries from psychology and neuroscience.

Greg Smith has been a psychologist for over 35 years helping people to overcome difficulties with anxiety, depression, trauma, life crises and relationship issues.  He has also taught counseling psychotherapy at graduate level for many years.  He combines this experience of psychotherapy with a focus on the positive psychology of human potential and has completed a doctorate on 'Inspiration in Everyday Life'.  He is also a qualified yoga teacher and in recent years has studied the exciting developments through which Western science in beginning to provide explanations for many of the things known experientially in the East for so long.

Purposeful Breathing

Dr Gre Smith

Exisle Publishing

RRP: $34.99

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