Rebecca Dennis - And Breathe: The Complete Guide to Conscious Breathing for Health and Happiness

Begin by paying attention to your breath.

Even as you read these next few words, be aware of the breath.

Notice that you are breathing and notice the rhythm of your breath.

Realize that it is easy to read and be aware of the breath at the same time.

Notice the rise and fall of your breath.

Pay attention to the inhale and the exhale.

Notice the feelings and sensations of the breath flowing in and out.

Pay close attention to the flow of your breath.

Take in each word.

Are you ready to begin? Lets do it!

The most important thing in life is to breatheafter all, we live to breathe and we breathe to live. We cannot exist without it. The first thing we do when we make our entrance into the world is breathe, and it is the last thing we do when we exit.

A little statistic for you: we inhale and exhale around 20,000 times a day, yet most of us pay little attention to how we breathe or how deeply it affects us. So, why should we notice how we breathe? Its a sad fact that in our increasingly demanding and complex world very few people are aware of the detrimental effects that improper breathing can have on our health and general well-being.

We teach our young to walk, communicate, bathe, eat and socialize, yet educating them about the healing power of their breath is not a priority. Its not even on the radar, but trust me, that is about to change. I want to encourage you to be aware of your breath and share the multitude of wonderful benefits that emerge from breathing consciously. How we breathe is indicative of how we feel about life.

One of the reasons I wanted to write this book was to release self-empowerment to you, and to help you understand its power. Breathing consciously allows us to access all the answers that are inside us. Learning to breathe properly and connecting with our emotions enables our life-force energy to flow and deal with the obstacles and daily challenges that we face.

In short, our breath is our medicine, a powerful tool that all too often we take for granted. I want to take you on this journey into a deeper understanding of our breath and what it can do for us by sharing my experiences, offering handy tips, delving into medical and scientific research, and documenting my clients stories.

You may think you dont need to be told how to breathe. Its natural, right? We just do it without thinking, dont we? If you think that, this book is definitely for you, whether you are a stay-at-home mom, a student studying for your exams or a jet-setting CEO. I cant wait for you to experience the remarkable benefits of practicing healthy breathing.

Im going to include some simple, easy-to-remember exercises that can be incorporated into your daily life with a minimum of fuss. You dont need an expensive one-to-one session in a state-of-the-art yoga studio; you can do most of these exercises anywhereon the subway, at your desk, standing in the supermarket line, walking the dog, even in the bath!

These short, simple exercises are derived from everything I have learned from my teachings with some truly inspirational instructors. Once you get a routine going and a regular practice, these exercises will help you sleep, calm your nerves and leave you feeling inspired, energized and focused. Sounds like a miracle, right? Well, certainly in my eyes, it is!

When I first told friends I was teaching breathwork they would look confused, or would laugh at the thought of making a living from showing people how to breathe. If I had a dollar for every time I heard But we all breathe naturally, so why do we need to be taught how to do it? Id be writing this from my beach house in Mexico (sadly Im not). It sounds almost too simple, but hear me when I tell you that the majority of teenagers and adults have lost their natural ability to breathe fully. As a result of this, we slowly begin to shut down parts of ourselves. We are conditioned from an early age to control our feelings. Think about how we hold our breath when unwanted emotions bubble to the surface: our muscle tissues contract and our breath becomes restricted as we hold on to old conditioning patterns of behavior. Our body has a biological recording of our past with each breath.

The results I see from teaching breathwork are always so powerful they blow me away. I have no idea what is going to happen in a session. Each one is unique. I feel very blessed to have witnessed amazing transformations in the lives of the people I teach.

For example, one CEO came to me because hed started experiencing frightening panic attacks and could no longer attend board meetings or give presentations. Through our breathwork he came to understand what he was subconsciously holding on to, and the panic attacks ceased.