Belisa Vranich - Breathe The Simple, Revolutionary 14-Day Program to Improve Your Mental and Physical Health

BREATHE

The Simple, Revolutionary
14-Day Program to Improve Your
Mental and Physical Health

DR. BELISA VRANICH

St. Martins Griffin New York

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In memory of Liam Mikael Kowal.
Life is precious, please dont drink and drive.

To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

This book would never have seen the light of day without the vision of my literary agent, Peter McGuigan, of Foundry Media, and the inspiration of Senior Editor Daniela Rapp, of St. Martins Press. To them I give heartfelt thanks for having the foresight and open-mindedness to understand the far-reaching significance of the inhale and exhale on the body, mind, and soul. To the Foundry team of Emily Brown, Kirsten Neuhaus, Alicka Pistek, Heidi Gall, and Claire Harris, and to the St. Martins/Macmillan team of Brant Janeway, John Karle, Angelique Giammarino, Anne Marie Tallberg, Jessica Preeg, and Dori Weintraub, I express my deepest appreciation for their poignant feedback. I wish to acknowledge the contributions of those forward-thinking writers and journalists who covered this topic in its youthLisa Held, Carole Sabas, Sumathi Reddy, Cassie Shortsleeve, Marissa Stephenson, Jason Fine, Alix Strauss, Anna Maltby, Joshua David Stein, Drew Grant, Phyllis Korkki, Amy Maclin, and Alison Davis. I openly express my debt to Vernick Alvarez for his steadfast friendship, even under grueling deadlines; to Max Smith for his patience in translating my impulsive e-mails; to Connor Mitchell for his modeling skills in the illustrations; to the capable artists Gerald Echeverria and Hilary Mockewich for their talent and remarkable flexibility.

Steve Kardian was a stalwart, unfaltering in his belief in Breathe from day one. Kellen Mori and Patricia Moreno were always there for me with their unfailing encouragement, as were Tricia Williams and Peder Regan with their unswerving support, and Jeff Burns of Sci Med Media with his time and valuable input. I would also like to thank my yoga teacher, Monica Jaggi, and my dependable assistant and sister-friend, Alyson Cook, without whom Id be helplessly teaching on my own in California. Don Saladino, you have truly been my anchor in your generosity and friendship over this year. For their mentorship in business and friendship alike, I thank Melissa Hobley, Martin Lindstrom, Karrie Wolfe, and Corinne Pipitone.

Shirine Coburn, my friend, neighbor, and impromptu business mentor, Im so lucky to have you in my life. Cesar Millan recognized the importance of breath in both man and dog, Serena Lee generously gave her legal advice and wit, and Henry The Professor Akins was unfailing in his encouragement and friendship. Earnest thanks are due to Adam Furman, Buddy and Renata at Saibot Media Inc.; my UK team, Caspian Dennis, Sandy Violette, Ben Fowler, Michelle Pilley, and Jo Burgess; and Kim and Denise of Bikram Yoga University Village. For their enduring encouragement throughout the year, I must express my gratitude to Shawn Perine, Sejal Patel, David Wallace, Robert Penzel, Social Diva Peg Samuel, Jen Widerstrom, and Hank Nation. To Tom Hermann and Agent Gregory Saunders, I deeply appreciate your understanding of the importance of breathing for endurance and stress management. I would also like to thank Joe March for his tenacity in bringing this part of health to light and, of course, David Elliot for introducing me to breathwork from its inception. Thank you, Caitlin Mitchell, for your unwavering friendship and generosity in helping this book to move forward and the classes to succeed. Dr. Amy Brown, your guidance and insight have been priceless. Rachel Ash, Dr. Anthony Lyon, Maureen Dodd, Dr. Stephanie Marango, Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, Dr. Jack Mantione: thank you so much for inviting me to be part of the team. I cannot close without recognizing the role of Sean Hyson, for coming along this path with me in so many waysa veritable testament to our friendship.

What if I said I had a medicine that would keep you calm but alert? That would relax and energize you? That would help you recover, boost your immune system, lower the oxidative stress that causes aging, power you up, and fuel every cell in your body, from your frazzled brain to your taxed muscles? Youd say, Give it to me, right? Well, here it is. And no side effects. Take it every daydoctors orders.

Life-changing? Yes, thats a word I keep hearing over and over from my clients. The first time, I thought it was an exaggeration. Life-changing? I cocked my head. Yes, life-changing, they would insist, often after only the first session.

Teaching people to breathe is giving them the easiest lifehack everit fixes the problem (whether its breathlessness, anxiety, pain, or acid reflux) from the bottom up, providing an immediate and almost confusing sense of relief. Changing your breathing truly does affectimmediatelythe body, mind, and soul. And, most important, the impact takes place at both the cellular and the muscular levels.

You know your breathing could be better. Maybe it just gets stuck somewhere on the inhale, or you simply feel that you can never get enough air; or maybe you just sense in your gut that something isnt quite right. You know how good a big, relaxing sigh and a deep, deep breath feel, and you wish you could hold that sensation longer. You may not know the first thing about respiration and pulmonary medicine beyond the plastic torso youve seen in your pediatricians office, or the poster for the Heimlich maneuver youve stared at while waiting for your food at your favorite take-out place, but the idea of breathing better resonates with you. However, it sounds daunting

Your body wants to breathe in the way it was designed to: in an anatomically congruous way. Right now, its not.

Think about that feeling of picking up something you once did well. Something you put aside because life got complicated and the years went by. You start out tentatively, feeling rusty, and then all of a sudden, the motor scooter balances, the piano keys all seem to be in the right placeand your body remembers.

My background as a clinical psychologist working with children led me to focus intently on how the information about breathing was presented in a learning situation. When someone says, How come no one ever explained it this way?, usually with an expletive or two along the way, or This is so easy but so game-changing, I know I have reached my goal.