The Power of Breath - by Swami Saradananda (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A leading yoga and meditation teacher shares step-by-step breathing exercises for 5 types of breath--revealing how a steady breathwork practice can enhance your mental and physical well-being.

Breathing is the most fundamental of our body's physical processes and our most intimate companion--yet most of us give it little to no thought. However, once fully acknowledged and harnessed, the power of the breath is unlimited. It can ease stress and anxiety, boost energy and stamina, enhance self-confidence, sharpen the ability to focus, strengthen the quality of voice, and even relieve pain.

With The Power of Breath, renowned yoga teacher Swami Saradananda aims to give gentle yet powerful guidance on the art of breathing, from the basic practices to its myriad effects on the mind and body. She explores the 5 types of breath and provides breathing exercises for each one:

- Vitalizing (prana)
- Nourishing (samana)
- Expansive (vyana)
- Cleansing (apana)
- Expressive (udana)

She also offers mini programs for targeting specific common ailments and issues such as asthma, skin disorders, depression, lethargy and phobias--plus ways to harness your breath to enhance vocal, dramatic, or sports performance.

With evocative artwork, inspiring photography, and easy-to-follow guidance, this book will enhance and affirm your daily life through the power of breathwork.

Review Quotes

"This is a much-needed jewel of a book, offering a range of effective breathing practices--some simple enough to read and try immediately--while helping people understand the esoteric aspects of prana (did you know there are five kinds?)."
--Pamela Miles, spiritual mentor, Reiki master, and author REIKI: A Comprehensive Guide

"This book brings clarity, light and ease of practice to the ancient art of pranayama. Understanding and regulation of breathing brings balance to the nervous system so that physical and mental health follow naturally. All levels of practitioners will find guidance in this valuable and knowledgeable book."
--Robert Moses, yoga teacher and co-publisher of Namarupa Magazine and Namarupa.org

"The blissful depth of Pranayama can be experienced in no other way but through dedicated practice. Only one who has felt the true 'power of the breath' can share it with so much of love, beauty and clarity. Swami Saradananda has proven once again that she is a true Yogacharini through this delightful and wise exposition of subtle aspects of Pranayama, that hidden treasure missing from most modern Yoga teachings."
--Yogacharya Dr. Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani, Chairman ICYER at Ananda Ashram

About the Author

Swami Saradananda is an internationally renowned yoga and meditation teacher who has been teaching for almost forty years, and is the author of a number of books, including Chakra Meditation, Relax and Unwind with Yoga, Yoga Mind and Body, The Essential Guide to Chakras and Mudras for Modern Life. For 26 years, she worked with the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres and directed their facilities in New York, London, New Delhi and the Himalayas. After an extended period of personal practice in the Himalayas in 2001, she was author in residence at the Peacemaker Community in Western Massachusetts, and she then went on to direct yoga and meditation retreat Haus Yoga Vidya, near Cologne, Germany. For the past few years, she has lived between London and New York but she spends several months each year teaching in Germany and several more in India. Swami Saradananda teaches yoga worldwide, leads pilgrimages to India and writes extensively.