Shambhala, Ratgeber, The Tibetan Yoga of Breath: Breathing Practices for Healing the Body and Cultivating Wisdom (Englis...

Excerpt from the introduction: "As I prepared to write this book with Anyen Rinpoche, I delved into the medical research that has been done on the subject of the breath and the health benefits of bringing the proper amount of oxygen into the blood, with the assistance of my Vajra Sister Sarah Teague Johnson. I was amazed at how the yogis of India and Tibet, with no access to modern technology or research instruments, gained a thorough knowledge of the effect of the breath, proper and improper, on our physical, emotional, and spiritual health. Not only did these classic masters understand the problems caused by improper breathing in a way that perfectly corresponds to modern medical science, but they also knew how to remedy these problems with very simple techniques. These breathing 'treatments' and 'cures' are as easy as working with posture, nasal breathing, and the elongation of the inhalation and exhalation. The benefits of these contemplative techniques can also be explained with a detailed understanding of medical science. How amazing that the masters of old could have knowledge that is so true, so exact, and so pertinent to our health in the modern world. "In this book, we have attempted to provide the most useful information for those interested in starting to practice wind energy training, using medical science as a starting point. Yantra Yoga, with its rich oral and textual tradition, has its own parallel way of describing the negative effects of oxygen and carbon-dioxide deprivation on the body, mind and emotions. By weaving together the knowledge of these two sources, the modern and the mystical, we hope many readers of this book will be inspired to start working with the tradition of wind energy training.".