Exhale: 40 Breathwork Exercises to Help You Find Your Calm, Supercharge Your Health, and Perform at Your Best

by Richie Bostock

Overview

More than forty simple breathing exercises to help you transform your physical and mental health and improve performance and emotional well-being

We take between seventeen to twenty-nine thousand breaths per day. Yet most of us aren't aware we're breathing incorrectly, and in the process are increasing our chances of fatigue, headaches, digestive issues, sleep disorders, chronic stress, and anxiety.

However, having more energy, sleeping better, and performing at your best can be as simple as taking some breaths in certain ways. Breathing is the secret weapon you never knew you had!

In Exhale, Breathwork coach Richie Bostock shares more than forty exercises to use your breath to feel and perform at your best. With strategies researched in the lab, along with practices employed by ancient cultures as well as Navy SEALs, Exhale will show you how to find a solution to many of life's everyday challenges. Whether you're hoping to reduce stress and anxiety, increase energy levels, improve sleep, rejuvenate creativity, tackle a hangover, or boost athletic performance, the easy-to-master conscious breathing techniques you'll learn in Exhale are the ultimate tools to transform your well-being.

A PENGUIN LIFE TITLE

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780143135326
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	10/13/2020
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	272,722
Product dimensions:	5.51(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.72(d)

About the Author

Richie Bostock is one of the world's leading practitioners in Breathwork, having spent years traveling across five continents learning from many of the modern-day masters in the discipline. Currently, he holds workshops and retreats across the world and works with large organizations such as Google, Unilever, and Ernst & Young. He continues to work on a one-on-one basis with athletes, fitness influencers, and high-profile clients, as well as regularly partnering with leading fitness brands such as Lululemon.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Change your breath, change your life 1

1 Born to breathe 9

Beginning a journey with the Iceman Discovering and defining Breathwork

2 What kind of a breather are you? 29

Get acquainted with your breathing muscles

Learn to recognize different types of breather

Take the three Breathing Tests and find out how you breathe

3 The 21-day Breathe Right program 63

Introducing the 21-day program to optimize your day-to-day breathing

4 Your daily Breathwork tool kit 97

Morning Motivator-breathing to wake up the body Afternoon Boosters-breathing for energy Stress Busters-breathing for relaxation Evening Calmers-breathing for sleep

5 A world of breathing techniques 125

Mental well-being-anger and frustration

Road rage

Nervousness

Anxiety and panic attacks

Performance anxiety

Mental rehearsal

Decision-making

Creativity

Focus and concentration

Meditation

Sports performance-nasal breathing benefits

High-altitude training

Post-workout recovery

Physical health-better sex

Quitting smoking

Headaches and migraines

Asthma

High blood pressure

Pain

Hangovers

Nausea and motion sickness

The Wim Hof Method-autoimmune diseases

Endometriosis

Chronic pain and fatigue

Irritable bowel syndrome

Altitude sickness

Integrative Breathwork-the extraordinary healing power of the breath

Conclusion 203

Acknowledgments 207

References 209

Further reading 211

Index 215

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Exhale and Richie Bostock
 
“This book will show you that there is a lot more to breathing than you think! Read it and learn Breathwork to strengthen and improve your physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. Richie has gathered a wealth of knowledge and skills from some of the best Breathwork teachers in the world. And he has put together his own simple yet powerful set of exercises and techniques that will quickly have you breathing better, feeling better, and performing better! Take his breathing tests. Learn what kind of breather you are. Practice the exercises to increase mobility and flexibility in your spine and torso. Follow his brilliant twenty-minute ‘daily routine’ for twenty-one days and you will be amazing at the benefits! Exhale is an outstanding contribution to the art and science of Breathwork from a genuine student of the breath and an avid student of life. I highly recommend it!”
—Dan Brulé, author of the international bestseller Just Breathe: Mastering Breathwork for Success in Life, Love, Business, and Beyond

“Richie has a deep, experiential understanding of Breathwork. As with all the best teachers, his passion for conscious breathing techniques and his determination to bring them to a wider audience stem from his own personal journey. He conveys the practical ideas behind many different breathing disciplines in an easy, engaging way, allowing more people to access the potential of healthy breathing for life-changing health and resilience. Highly recommended!”
—Patrick McKeown, author of The Oxygen Advantage

“A fantastic guide to one of the most important exercises we’ve completely forgotten about. This book will help you refine the life enhancing practice of simply breathing properly.”
—Dr. Rupy Aujla, MBBS, BSc, MRCGP, founder of The Doctor’s Kitchen

“A book that will literally transform lives mentally and physically for years to come by simply learning the impact of the breath—for me personally, having a lung disease (cystic fibrosis!) and being an athlete, this is an essential tool kit to not only improve my health and impact my life positivity, but also my performance in ultra endurance. An educational but inspiring book that had me hooked from the first line, one I’ll be reading time and time again, which includes everyday practices to improve the way I breathe, enable me to control stress, and improve my sleep. Richie really is building a legacy one breath at a time—it’s truly powerful and empowering.”
—Sophie Grace Holmes, coach and ultra-endurance athlete 

“Richie is an extraordinary individual, dedicated to facilitating deep healing and transformation. He has a strong intuition and is committed to the guidance of human flourishing through development of community and collaboration with trusted expertise. My personal experience of Breathwork with Richie has been life changing. I truly began to see that within us all there is the possibility for deep peace and connection.”
—Dr. Tamsin Lewis, founder of Wellgevity, holistic and personalized medical service to guide your health span
 
“I’ve participated in breath work with Richie in groups, one-on-one, and in online sessions and am delighted that he is now offering the benefits of his knowledge, wisdom, and kindness to the world in the form of this book. Exhale is your comprehensive guide to understanding what type of breather you are, guiding you toward a more fulfilling life by simply changing the way you breathe. Amazing!”
—Dr. Zoe Williams, MBBS, DRCOG, MRCGP

From the Publisher