The healing power of the breath Simple techniques to reduce stress and anxiety, enhance concentration, and balance your emotions

Psychiatrists Brown and Gerbarg (coauthors, Non-Drug Treatments for ADHD: New Options for Kids, Adults, and Clinicians) have written prolifically on using complementary and holistic medicine to treat psychological symptoms and disorders. Drawing from sources including Buddhism, martial arts, and yoga, they have created a self-help book and CD set that teaches the reader seven breathing techniques in a step-by-step fashion. Although the mind-body connection is the basis of their breathing techniques, they do not wander into the area of spirituality, an approach that will make this book appealing to a wider audience. Offering vignettes of people suffering with PTSD, relationship problems, and recovery from mass disasters, the authors describe how breathing techniques helped their patients overcome anxiety and depression. They also detail how breathing techniques can improve athletic and musical performance and help people manage stress in their everyday lives. VERDICT Therapists, self-helpers, and readers interested in healthier lifestyles will all enjoy this work.-Frances Mentch, Cleveland State Univ. Lib. (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.