The Tao of Natural Breathing: For Health, Well-Being and Inner Growth
What the Critics Have To Say
"... eye-opening book ... exquisite description of the simple act of
breathing ... a good start in re-educating ourselves to 'whole-body breathing.'
... this is a book to make you (and all your organs) smile."--Patricia
Holt, San Francisco Chronicle
"Insightful in its breadth and simple in its presentation, The Tao of
Natural Breathing offers something new, especially to those skilled in
pranayama (yoga breathing exercises). Dennis Lewis presents practices that
are less about control and more about letting go. He gently entices us to allow
our conscious breath to become the teacher, the healer, and the expression of
our soul." --Judith Hanson Lasater, Ph.D., P.T., author of 30
Essential Yoga Poses
"The small, comprehensive, exquisite book spreads before the reader the
knowledge and guided breathing experiences necessary to begin to return to
natural breathing. ... a beautiful exploration of breathing. ... Just reading
the book is a meditative experience."--Somatics Magazine-Journal
"Lewis draws on his study of the Gurdjieff Work, Advaita Vedanta, Mantak
Chia's Healing Tao, as well as Feldenkrais and Middendorf approaches to show how
our habitual patterns of breathing undermine our health, reduce our vitality,
and diminish our sensory and emotional awareness."--Yoga Journal
"By the time you finish reading this delightful book, you will probably
be breathing in a new and more vital way. ... Through the gentle, natural
practices outlined in this book, we can all readily overcome lifelong patterns
of poor breathing..."--Nathaniel Mead, Massage Therapy Journal
"The practical breathing exercises he presents here build in complexity,
though all are designed to return the reader to the simplicity of conscious body
experience. This holistic approach to health is a welcome respite from the
no-pain, no-gain variety of fitness books."--Library Journal
"In The Tao of Natural Breathing Dennis Lewis offers an
insightful and fascinating explanation of the therapeutic importance of
breathing, and explains why trained breathing meditation can provide a greater
perspective of life."--Kenneth R. Pelletier, PhD, author of Sound
Mind, Sound Body
"The Tao of Natural Breathing ... examines whole-body breathing
as a form of self-healing ... Illustrated with line drawings, the book gives
clear directions for visualizations and such Taoist techniques as 'bellows
breathing' to expunge toxins and 'reverse abdominal breathing' to build energy
and strengthen the immune system."--Publishers Weekly
"Dennis Lewis has spent much of his life studying, and practicing
breathwork, having worked with the methods of Gurdjieff, Vedanta, and most
recently, with the Healing Tao methods of Mantak Chia. Mr. Lewis has synthesized
a truly in-depth, yet readily comprehensible text that takes much from Eastern
esoteric traditions and places them firmly in the Western shelf ... I have
incorporated several of the exercises into my daily practice and have only
benefited. The Tao of Natural Breathing will serve admirably as both a
how-to and a reference."--Dr. Mark J. Lanweiler, Qi Journal
"Breath can be seen as the vital link between life and death, birth,
transcendence, between the physical and spiritual planes. It can also affect our
relationship to the body and psyche. The Tao of Natural Breathing is a
helpful and enlightening guide to just how that happens."--Solala
Towler, Gnosis
"I like this book. It is a simple, clear, and easy-to-read exposition of
the basic principles of breathing... . Dennis views breathwork not merely as an
enterprise of learning new approaches to breathing. For him it is a matter of
'perceptual reeducation, of learning how to experience ourselves in an entirely
new way, and from an entirely new perspective.' ... I believe that Dennis
has created a very useful book for yoga teachers, therapists and students ...
all-in-all, this is a book to be read, studied and most of all, practiced."--Richard
C. Miller, PhD, The Journal of the International Association of Yoga Therapists,
Volume 8, 1998
"Drawing from a number of ancient and modern sources, including Taoism
and Gurdjieff, the author shows how breath, and, in particular, 'natural'
breathing can be a vehicle for personal and spiritual growth and
well-being."--IONS Noetic Sciences Review
"In this excellent book, Dennis Lewis moves far beyond the simple
mechanics of breathing naturally. He shows how the breath connects our inner
world with the vast scale of the outer world. ... This is one of the best books
on health and well-being that I have ever read."--Bodhi Tree
Bookstore Review
"The Tao of Natural Breathing is a book that can change your life
and how you view yourself if you take the information provided in it seriously."--Artemis
Morris ND/MSAOM, The Library Letter, Spring 1998
"Through his {Dennis Lewis'] style of writing, you sense yourself riding on
an endless tide, and you sense yourself as the tide you are riding on. The
reader is constantly brought back to the breath, to the act of breathing, just
here and right now. His writing has the effect of centering the reader right
there. ... Reading him I was reminded of those works of literature, where the
novel turns in on itself, and you find out that the book in your hand is looking
back at you. You don't as much find your way into the book, as you find yourself
so deep into its meaning, that you see yourself. ... an extraordinary read.--The
Journal of Qigong in America (Vol 11, Winter, 2005)
"The Tao of Natural Breathing by Dennis Lewis is filled with drawings,
insights and guidance from an objective and subjective internal “organic”
awareness. Dennis walks his talk and knows well the terrain. This approach
towards understanding common denominators of breathing will guide many towards
health and well being as well as help dissolve cross cultural barriers. We ARE
one and breath IS life. Easily one of the top five books on breathing."--
Michael Grant White, “The Breathing Coach,” in a review on Amazon.com
Purchase The Tao of Natural Breathing on Amazon.com
