How to Take a Breath

Book excerpt: Breathing well can bring about improvements in a surprising number of areas of your life. This skill is usually taken for granted. Surely you just breathe in ... and then you breathe out...? But experienced physiotherapist and breathing dysfunction specialist Tania Clifton-Smith has been helping people correct their breathing patterns for over 30 years and has seen at first hand what a difference it makes. Includes chapters on: Why breathe well? Self-awareness and self-checks The stress connection Meditation, mindfulness and breathing Why does breathing change? Recipe for breathing well Breathing well at all ages and stages Sports performance and recovery Voice production Cough, hoick, spit Pain management Beyond the body and mind - a Maori perspective