Book Review: Science of Breath A Practical Guide
We’re back with another book review! In my last post, I mentioned that the book I’d just finished prompted me to start reviewing books. Specifically, the conversation about breath in that book was intriguing enough that I wanted to dive deeper. So I went to my boyfriend and asked him what book I should read next if I wanted to learn more about Pranayama, specifically, and he went to his library, emerging with my next two reviews.
I can already sense your eye roll: "Mia, it’s breath. It’s an automatic function—wtf are you on about?" But breath is foundational to many practices, like singing, yoga, meditation, and many other various sports and hobbies. This is something I’ve been vaguely aware of for quite some time, especially from my years in choir and band, where we were taught basics like standing up straight and breathing with the diaphragm and again later when I started to get into Hatha yoga and meditation. Fun Mia fact: diaphragmatic breathing was also a topic of heated debate with a particularly contentious ex of mine. So if you don’t believe in anatomy or science, feel free to skip this post. But if you're curious, let’s dive into Science of Breath: A Practical Guide by Swami Rama, Rudolph Ballentine, M.D., and Alan Hymes, M.D. (Copyright 1979, 1998)
Before we do that though, let’s meet our authors. I intentionally did not look up these people before reading the book so as to remain impartial to the information it held but I did look them up afterwards. The book tells us of Swami Rama’s credentials, which, among the authors, is the hardest to prove to our Western Standards. So, let’s first understand that Swami is a title given to yogis that have attained a certain level of mastery, specifically in the Hindu faith system. Even that is an overly simplistic explanation of Swami Rama, even though it isn’t intuitively understood by many of us here in the US, it is in fact, a high honor. Swami also opened the Himalayan Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy. We will have to discuss his and other spiritual leaders' misdeeds another time, as that is a more nuanced discussion but one absolutely worth having. The M.D.s in question are Ballentine, specialty area psychiatry, and Hymes, a cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon that is apparently still practicing today. Their credentials are of course a lot more straightforward. Together they take us through a technical and in-depth journey that is almost reminiscent of a Magic School Bus episode, sadly, sans most of the magic.
Ballentine and Swami work together to bring us ideas and supporting evidence on how breath affects one’s psyche. For many of us with C-PTSD and other dysregulatory conditions, we are familiar with this concept on a surface level at least. Take deep breaths and count to 10, focus on your breathing. You hear it in labor classes too, they teach specific techniques to breathe through what is commonly considered one of the most painful things we can experience. So the connections that Ballentine and Swami make here are not hard to digest for many of us. The more mechanical and technical aspects of these connections are explained expertly by Alan Hymes. Hymes in my opinion is the backbone of the book. Without him, a lot of this would be Eastern practice and psychology which is valid but also harder to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt.
The authors start by acknowledging that breathing is an automatic, involuntary process. Sort of. As they take us deeper into the topic, they introduce us to yogis—traditional practitioners of yoga. This is a more loaded term than what most of us, who have only been exposed to Hatha yoga, might think. Yogis have made claims since ancient times about being able to do great and unthinkable things, including healing themselves.
"Okay, great, what’s this got to do with breath?" I hear you. Yogis believe that their ability to control breath is foundational to all other parts of their practice. The authors also point out why Western science hasn’t studied breath as much as other bodily functions—we’re more interested in matter, things that can be easily observed and quantified, like the heart.
If you’ve been reading my posts for a while, you know that the heart has an electromagnetic field that extends beyond our body (an aura). Western science only recently discovered this, while yogis have known about this energy long before we even understood electricity. Swami explains that yogis recognize three distinct bodies: the Subtle body, the Vital body, and the Energy body (or aura). Prana, or energy, travels through the breath, and the nasal cavities play a far more complex role in this process than I expected. Did you know our noses have erectile tissue?! I, unfortunately, am at 33 years old, a 12 year old boy, I laughed a little too long.
Hymes does an excellent job explaining why the lungs often get overlooked compared to other organs. He makes a solid case for why they deserve more attention, as they help carry oxygen to all the organs in the body. This information is essential for understanding the gap between Western and Eastern knowledge. He also describes how emotions and breath are scientifically linked and touches on other systems that interact with breathing and emotions. One surprising fact I learned from Hymes is that sleep apnea and heart disease are connected. So, make sure you’re breathing well at night!
But, also, like, maybe learn to breathe properly. Many people that decide to read this book will be unnerved to know that they have forgotten how to breathe somewhere in the transition between infancy and adolescence. I know for myself, even being aware of the differences in diaphragmatic breath and a more “normal” shallow breath, it is hard to remember what once came so naturally. Apparently proper breath, (and diet, and exercise but those are other topics to dive into later) helps our body dump toxins. You’ll have to read the book to understand how the nose gets so worked up over waste in the body that it puts us in danger by changing its mucus viscosity, thus making us vulnerable to viruses and infection. I did not realize that this is why Indians use the neti pot.
Neti refers, perhaps obviously, to the nasal passages, which is one of the areas yogis are instructed to keep clean. I did take a little issue with Swami throughout the book for offering instruction on advanced techniques, both for the neti pot and later for asana, and breath work, while only offering a small disclaimer about the advanced forms needing to be done with an advanced practitioner. (Even before I learned about his misconduct it gave me the ick.) He of course did this because he wants us to all go to HIS school to learn these things. It would have been more responsible to explain there are several other techniques that one can do and given instruction on how to find a teacher. I don’t love hidden motives, even if I understand them.
Outside of what I would dub the sales tactics of Swami, this book has a lot of technical information about both Eastern and Western studies and it does a good job of linking them. I recommend reading Science if Breath to just about anyone, again as long as you believe in science and anatomy. This book would be excellent for yoga instructors, practitioners and anyone looking to bring the mind and body back into balance through breathwork. I will say that I was familiar with a lot of the Eastern concepts due to the yoga teacher training that I started but having such a balanced perspective offered in this book was more beneficial than I expected. It has also made me draw more awareness throughout my day about where my breath is going, and I am excited to dig deeper into Pranayama.
8/10 Do recommend. Book lost points because of Swami’s marketing techniques and because even with having a working grasp of many of the concepts it is still a complex read.
With Love,
Mia Marie
Crystals and Healing
Whenever someone finds out that I’m a little “witchy” or “woo-woo,” a common question I get asked is, “What are your thoughts on crystals?” Usually, this question is prompted by me offering some offhand herbal advice. I’ll talk more about that in later posts. This question about my thoughts on crystals is valid. On one hand, by the time these topics come up, I have usually proven myself to be a fairly rational and well-researched person. However, writing this, it does occur to me that perhaps this question isn’t always asked genuinely. Regardless of the intent, my answer is always the same: “I’m not really sure, actually.”
Early Experiences with Crystals
Crystals were one of the first tools I looked at, other than tarot and the diet connection. I was working with crystals even before Reiki and Yoga. Ultimately, I believe they helped. I am not sure that I will ever be fully convinced that it was more than a placebo effect. However, I did have some interesting experiences with crystals over the years that are undeniably correlated. I’ll share some anecdotes and some backstory about my experiences.
A Journey into Healing
When I started my journey into crystals, I had been in talk therapy and diagnosed with C-PTSD. My therapist was great, but as with many others with C-PTSD, talk therapy wasn’t much help beyond validating what I had gone through and the work I did to understand it prior to therapy. It turns out actualizing and intellectualizing aren’t the great solution I assumed them to be. This left me looking for other ways to calm my nervous system and move through life with healthy perspectives. Some other things I was working with at the time were cannabis and other mild but legal psychoactive herbs, a CBT workbook, and a homemade gratitude journal. An important piece of information that wasn’t available to me at the time was that the relationship I was in was one of the more damaging partnerships I had been in my adult life. I had been with some real winners, including a man who I quickly understood was ramping up to physical abuse and would sniff me down if I was five minutes late walking home from work in the winter. I tell you all of this to paint a picture of where I was mentally before deciding to work with crystals.
Rose Quartz: A Catalyst for Change
The first crystal I decided to work with was rose quartz. It is said to help with self-love. I KNEW I was struggling with that based on the way I would speak to myself, causing an anxiety spiral. These anxiety spirals would cause me to become hyper-controlling of my environment and lash out easily. Shortly after I started working with rose quartz, i.e., throwing a piece in my bra every day, I started to do two things that I would have never really expected me to do: yoga and meditation. It's funny, actually, because I remember when I would ask a medicine man and a self-proclaimed prophet for advice, I was often told to go within, and I would scoff. “I simply CANNOT meditate,” I would retort. My ADHD does, in fact, make achieving a meditative state more difficult, but it turns out that I can, in fact, meditate. These two things would prove to be some of the most powerful acts of self-love that I can practice for myself. Do I believe rose quartz to be responsible for this change in direction? No, not really. Do I think that the ritual act of picking up the rose quartz off of my nightstand, throwing it in my bra, and remembering to focus on self-love was a catalyst? Yes, but not necessarily the vibe of the crystal, ya know?
Picasso Stone and Creativity
Another stone I ended up working with wasn’t one I sought out exactly. I was wandering through some metaphysical shop, perusing the aisles for books and tarot cards, and my eyes landed on a stone I hadn’t seen or read about. I picked it up and bought it. I researched the Picasso Stone later and found that it was supposed to heighten creativity. I started working with the stone, though this time I believe I put it on a makeshift crystal grid of sorts on a bookshelf in my makeshift home office. Around this time, I learned how to make shower steamers. I was aiming for bath bombs, but hey, it was a fun craft. My best friend understood the assignment and perfected my vision. Together, she made and we sold 400 of our “ritual” bath bombs. (Friend, if you are reading this, I would love a bath bomb!) Here again, we have a “Was it the stone or intentional and inspired action?”
Moonstone and Relationships
The last story I’ll share about crystals for now is my moonstone story. Did you guys see the moldavite trend on TikTok? Too niche? Well, back in 2020, a bunch of folks bought moldavite and have come back telling stories about how their world got flipped on its head in what I call a tower moment. This also allowed them to build back better. I recently saw a TT alleging that moonstone is similar but for relationships. Some time early on in my crystal journey, I bought a moonstone ring. I wore this on my left index finger. I don’t know if this was “right,” and I don’t care. I don’t think that the tools and modalities we use always have to have rigid rules. If that helps you, cool, but I will continue to be my spiritual authority and would encourage you to be that for yourself. So I was in this relationship with the fella I mentioned earlier. We were a team for work, we were raising his daughter, and I was doing the lion's share of what was paying us and keeping up with the house and childcare, among cooking and hosting two separate holiday meals. The lifestyle of working from home and taking care of my house felt really nice. Unfortunately, this partner felt that because his name was on the business, he did enough. I would express needing help, and he would tell me in action that I was unworthy, just absolutely echoing my fears and internalized beliefs from childhood. This is actually why I chose moonstone. I knew the problem had to be that I was not in touch with my femininity. Clearly, I was too masculine, and that was why I was struggling to keep up with everything. My partner also questioned me about literally everything. Small decisions would require me to explain myself and result in a 10-20 minute argument. It did not help that for about six months, my mother was living with us. My mental health was... not great. At one point around Christmas, my friend had to physically take a pair of scissors out of my hand for fear of witnessing self-harm, a behavior I hadn’t struggled with since high school and haven’t felt again since. Again, I’m just painting the picture here. Eventually, my mother moved out. I expected things to get better, but they somehow went from bad to worse. The last argument I had with this man was so bewildering that I admitted to a mutual friend that I felt like running away. She, from what I can tell, immediately called him to tell him this. (Katie, I hope you heal and be thankful I never shared your secrets.) This led to a discussion where I admitted to wanting to be deleted from the population for months, and he broke up with me. He left the home his mom bought for us to live in to give me time to get out, and I immediately called his sister, my best friend. By the time she got there, I was done crying and had decided that him calling it off was the best thing for me. I healed, got my own place, and started working on MY life again.
Reflections on Crystals
The moonstone obviously can’t be blamed for the downfall of a toxic relationship that should have been left alone to start. However, it is an interesting correlation. All of my experiences got me thinking, do these solidified earth excretions actually hold power? So I looked around and found mostly anecdotal evidence from folks I fear don’t know the difference between science and pseudoscience. No hate or shade to them or anyone—I am, after all, a bit woo-woo. It just wasn’t the answer I was looking for; I could provide that evidence for myself. What I eventually found were excerpts from Nikola Tesla's work involving crystals and their vibrations. Tesla wasn’t working with crystals in the capacity I was, but he did seem to hold them in very high regard. Reading this work sent me down two other rabbit holes: crystals in tech, and quantum physics.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, I decided that I like the use of crystals in spiritual and healing spaces. As with any tool or modality, I fear that there is room for abuse. Please always do your own research from reputable sources. Trust your gut. If someone is trying to sell you a $600 crystal that they SWEAR is going to fix everything, they are swindling you. On the other hand, if you are walking through a little shop and feel drawn to a crystal, let it tell you where you can shift your focus and help create the life you want to live. They are a fun and pretty addition to what you are already doing to support your mental and physical health. They may not help, but they certainly can’t hurt. So, throw them on your mantle or toss them in your window, sleep with them, meditate with them; just don’t put anything in water without checking if it is safe! Do your own research, have your own experiences, but remember intentional action and doing the inner work are always going to be what dictates your life.
I’d love to hear from you! Have you had any interesting experiences with crystals? Do you have questions about how to incorporate them into your life? Share your thoughts and questions in the comments below.
With love and compassion,
Mia Marie
Beyond the Plate: Nourishing Your Inner Circle for Holistic Well-Being
Have you ever considered that the concept of "diet" extends beyond what we consume on our plates? Indeed, the idea that "you are what you eat" applies not only to food but also to: the music we listen to, the media we consume and the people we surround ourselves with. Just as we carefully choose the nutrients that fuel our bodies, we should be mindful of the influences that shape our minds and spirits. The first of these concepts that I personally focused on was the people I surround myself with.
Growing up, my mother often reminded me that we become like the five people we spend the most time with. While initially, this notion seemed unrelated to nutrition, it eventually became clear that our inner circle plays a significant role in our overall well-being. This is a concept that is spoken about as fact in psychology. Eventually I came to learn for myself that this is true: our inner circle helps shape us.
Think about it: the folks closest to us impact not only our actions but also our mindset and emotional state. If we are fed love, we learn to accept love. If we are fed fear, stress, anxiety, dysregulation and dysfunction we learn to accept fear, stress, anxiety, dysregulation and dysfunction. Just as a balanced diet nourishes our bodies (and our mental health), surrounding ourselves with positive, supportive, and uplifting people nourishes our souls. Some of us are lucky enough to have been born surrounded by people we want to be like, the rest of us have to carefully craft our circle - sometimes over decades. I was lucky enough to find at least one person that I resonated with everywhere we moved as I was growing up.
I vividly recall a friendship from my middle school years that taught me valuable lessons about emotional nourishment. This friend was unafraid to communicate her feelings and expectations, fostering a relationship built on honesty and accountability. In contrast to the toxic dynamics I witnessed at home, her friendship provided a nourishing environment where emotions were acknowledged and respected. While I very much loved and appreciated her in my life, we were torn apart by the experiences of the adults around us. I remain thankful that she was one of my five at an age where I was learning how to be a human. (And I am excited that we recently reconnected!) However, I found the most benefit in making sure one of them was me.
Nourishing our inner circle goes beyond choosing the right people, however —it also involves nurturing our relationship with ourselves. Just as we should pay attention to the quality of the food we consume, we must prioritize self-reflection and self-care. By including ourselves as one of the five people we spend the most time with, we recognize the importance of cultivating a healthy relationship with ourselves. Cultivating a healthy relationship with ourselves isn’t always easy or intuitive. If you have been diagnosed with CPTSD for instance, your brain likely makes this harder: sorting through the internal monologue that was never yours, unpacking the trauma (which, let’s be so fucking real - feels like reliving it), secretly - or not so secretly - hating yourself. All of which can manifest as poor diet, over-thinking, social anxiety, self-harm, poor self-talk, feeling lost, broken and like you can’t trust yourself.
This self-awareness serves as the foundation for setting boundaries and discerning which influences to invite into our lives. I found that meeting myself where I was - consistently - and wading through the decay of my soul helped me fertilize the things within myself that I wanted to grow. Just as we strive to consume wholesome foods that nourish our bodies, we should surround ourselves with relationships and experiences that nurture our growth and well-being. If our relationship with ourselves is unhealthy we can’t expect to choose relationships that are healthy. Not just our relationships with people but: food, music, TV shows, celebrity influences, nature ect.
In essence, nourishing our inner circle is about recognizing that diet isn't just what we eat—it's also about the company we keep and the influences we allow into our lives. By choosing relationships that uplift, support, and inspire us, we empower ourselves to lead fulfilling and enriching lives. Word to the wise: you can start crafting a social media experience that does this for you.
So, the next time you consider your diet, remember that it encompasses more than just food. Take a closer look at the people you surround yourself with—are they nourishing your mind, body, and soul? Just as you carefully select the ingredients for a nutritious meal, choose your inner circle with intention and mindfulness. After all, true nourishment begins from within.
With Love and Compassion,
Mia Marie
