The Tibetan Yoga of Breath

Heal the body, quiet the mind, and find emotional balance with simple practices from Yantra Yoga
 
Modern science and classic spiritual traditions agree: regulating the breath leads to radiance and wellness of body, mind, and spirit. With the simple teachings and cutting-edge research offered in The Tibetan Yoga of Breath, you can start thriving just by integrating breathwork into your daily practice.

Basic Yantra Yoga techniques—also called wind energy training—are the key to achieving this kind of vitality, down to the cellular level. Anyen Rinpoche and Allison Choying Zangmo skillfully examine the teachings of Yantra Yoga and Buddhism through the lens of Western medical science. Their wise and accessible instruction reveals practices that are nourishing and transformative, delivering dramatic results—no experience with yoga or Buddhist meditation necessary.Contents
Introduction
Part I: Why Practice Breath Yoga?
Chapter 1: Breath Is Life: The Physical and Elemental Workings of the Breath
Chapter 2: Working with Breath and the Neurotic Mind
Chapter 3: Connecting the Breath to Stress, Anxiety, and Depression
Part II: How to Practice Breath Yoga
Chapter 4: Basic Wind Energy Techniques
Chapter 5: Meditating on Impermanence with Breath Awareness
Chapter 6: Unlocking Old Patterns through Wind Energy Training
Chapter 7: Facing Difficult Situations with Wind Energy Training
Conclusion: Breath Is Wisdom“The Tibetan Yoga of Breath offers a highly accessible introduction to Buddhist teachings on the physical, mental, and wisdom energy waves of the breath. This rare book meticulously guides readers on how to awaken and perfect the power of innate energy to heal and enlighten.” —Tulku Thondup, author of Boundless Healing   

“These clear and practice-based teachings on purifying the wind energies are much-needed medicine for our times. Rooted in the ancient wisdom of dharma and an understanding of modern science, the yogas of the body, wind energy, and mind are presented in a fresh, lively prose that is a delight to read. This rare medicine is precious and if sincerely practiced, can lead to well-being and glimpses of our ever-present wisdom mind and joyful heart.” —Tsoknyi Rinpoche 

“Anyen Rinpoche is a compassionate embodiment of wisdom. The skillful teachings in The Tibetan Yoga of Breath will be a source of peace and happiness for many in these troubled times, for which I am very grateful.” —Garchen RinpocheANYEN RINPOCHE is a tulku from Tibet of the Nyingma (Longchen Nyingthig) tradition. He lives primarily in Denver, Colorado, where he founded Orgyen Khamdroling Center with a shedra (college) for Westerners. He is the author of The Union of Dzogchen and Bodhichitta, Dying with Confidence, Journey to Certainty, and Momentary Buddhahood.

ALLISON CHOYING ZANGMO is Anyen Rinpoche's personal translator and a longtime student of both Rinpoche and his root lama, Kyabje Tsara Dharmakirti. She has either translated or collaborated with Rinpoche on all of his books. She lives in Denver, Colorado.Excerpt from the introduction: "As I prepared to write this book with Anyen Rinpoche, I delved into the medical research that has been done on the subject of the breath and the health benefits of bringing the proper amount of oxygen into the blood, with the assistance of my Vajra Sister Sarah Teague Johnson. I was amazed at how the yogis of India and Tibet, with no access to modern technology or research instruments, gained a thorough knowledge of the effect of the breath, proper and improper, on our physical, emotional, and spiritual health. Not only did these classic masters understand the problems caused by improper breathing in a way that perfectly corresponds to modern medical science, but they also knew how to remedy these problems with very simple techniques. These breathing 'treatments' and 'cures' are as easy as working with posture, nasal breathing, and the elongation of the inhalation and exhalation.  The benefits of these contemplative techniques can also be explained with a detailed understanding of medical science. How amazing that the masters of old could have knowledge that is so true, so exact, and so pertinent to our health in the modern world.
     "In this book, we have attempted to provide the most useful information for those interested in starting to practice wind energy training, using medical science as a starting point. Yantra Yoga, with its rich oral and textual tradition, has its own parallel way of describing the negative effects of oxygen and carbon-dioxide deprivation on the body, mind and emotions. By weaving together the knowledge of these two sources, the modern and the mystical, we hope many readers of this book will be inspired to start working with the tradition of wind energy training."