Customer Reviews

The Art of Breathing and Centering: Discover the Powerful Gifts of the Air You Breathe!

He teaches - crudely - basic, abdominal breathing and that is just about it. Its not that abdominal breathing isn't useful, (most adults would benefit from adjusting their breathing so that their abdomen, not their chest, rises on the in-breath - the way that small children breath), it's that all the depth and subtlty that follows on from this is completely ignored.

The tapes are simplistic in the extreme. They are pointless, since there are far better tapes available through Amazon which cover the same ground as Gay Hendricks only more acurately and with more detail. They then go on to introduce the beautiful, extraordinary world of breathwork with many varied exercises.

I have found that changing one's basic nature and way of being in the world is very difficult. For things like changing the way we breathe - the way we move life force around our body and how our mind and breath can interact to form a powerful combination - I generally prefer audio tapes or videos. My number one favourite is "The Art of Breathing" by Nancy Zi. It is the Chinese system for mastering Chi 'i - breath life force. Available on this site is the combined video and book which outline 6 superb and detailed lessons in re-teaching your body to breathe and move life-energy around the body. Nothing too fancy or philosophical required, but presented with all the detail and knowledge one would expect from a Qi Gong master.

Also very highly recommended is Dr Andrew Weil's set of two tapes on breathing. He has found a simple, daily ten minute practice of simple breath techniques to be the most powerful single tool for change that he can recommend to his patients. The six exercises that he teaches are drawn from the Indian or Yogic tradition. Simple, easy to learn and getting right to the heart of the matter - change your body/mind with breath.

Also deserving very honourable mention is "Ken Cohen's guide to Healthy Breathing". Takes one through four stages, of which abdominal breathing is only the first, right through to a profound state of energy/body/breath awarness.

I realise that this is less a review about the GAy Hndricks tapes and more a recommendation to buy others. That is because there simply isn't much to say about Hendrick's work. They're plain bad. And the best way of illustrating that is to show what riches are alternatively available.

Happy breathing.