Description

People laughed at the image of pretzel-legged yogis focusing on the tip of their noses until Swami Rama walked into a laboratory and showed scientists what a yogi with control over his respiration can actually do. Before astonished researchers, he demonstrated perfect control over his heart rate and brain waves control physiologists hadn’t believed humans could possibly achieve.

For thousands of years, yogic adepts, masters of inner science, have claimed that breath is the essential link between body and mind, energizing a “subtle body” which connects the physical and mental aspects of our being. In this land-mark book, Swami Rama and two noted American physicians explore India’s “Science of Breath” from both Eastern and Western perspectives, revealing how this neglected subject may be the missing key to both physical health and the exploration of higher states of consciousness. Swami Rama also shares some of the basic breathing techniques practiced by the Himalayan yogis so that we can begin immediately working with this powerful ancient science.

One of the greatest masters from the Himalayas, Swami Rama is the founder of the Himalayan Institute. Born in India, he studied in both India and Europe and received his spiritual training in the Himalayan cave monasteries and in Tibet. His best-known work ‘Living with the Himalayan Masters’ reveals the many facets of this singular adept and demonstrates his embodiment of the living tradition of the East.

Rudolph Ballentine, M.D., is a respected leader in the field of alternative and complementary medicine. A physician and psychiatrist, he studied medicine in the U.S., psychology in the U.S. and France, and both Ayurveda and homeopathy in India. Alan Hymes, M.D., is a cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon. A pioneer in the field of breath research, he has studied the interrelationship between breathing patterns and cardiovascular disease.