For something that we do every day and every night for the whole of our lives, you would have thought we’d think about it a little bit more! Thankfully for most of us, breathing comes naturally. Breath is a magical thing that sustains our every moment and bridges the gap between our conscious and unconscious mind. The old yogis knew this and practiced controlling their breath in order to control their energy and ultimately their mind.

We’ve chosen 3 quite different books on breath to give a better perspective on the breadth of the practice!

Light on Pranayama by BKS Iyengar

It would be impossible not to include this classic of a book in a top 3 list of breathing books, on a yoga school blog!

Light on Yoga first published in 1981 sets out the traditional pranayama techniques in a methodical and organised way. For those that don’t know, pranayama can be interpreted as control of vital life force energy and this can be done through breathing techniques known as pranayama exercises. Iyengar also explains yogic theory and philosophy to support and educate the practitioner.

”Breath is the king of mind. By drawing our senses of perception inward, we are able to experience the control, silence, and quietness of the mind. Change is not something that we should fear. Rather, it is something that we should welcome.” BKS Iyengar

Breath by James Nestor

Relatively modern compared to the previous text, as this book was released in 2020. Breath by James Nestor is a surprisingly entertaining page-turner. If you prefer a more ‘scientific’ based approach then this book might be more for you. Not only does he give studies and references to back up his points he also delves into different cultural practices from around the world and offers up some of his own anecdotal evidence to convince and amuse.

Nestor’s main focus is on the danger of habitual mouth breathing, what it causes and how it can be avoided to improve your health and happiness all round.

“I call this a ‘lost art’ because so many of these new discoveries aren’t new at all. Most of the techniques I’ll be exploring have been around for hundreds, sometimes thousands of years. They were created, documented, forgotten, and discovered in another culture at another time, then forgotten again. This went on for centuries.” James Nestor

Restoring Prana by Robin Rothenberg

It took me some time to find a text like this one. I was looking for a book that had both yogic wisdom and scientific studies in one. And I found it! Restoring Prana is a comprehensive guide to the anatomy and biomechanics of the breath alongside how it relates to our yoga practice on and off our mats.

Rothenberg also does quite a lot of myth-busting around the topic of breath and yoga which is much needed considering the number of misunderstandings that abound in yogaland.

”This book uncovers the truth about breath and brings wisdom from the ancient sutras on pranayama into the 21st century.” Patrick McKeown

We hope these voices of wisdom can accompany you and feed your lungs as well as your soul!

To explore some of these subjects in more depth join us on our next 200 hour Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga teacher training course!