Book Review: “Take a Deep Breath: A Simple Exercise Guide to Increasing Your Oxygen Intake”
The act of breathing is involuntary — and as long as we don’t have any difficulties inhaling and exhaling, we likely don’t pay too much attention to the process. But in this era of COVID-19, our respiratory system has come into far sharper focus. Thousands of people are fighting to take in enough oxygen — and that’s also raised our awareness of just how many issues we can have with breathing itself. Take a Deep Breath: A Simple Exercise Guide to Increasing Your Oxygen Intake (Square One, May 2020) by Meera Patricia Kerr and Sandra A. McLanahan, MD, was already going to be an extremely useful handbook on how to breathe more effectively. But now it’s become even more timely.
The authors combine an extensive understanding of yoga with medical expertise: Kerr is the founder of Big Yoga; Dr. McLanahan is founder and Executive Medical Director of Integral Health Services. They have teamed up to create a book that is packed with clear explanations and practical exercises.
In the Part One they explain the mechanics and physiology of the respiratory system, including every single part of the body involved in the breathing process. There are fascinating breakouts of information throughout this section, including a factoid on exactly why we can’t hum if we’re pinching our nose shut, and what that should tell us about keeping our nasal passages clear. Another nugget focuses on self-CPR: yes, we don’t need someone there to perform CPR in certain cases; we can do it ourselves.
Further chapters delve into the many disorders that can hamper our oxygen intake and provide countless tips and practical guidance on how to help ourselves. There’s also a smartly written section on smoking and how to overcome it — no moralizing, just hard science and compassionate solutions. Though there’s an astonishing amount of good advice on these pages, this isn’t a book that grandstands: the authors are here to present solutions and that’s what they do. Herbs, hyperbaric treatments — which Joe Namath credits with restoring his brain after many NFL concussions, lifestyle adjustments, diet, massage and other therapies are all considered and explained with warmth and gravity. That in itself is a breath of fresh air.
Part Two of the book provides a full program of exercises to help combat breathing difficulties. There’s a whole array here, each focusing on a different function and part of the body, all extensively tested and proven before making it to the page. Following those is a section on breathing, meditation, and relaxation techniques. Photographs map out each pose and exercise, and the directions are simple and clear. It’s as if the authors are trying to calm us down as we’re reading; to reassure us that we will be able to take that delicious inhale again. All we have to do is practice.
Take a Deep Breath is written with a profound depth of knowledge and common sense. Reading it almost feels like a good friend offering the kind of competent advice you can trust. For anyone who is facing breathing issues and the debilitating stress they can trigger; or for anyone with a loved one having trouble taking a deep breath, it provides answers as well as comfort.
