Breath: A Simple Tool for Mental and Physical Health

We take 23,000 breaths a day — but few know how to breathe in a way that makes life easier, longer, and happier. The answer lies in the book by PhD Maxim Kaltygin.
Most people breathe inefficiently — superficially, erratically, unconsciously.... This affects many areas of life: from mood to immunity. In the book, you will learn why breathing is not just a reflex but a powerful tool for restoring energy, alleviating anxiety, improving sleep, and brain function.
Maxim Kaltygin — a PhD, a therapist, and a hypoxia specialist — provides exercises that take minutes but enhance the quality of life. He also shares stories from a pulmonologist, a choir master, a Buddhist temple clergyman, a freediver, and an astronaut — people whose professions are related to the study of breathing.
This is a popular science and practical guide for anyone who is tired, anxious, doesn't get enough sleep, or is often ill. For those who want to learn to activate the body and mind for resources — through the most accessible and powerful means: breathing. Read — and breathe freely.
From the author:
Life begins with an inhale and ends with an exhale. This book is an attempt to delve into the nature of a phenomenon that we overlook but without which life is impossible. Its format is unusual and extraordinary — it is written at the intersection of scientific non-fiction and journalism. In one chapter, you will find both small essays, breathing scripts, their medical justification, and interviews.
I am glad that, in addition to my voice, the book features the voices of my colleagues — doctors, voices of elite athletes, voices of remarkable people whose profession and activities are related to breathing: an astronaut, a choir master from the Mariinsky Theatre, a clergyman from a St. Petersburg Buddhist temple, a high-altitude guide, a psychologist who practices body-oriented therapy. Our common goal is to draw your attention to a simple and remarkable tool for strengthening the body and spirit that is always with us — breathing. If we make such a colossal effort — 23,000 (!) breaths in and out a day — why not do it more effectively, benefiting the body, soul, and mind?


Who is this book for?
- For those who want to learn more about the process we don’t usually think about.
- For those looking for non-obvious ways to improve the quality of life.