“The WHY, the WOW, and the HOW of working with your breath for optimal well-being...” — Rosa Marroquin MD
Breath Is Life combines ancient wisdom, real-life stories, leading-edge neuroscience, and simple yet powerful practices to help you harness the remarkable gift of your own breath.
Imagine a medicine that:
- Relieves stress
- Promotes calm and clear thinking
- Energizes the body
- Helps you sleep without side effects
- Is accessible anytime, anywhere
- Costs you nothing
You have this medicine within you right now!
Yoga teacher and journey guide Laurie Ellis-Young learned early on that the quality of breath directly impacts the quality of life, personally and professionally. By leading adventure treks in the Himalayas and Andes for over a decade, she experienced the absolute necessity of maximizing oxygen flow to build stamina and keep going under stress. The mountains became her teachers in how to access the life-giving power of breath—not just for extreme adventure, but in transforming everyday lives for better health, greater peace and enhanced well-being.
Since then, she and her husband, Dr. George T Ellis, a practicing psychologist specializing in cultivating stress resiliency and healing trauma, have worked around the world teaching individuals, groups, various corporate and government organizations, and international NGO’s, how everyone can tap into the extraordinary power of their ordinary breath.
As a way of honoring “trees are the lungs of the planet,” for over twenty years the authors developed a reforestation project on the shores of Lake Atitlan, Guatemala. Laurie’s happy place is sitting up in a tree.
“A brilliant and persuasive book that emphasizes the value of being truly conscious of how we breathe. Good breathing is good health. A fun and easy read.” — Bill Manahan MD, Founder, MN Holistic Medicine Group; Asst. Professor Emeritus Univ. of MN
“A course in 'Breath Literacy’ that is easy, effective, and entertaining. This is a book that changes lives.” — Peggy Cappy PhD, Master Yoga Teacher, Creator of Yoga for the Rest of Us programs for PBS TV
"Breath is Life is now a key resource on my new self-care journey. Becoming breath literate has enhanced my quality of life. This book is a game changer for anyone who wants to breathe new life into life as you currently know it.” — Annette P. Johnson CPR, MSOL The Fly Coach and Host of Living in the Good Space, video podcast
“. . . artfully written, filled with inspirational anecdotes and moving vignettes while being totally grounded in scientific research.” — Robert Hetzel PhD, former director AES (American Embassy School), New Delhi, India.
"Breath is Life is a script for creating a life that is healthy, peaceful, joyful, and fun.” — Dr. Verna Cornelia Price, The Power of People Institute
"Breath is Life demonstrates how breathing and oxygen are essential elements in our quality of life and how working with breath can improve athletic performance.” — Brian MacLellan, General Manager of Washington Capitals, Winners of NHL 2018 Stanley Cup
“Working with this book may not only help you feel better, it may help you come alive.” — Henry Emmons MD, author of The Chemistry of Calm and The Chemistry of Joy
“ Written from the heart . . . and flows like an effortless, diaphragmatic breath. Breath Is Life is a beautiful blend of storytelling, fundamental science, and readily applicable breathing practices.” — Christopher Warden PT, DPT Owner, Director of MERZ Integrative Health, Performance and PT
