Perfect Breathing:
Transform Your Life One Breath At A Time

By Al Lee and Don Campbell

There’s no escaping it – we’re all overly stressed. The world is a crazy place these days. Surviving a global pandemic, the rising costs of everything, racial and social upheaval, political divisiveness, and the foibles of daily living have us all on the hairy edge of a major meltdown.

Our influential book, “Perfect Breathing,” can help. Since 2010, we have been teaching people how to become more aware of their breath, how to recognize situations where you need to breathe the most efficiently, and to jog your mind and body into taking full, cleansing and powerful breaths to improve every facet of your life.

Intentional breathing reverses nearly everything that chronic stress does to our bodies. Wellness expert Andrew Weil once stated that, “If I had to limit my advice on healthier living to just one tip, it would be simply to learn how to breathe correctly.”

This book can help you accomplish two simple but important things: Raising your awareness level about the power of your breath and the benefits it can bring you, and teaching you conscious ways to use that awareness. In easy-to-understand language and simple exercises, we show you how to harness that power, to be mindful of each breath, to use that here-and-now presence to great advantage.

Taking control of your breathing can significantly impact all areas of your life – your health, mind and emotions, performance and spiritual experience. Let your next breath be a perfect breath.

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Book Chapters

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Preface

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Part One: Introduction

Chapter 1: The Energy of Life
Chapter 2: First Breath, Last Breath, and Every One in Between

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Part Two: Your Perfect breath

Chapter 3: Breath Awareness
Chapter 4: Body Awareness
Chapter 5: Emotional Awareness
Chapter 6: Spiritual Awareness
Chapter 7: Perfect Breathing
Chapter 8: Transformation

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Part Three: Health and Healing

Chapter 9: The Four Dimensions of Health
Chapter 10: Beating Stress
Chapter 11: Healing
Chapter 12: Renewal

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Part Four: Performance

Chapter 13: Physical Performance
Chapter 14: Mental Performance
Chapter 15: The Zone

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Part Five: The Power of Emotions

Chapter 16: Feeling the Breath
Chapter 17: The Eye of the Storm
Chapter 18: Emotional Control

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Part Six: Our Spiritual Experience

Chapter 20: Breathing in Spirit
Chapter 21: Prayer, Meditation, and Contemplation

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Part Seven: Last Breath

Chapter 22: Between Two Worlds

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Appendix

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Authors

Al Lee

Al Lee is an expert in human performance, leadership, and sustainable success. Drawing from a diverse career spanning aerospace engineering and executive roles in the entertainment, technology, and non-profit sectors, as well as decades of experience in martial arts, yoga, and meditation, Al combines cutting-edge science with practical techniques to help individuals and organizations achieve lasting results.

A certified Life/Work Planner and Traditional Okinawan Karate teacher with decades of experience, Al specializes in energy management, stress reduction, and performance improvement. His programs empower people to unlock untapped potential, enhance creativity and productivity, and cultivate balanced, sustainable lives through small, impactful changes.

Don Campbell

My involvement in competitive athletics, music and studies in Eastern religions led me to arrive at the understanding that breathing plays a critical role in stress and pain management, and general well-being. It only took a meager understanding of the human fight-or-flight response to know that I had some control over my physical responses to the world. I learned I could impact the way I dealt with stress, pain, discomfort, and my performance by learning how to control my breath. One way or another, I’ve been routinely practicing various methods of breath control for the last 25 years.

I am a freelance writer and editor in Portland, Oregon. My writing has been featured in Northwest Airlines World Traveler, the Oregonian, People magazine, Horizon and Alaska Airlines magazines, American Airlines’ American Way magazine, Powder magazine, The Portland Business Journal, Today’s Health Care, Oregon Business Magazine, and others. I have worked variously as an information specialist for a Fortune 500 company, a senior web producer with Oregon Live (a website in alliance with the Oregonian), editor of This Week magazine (RFD Publications, Inc.), and as a contract editor for Skies America International Publishing and Communications.

I have taught writing and conducted writing presentations at the Oregon Writers’ Colony, Willamette Writers, Friends of Beaverton Library, Portland Public Schools, and others. I am also a performing musician, songwriter and producer.

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Reviews

Al Lee and Don Campbell argue that by simply focusing more on our breath, we open ourselves up to some amazing possibilities.

Martha Stewart’s Body+Soul

Exercises like the 6-Second Breath aren’t just quick and simple; they can provide relief from conditions like high blood pressure, anxiety, pain, and even asthma and premature aging.

Publishers Weekly

The conscious oxygen intake helped me summon valuable bursts of energy and mental focus as I got deeper into a breathing routine.

Chuck Thompson/Men’s Health

Most powerfully, it reminds us to live in the here and now: A deep breath can shift our focus from the inaccessible past or future – from regret or worry, too often – to the present, which is really the only moment that we have.

The Oregonian

In general, the more slowly and deeply you breathe, the better it is
for your health and well-being. [The 6-Second Breath] is the beat of a healthful, more relaxed life. Try it and see if it doesn’t feel right.

Joe Kita, Health & Fitness Author, Speaker

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