Researchers, Writers, Practitioners and the Authors of Perfect Breath

It all began with a simple conversation. How many ways does breathing impact what we do?

It might seem like a sophomoric question, but out of that exchange, Pacific Northwest authors Alfred Lee and Don Campbell began a 10 year exploration of the effects of breath awareness on how we perform as humans. In the course of their research and writing they have uncovered a mountain of historically significant anecdotal data about the breath – gleaned from meditation masters, healers, and others - and also the most current scientific and academic evidence on the power of the breath.

Their brainstorming led to interviews with everyone from East-West medical man Deepak Chopra to mountaineer Ed Viesturs (who has climbed all 14 of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks without supplemental oxygen), to death-and-dying expert Stephen Levine. In their new book Perfect Breath (Sterling, Spring 2008), they researched the effects of conscious breathing on every aspect of human life, from birth to death, from breathing’s physical effects, to its implications on health and well-being, the emotions, creativity, understanding the spirit, and its role in death and dying.

“We’ve done some 50 interviews for the book,” says Lee, who is also a nationally recognized speaker and seminar presenter on breathwork, “with people from all walks of life – athletes, doctors and researchers, actors and singers, a Zen archer, a Pilates instructor, a midwife, ballet dancers, fighter pilots, a NASA astronaut, and religious masters. The common tie was the breath as it applied to their pursuits. It grew out of our thinking about how influential the breath is in nearly everything we do. It is the common denominator across every dimension of our life. From being born, to overcoming the effects of illness and stress, to pursuing some sense of spirituality, breathing and its effects ripple through all these things.”

Their research bore far more than cerebral results. “What’s been the most salient aspect of our work is that even the simplest awareness brings great results,” says Campbell, a freelance writer. “It’s far more than just feeling good from meditating. It’s accessible to everybody, it’s available all the time in any circumstance, doesn’t require any fancy equipment or huge commitment of time to learn. It’s amazing how many people can’t draw a full breath. Once they learn that it’s an excellent way to not only stay in the present, but the way to fuel their whole being – body, mind and soul – they’re well on their way to having it become an automatic response or practice to beat stress, avoid being sick, and be more productive.”

Predictably, the two found centuries of evidence, from ancient Taoist, Buddhist, Hindu and other teachings on how the breath is at the core of being. But as those teachings are awakened in the West, far more empirical data is being gathered and tested by science.

“We were astounded by the work being done by medical researchers like Dr. Migdow, Dr. Peper, and other researchers,” says Lee. “They’re quantifying, and affirming what the ancient yogis were teaching. It has practical applications that resonate throughout our society. Stress is a killer that impacts job performance and work attendance. What science is discovering is that simple breath awareness can counteract the effects of stress. The body is an amazing machine, and the breath is the engine.”

Lee and Campbell have established www.perfectbreath.com as a kind of clearinghouse of information, while their research and writing continues. “There is still a lot to uncover and understand,” says Lee, a teacher of martial arts and a student of yoga, qi gong and meditation. “With our book, we’ve only nicked the surface. What’s profound is the cross ties with breathing across all kinds of disciplines and pursuits. We’re coming to a more complete scientific understanding of how it works, which will lead to more effective ways to employ breathing awareness in our everyday lives. But incorporating even the simplest breathing exercises and techniques now can offer tremendous results.”