THE POWER OF BREATH

A guidebook to meditation as a means of improving one’s health and achieving one’s potential.

Entrepreneur Duggal defines meditation as an essential component of self-care—on the same level as brushing one’s teeth, getting enough sleep, and eating well. She notes that anyone can meditate, anytime, anywhere, without needing anything other than the willingness to do it. The practice, she promises, will help readers “get to the root of what [they] need” and give them “the grace to deal” with whatever challenges come their way. She first takes readers along on her own journey toward meditation, which began with her discovery of yoga in college as a way of dealing with persistent migraines and the pressure of perfectionism. She discusses how stress negatively affects the brain, and she likens regular meditation to “allowing our brain to go to the gym and spa.” A discussion of the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems follows, and a chapter on hormones focuses on the effects of cortisol and testosterone. Duggal introduces the concept of “rest and digest” as a means to counteract the fight-or-flight response. By meditating, she says, one also achieves clarity, which helps one pursue happiness and create a fuller life. Throughout, Duggal asks thought-provoking questions, offers basic instruction on introspective practice, and incorporates wisdom from other self-help authors like James Clear, Abraham Hicks, and Julia Ross. Duggal’s voice is approachable and relatable, and she delineates the many upsides to breathwork while refraining from imposing a rigid plan for developing meditation practice. She’s also adept at analyzing her own personal struggles so that readers may learn from them. However, the length of the book is at odds with the simplicity of the subject; Duggal’s urging to “ignore those complicated books” on meditation carries less weight in a tome of more than 270 pages, and long passages about growing up in a single-parent family of 16 kids steer the narrative away from the self-help genre and into memoir territory.

An often useful, if overlong, book on the practice and benefits of meditation and breathwork.