Andrew Weil, M.D., Breathing

The wise, fuzzy Papa Smurf of New Age teaches you to stop thinking and start breathing
Breathing: Inhale. Exhale. Repeat. Right? Well, yes and no. Andrew Weil, the wise, fuzzy Papa Smurf of New Age, thinks you could be getting more out of your respiratory habits. For years he’s been prescribing yoga-inspired breathing exercises in his private practice, with a variety of intended outcomes: increased vigor, accelerated healing, improved circulation, decreased anxiety, lowered blood pressure. Weil lays out eight easy methods for getting the most out of your breathing, talking you through them in that gentle, graceful baritone. You know you’re in for an interesting ride when you find yourself thinking of nothing but your breath. Don’t alter it, he says, just observe your normal patterns. It sounds so simple, but once you get into it and block everything else from your mind, well, it’s kind of trippy. Sit down, light a candle and give Weil a shot. Do not practice his exercises walking to work. I almost stepped into traffic, so absorbed was I in my own respiration. That would have been one over-examined last breath.