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Heart, Breath, Mind: Train Your Heart to Conquer Stress and Achieve Success
Stress is not in your head, it’s in your body—this is the key to peak performance that Leah Lagos, PsyD, BCB, an internationally known expert in biofeedback and sport and performance psychology, wants us to know. In this book, she shares with readers for the first time the same program that she uses with top athletes, CEOs, business leaders—anyone who wants and needs to perform at their best. What makes her scientifically proven 10-week program unlike any other is that she recognizes the link between heart rhythms and stress to create specific, clinically tested exercises and breathing techniques that allow you to control your body’s physical response to stress. She pairs this training with cognitive-behavioral exercises to offer a two-tiered process for strengthening health and performance, enabling readers to respond more flexibly to stressful situations, let go of negative thoughts and emotions, and ultimately be more focused and confident under pressure.
320 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 11, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
May 8, 2020
Breathe deep. It's as simple as that. Ok, there's actually more to it, but in a nutshell, breathing right is the first step in feeling good and being well. I didn't believe it. I had to put it to the test, and there is no placebo effect here because I totally didn't expect breathing methods to be the answer to a host of maladies. It's almost insultingly obvious and easy.
But it works.
We are born with the ability to breathe right. From the diaphragm. Around age five we get sent to school and are expected to sit still at desks, most of the day. This changes the dynamic. Our diaphragms are restricted. Add to that the all-day lessons and need to focus, concentrate, on the abstract. We start holding our breath. We hold in our feelings, too. Sometimes, believe it or not, we forget to breathe, and we most of us fall into a habit of taking shallow breaths.
How can it cause so much havoc?
Why is it so tiring when we first start practicing diaphragm breathing?
We tend to engage the secondary muscles of throat and chest rather than the deep, "belly breathing" muscles.
This book suggests a ten-week program of twenty-minute sessions, twice a day. No music, no distractions. Admittedly, I have not bothered to download the breathing apps or use metronome-ish devices; I wing it; and I don't find some quiet place with no background musics. I didn't try to find my target HVR (heart variability rate, if I recall correctly). BUT. But. Starting last fall, thanks to a physical therapist who diagnosed me as a shallow breather (I was outraged, skeptical, but ultimately a convert), I started a less daunting program of five minutes, then ten, twice a day. Breathe in on a count of four; hold four; breathe out on a count of eight. (Military tactical breathing.)I've also watched several You-Tube videos and Ted Talks, all of which have slight variations on this. My therapist has me using youa moves in combination with the breathing.
Nothing else, NOTHING else, not chiropractors, pills, exercises, yoga, pilates, ever helped as much as the breathing exercises have. I've had chronic daily headaches and tension in the neck and shoulders. The breathing lessons were almost embarrassing to me, until I read that 99% of us are breathing incorrectly.
Now I'm coming across references to deep breathing in novels - a heroine has a life coach reminding her to breathe right. A soldier in battle uses the breathing to handle prolonged physical pain. It's becoming a "thing" we all know about - soon we will ALL know about it. So far, I'm not winning converts to the methods. Everyone is a skeptic, it seems.
But it works.
The book is packed full of scientific explanations if you want to know how and why this works. And instructions, if you want to maximize the advantages.
I cannot recommend the concept and practice of deep breathing highly enough - should be mandatory for all medical professionals, all patients, and all human beings to learn! As books go, this one is excellent for the scientific explanations and a precise program to follow, and even if you don't do the steps and calibrate, calculate, record data, and all that, you are sure to find something useful here to get you on the right path.
But it works.
We are born with the ability to breathe right. From the diaphragm. Around age five we get sent to school and are expected to sit still at desks, most of the day. This changes the dynamic. Our diaphragms are restricted. Add to that the all-day lessons and need to focus, concentrate, on the abstract. We start holding our breath. We hold in our feelings, too. Sometimes, believe it or not, we forget to breathe, and we most of us fall into a habit of taking shallow breaths.
How can it cause so much havoc?
Why is it so tiring when we first start practicing diaphragm breathing?
We tend to engage the secondary muscles of throat and chest rather than the deep, "belly breathing" muscles.
This book suggests a ten-week program of twenty-minute sessions, twice a day. No music, no distractions. Admittedly, I have not bothered to download the breathing apps or use metronome-ish devices; I wing it; and I don't find some quiet place with no background musics. I didn't try to find my target HVR (heart variability rate, if I recall correctly). BUT. But. Starting last fall, thanks to a physical therapist who diagnosed me as a shallow breather (I was outraged, skeptical, but ultimately a convert), I started a less daunting program of five minutes, then ten, twice a day. Breathe in on a count of four; hold four; breathe out on a count of eight. (Military tactical breathing.)I've also watched several You-Tube videos and Ted Talks, all of which have slight variations on this. My therapist has me using youa moves in combination with the breathing.
Nothing else, NOTHING else, not chiropractors, pills, exercises, yoga, pilates, ever helped as much as the breathing exercises have. I've had chronic daily headaches and tension in the neck and shoulders. The breathing lessons were almost embarrassing to me, until I read that 99% of us are breathing incorrectly.
Now I'm coming across references to deep breathing in novels - a heroine has a life coach reminding her to breathe right. A soldier in battle uses the breathing to handle prolonged physical pain. It's becoming a "thing" we all know about - soon we will ALL know about it. So far, I'm not winning converts to the methods. Everyone is a skeptic, it seems.
But it works.
The book is packed full of scientific explanations if you want to know how and why this works. And instructions, if you want to maximize the advantages.
I cannot recommend the concept and practice of deep breathing highly enough - should be mandatory for all medical professionals, all patients, and all human beings to learn! As books go, this one is excellent for the scientific explanations and a precise program to follow, and even if you don't do the steps and calibrate, calculate, record data, and all that, you are sure to find something useful here to get you on the right path.
November 4, 2021
It was very useful. The 10 week breathing course is amazing. My stress tolerance increased so much and I have techniques to deal with every day stressors. I loved that it is a program that you have to follow, not just some woo-woo rah-rah theoretical bs. That is the great part.
The bad part is that this book was written in a typical American fashion: exaggerations everywhere, apparently breathing solves word hunger, brest cancer and it even increases the likelyhood of a winning lottery ticket. Meh.
The bad part is that this book was written in a typical American fashion: exaggerations everywhere, apparently breathing solves word hunger, brest cancer and it even increases the likelyhood of a winning lottery ticket. Meh.
April 12, 2021
Four seconds inspiring, six seconds expiring. Visualize nice things. Do that 20 minutes a day—end of the book.
February 2, 2022
I read this book after seeing a video of Tim Ferriss promoting Leah's breathing exercises. I am someone who has always struggled with getting quality sleep (I have a hard time falling and staying asleep) as well as dealing with anxiety and my neurotic thoughts. So, when I started reading this book read that Leah's 10-week breathing exercise program could dramatically help both my sleep and my ability to deal with stress and anxiety, I became determined to complete the entire program.
I was very disciplined for the first 5 weeks and rarely missed one of the exercises (you are supposed to do 2 20-minute exercises every day), however, due to travel, I did miss multiple days in multiple weeks during the second half of the program. To compensate for this, I extended the program past 10 weeks to 12 weeks, with the last 2 weeks making sure that I completed most exercises the week.
Unfortunately, I cannot say that all of the benefits that Leah outlined came to fruition. I would say that the breathing exercises at night DID help me improve my sleep by a little bit i.e. there were slightly less days that I struggled with falling asleep. However, I can't say that it improved the overall quality of my sleep nor that it helped me with stress and anxiety. It's worth mentioning that perhaps I did something wrong, as it is clear that other people have attained these benefits.
I personally found meditation (particularly meditation sessions for longer than 30 minutes) to be far more helpful in both sleep and ability to deal with stress than Leah's breathing exercises.
I was very disciplined for the first 5 weeks and rarely missed one of the exercises (you are supposed to do 2 20-minute exercises every day), however, due to travel, I did miss multiple days in multiple weeks during the second half of the program. To compensate for this, I extended the program past 10 weeks to 12 weeks, with the last 2 weeks making sure that I completed most exercises the week.
Unfortunately, I cannot say that all of the benefits that Leah outlined came to fruition. I would say that the breathing exercises at night DID help me improve my sleep by a little bit i.e. there were slightly less days that I struggled with falling asleep. However, I can't say that it improved the overall quality of my sleep nor that it helped me with stress and anxiety. It's worth mentioning that perhaps I did something wrong, as it is clear that other people have attained these benefits.
I personally found meditation (particularly meditation sessions for longer than 30 minutes) to be far more helpful in both sleep and ability to deal with stress than Leah's breathing exercises.
May 11, 2021
I've read a few books in this vein over the past few years and while I enjoyed the book and would recommend it, it fails on the practicality front. What I mean is that I completely and totally agree on the philosophy and foundational ideas of the book...breath controls heart, heart health controls mind / mood....the practical aspects of the book are lacking. It's based on a 10 week course but not many people I know are going to read one chapter / one lesson per week. It is also completely based on taking two twenty minute breathing sessions per day for those ten weeks...I just don't have that time. But as I said, I did get quite lot out of the physiological and psychological ideas in this book.
April 22, 2020
This book talks about combining HRV biofeedback or resonance breathing along with visualization techniques to train your body to switch from a state of stress to relaxed much more quickly. I've previously heard some information on HRV and was told that a breath pattern of 5.5 seconds inhale and 5.5 seconds exhale creates resonance breathing, but she stated that "the standard rate that works for most individuals is to inhale for four seconds and exhale for six seconds with no pause in between.... The magic ratio here is 40:60 – you spend 40% of each breath inhaling and 60% exhaling." She never explained why this was a magic ratio; you just have to take it on faith. However, breathing in that ratio does not feel comfortable to me but the 5.5 seconds inhale and 5.5 seconds exhale does. This special breathing is the basis of her method, so I wish she spent more time explaining why this is the "magic" ratio.
Anyway, she started the book by describing the benefits of resonance breathing and how she discovered the benefit of combining it with visualization techniques. You do not need to have an HRV biofeedback device to do her technique, but she does talk about several devices if you want to get one. Each day for 10 weeks, she has you breathe for 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the evening following a breath pacing app set to her resonance breathing ratio. The first week is learning to breathe at that ratio, and the second week is learning belly breathing. Weeks 3 through 10 each introduce a new visualization technique that you can use to switch between a stressed state back into a relaxed state. The goal is to find one or more techniques that you find easy to use that will help you deal with stressful situations.
The author was not always clear when describing a technique. For example, she said to identify how your heart feels. I thought she meant physically only to later realize she meant what emotion are you feeling. However, the visualization techniques seem reasonable and doable. She wasn't clear about if these visualization techniques would work with a different ratio of resonance breathing. I'd be more inclined to commit to her system if I found the four seconds in and six seconds out breathing to be comfortable and calming, but she describes many people that she's worked with where this breathing technique has been very successful.
I received an ARC review copy of this book from the publisher through Amazon Vine.
Anyway, she started the book by describing the benefits of resonance breathing and how she discovered the benefit of combining it with visualization techniques. You do not need to have an HRV biofeedback device to do her technique, but she does talk about several devices if you want to get one. Each day for 10 weeks, she has you breathe for 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the evening following a breath pacing app set to her resonance breathing ratio. The first week is learning to breathe at that ratio, and the second week is learning belly breathing. Weeks 3 through 10 each introduce a new visualization technique that you can use to switch between a stressed state back into a relaxed state. The goal is to find one or more techniques that you find easy to use that will help you deal with stressful situations.
The author was not always clear when describing a technique. For example, she said to identify how your heart feels. I thought she meant physically only to later realize she meant what emotion are you feeling. However, the visualization techniques seem reasonable and doable. She wasn't clear about if these visualization techniques would work with a different ratio of resonance breathing. I'd be more inclined to commit to her system if I found the four seconds in and six seconds out breathing to be comfortable and calming, but she describes many people that she's worked with where this breathing technique has been very successful.
I received an ARC review copy of this book from the publisher through Amazon Vine.
April 18, 2021
There is a big idea behind this book: your body can drive your emotional reactions, just as much as your emotions can drive your body's reactions. It's a two-way street.
Then the book gets into how to breathe with your diaphragm and the practice of ramping up your system and soothing it back down on purpose.
And it takes a long time to explain that, with lots of redundant reminders. The executive summary is better than the book in this case. But it's a great idea and a valuable practice.
Personal note: I learned how to breathe well as a singer, actor (especially the Hamilton Method) and athlete. I had no idea how valuable it would be in my life as a speaker, strategist and coach. I can vouch for the power of this practice.
Then the book gets into how to breathe with your diaphragm and the practice of ramping up your system and soothing it back down on purpose.
And it takes a long time to explain that, with lots of redundant reminders. The executive summary is better than the book in this case. But it's a great idea and a valuable practice.
Personal note: I learned how to breathe well as a singer, actor (especially the Hamilton Method) and athlete. I had no idea how valuable it would be in my life as a speaker, strategist and coach. I can vouch for the power of this practice.
October 1, 2020
This book’s full title is Heart, Breath, Mind: Train Your Heart to Conquer Stress and Achieve Success. I got this book to review and I will do that. The book is designed to take 10 weeks to finish, but I obviously can review it in a shorter time frame, but probably also get some benefit from reading the book. It reminds me of a book I read in the past of Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers by Robert M. Sapolsky .
I did not do the 10 weeks breathing exercises that is at the heart of this book. It seems like an intriguing way to help people manage stress. I do not have much stress at the moment even with the lockdown. I am fortunate in some ways that my son lives with me. At least I had company in the first part of the lockdown and now we can, in Ontario, go out somewhat with friends.
I did start on diaphragmatic breathing or belly breathing. This seems like a good thing to do. I had heard about this before and it is not new, but I had not practiced it. She talks on how training your body to handle stress can help people with problems sleeping to athlete’s performance levels. She tells a lot of stories about how she has helped people with in terms of lowing stress so they can perform or live better.
If you are suffering because of stress, it would be worth the while to get this book and engage in her 10 week course. It is a detailed plan. She also suggests some different apps you can get to help you, but you do not need these as you could follow her plan and use the worksheets she provides. Her way could be a powerful tool to improve your life.
There are few reviews of this book. You will find a couple at Good Reads. You will also find some on Amazon when you scroll to the bottom of the page. The books publisher is Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Leah Lagos teams with Jaspal Ricky Singh to do a short at TED-Ed Talk. In this book, Leah Lagos recommends watching Kelly McGonigal on TED Talk. The title of this TED Talk is “How to Make Stress Your Friend”. There is also a short video on this book on YouTube. There is also a good description of what Dr. Lagos does at Goop.
If you like podcasts there is some choice. Listen to Dr Lagos on MixCloud There is another podcase on the subject of HRV at Elite HRV.
Jeff Halevy interviews Leah Lagos on YouTube at Workout from Within. Nunzio Presta interviews Leah Lagos via YouTube. This is a longer interview of some 17 minutes, but is well worth listening to. NBC did a news video about Leah Lagos helping an Olympic Rower on YouTube.
An index of the books I have reviewed are on my website at Books.
I did not do the 10 weeks breathing exercises that is at the heart of this book. It seems like an intriguing way to help people manage stress. I do not have much stress at the moment even with the lockdown. I am fortunate in some ways that my son lives with me. At least I had company in the first part of the lockdown and now we can, in Ontario, go out somewhat with friends.
I did start on diaphragmatic breathing or belly breathing. This seems like a good thing to do. I had heard about this before and it is not new, but I had not practiced it. She talks on how training your body to handle stress can help people with problems sleeping to athlete’s performance levels. She tells a lot of stories about how she has helped people with in terms of lowing stress so they can perform or live better.
If you are suffering because of stress, it would be worth the while to get this book and engage in her 10 week course. It is a detailed plan. She also suggests some different apps you can get to help you, but you do not need these as you could follow her plan and use the worksheets she provides. Her way could be a powerful tool to improve your life.
There are few reviews of this book. You will find a couple at Good Reads. You will also find some on Amazon when you scroll to the bottom of the page. The books publisher is Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Leah Lagos teams with Jaspal Ricky Singh to do a short at TED-Ed Talk. In this book, Leah Lagos recommends watching Kelly McGonigal on TED Talk. The title of this TED Talk is “How to Make Stress Your Friend”. There is also a short video on this book on YouTube. There is also a good description of what Dr. Lagos does at Goop.
If you like podcasts there is some choice. Listen to Dr Lagos on MixCloud There is another podcase on the subject of HRV at Elite HRV.
Jeff Halevy interviews Leah Lagos on YouTube at Workout from Within. Nunzio Presta interviews Leah Lagos via YouTube. This is a longer interview of some 17 minutes, but is well worth listening to. NBC did a news video about Leah Lagos helping an Olympic Rower on YouTube.
An index of the books I have reviewed are on my website at Books.
October 17, 2021
Lago is a psychologist who teaches HRV biofeedback as a way to deal with various stressors. This book can accompany actual work with her sessions or be used on your own. It exemplifies how a breathing technique can be tied to several other practices to help in many situations. I hope to share this with several people in my life to help them live their best life. I am only several weeks in so I won't comment on personal results. I would recommend this book for anyone seeking to reduce stress in their life and deal with it in specific situations.
(I received this book in a goodreads giveaway.)
(I received this book in a goodreads giveaway.)
December 31, 2021
Amazing insight into how the breath can reconnect you to your heart, settle your mind, and increase your physical, emotional, and spiritual performance. I gifted this to my boss who is an elementary school principal and now every morning over the intercom after the morning announcements she leads our school of 775 students to take three calming, deep breaths to start our day. Teaching children how to breath, using these methods as adults, and taking time to focus on the breath has increased my personal performance and helped me regain a sense of grounded focus. Love this book.
March 9, 2022
If you want to learn not only how to retrain your natural stress responses but also develop the kind of skills to manage your stress in real time, this is the book for you. I found the techniques incredibly helpful and insightful - I feel like I addressed the source of my stress more than I could with traditional talk therapy solutions or self help approaches. This was actual exercise for my physiology that was very helpful.
Will recommend to anyone needing to learn more about how to change their stress responses and well-being. Well done!
Will recommend to anyone needing to learn more about how to change their stress responses and well-being. Well done!
November 7, 2020
as with many books like this, it's too weighed down with bloat, if stripped down to the essentials, does present a good guide to HRV training.
HRV training seems to be Vipassana in training wheels. I think if people have the appetite and disposition to go deeper into the entire canon of thought and practices, they might be better served going directly to Vipassana instead of this highly redacted / abridged version.
HRV training seems to be Vipassana in training wheels. I think if people have the appetite and disposition to go deeper into the entire canon of thought and practices, they might be better served going directly to Vipassana instead of this highly redacted / abridged version.
February 22, 2022
I have recommended Heart Breath Mind to all of my clients, friends and family. You will learn how to interact with stress differently and empower yourself towards a healthier state of being. After completing Dr. Lagos's protocol, I was able to give my first presentation ever in 15 years free of anticipatory anxiety and panic. This book is a must read for anyone that experiences anxiety, wants to optimize performance and/or achieve success. Highly recommend!
Dr. Eugénie Pabst
Dr. Eugénie Pabst
April 3, 2023
This is a good training to my heart. I can instill positivity in my heart and exhale anything negative. That was mindblowing! I can do it in the comfort of my home or almost anywhere to get myself get back in the right track. I do know mindful breathing helps increase grey matter to the brain, but adding this concept makes me appreciate my mindful breathing exercise more. I am working on a lot about myself. I am in control of my heart. Thank you for writing this book.
April 25, 2022
This is an extraordinary book. Written in gentle and knowledgeable Dr. Lagos' voice, it's like she is there coaching you. Her excitement about science and peak performance is contagious. Even though I work in the field of biofeedback and peak performance, I learn so much from her, this book and the audio version. It's all excellent.
August 10, 2022
Loved this book! Dr. Lagos provides a lot of information in an approachable way about how to improve your relationship with stress and your body. I’m excited to continue her program! Would recommend!
October 24, 2022
Wish I could give this book a 6 out of 5 stars! Resonance breathing has been a life changer for me. As others have said the book is longer than it needs to be but this is such a powerful concept that it really is at least a program everyone should try.
March 12, 2023
If you, or someone you know, suffer from chronic illness, stress, or anxiety, this is a revolutionary must read! I borrowed the audiobook from my library, but then I had to order a paperback so I could work through the 10-week protocol. Amazing info!
November 6, 2021
I would recommend this book for anyone seeking to reduce stress in their life .
November 26, 2021
Very informative and helpful. Especially the chapters about breathing.
October 18, 2022
Breathwork is useful, but this is an underwhelming book.
TL;DR: do a 4-seconds in, 6-seconds out breathing pattern often to increase Heart Rate Variability (a good spec.).
TL;DR: do a 4-seconds in, 6-seconds out breathing pattern often to increase Heart Rate Variability (a good spec.).
April 19, 2023
There’s more for me to learn, and I plan to reread. I can continue learning to retrain my natural stress/anxiety responses with thoughtful breathing.
December 26, 2023
The technique to breathe within one minute is good but the explanation is too long. Rating 3-3.5
December 24, 2021
I found some of the information in the book useful but I found this book could have been condensed into a blog post. I liked learning about the techniques and that it has been suggested that strengthening the heart through HRV has a mild anti-depressant effect.
July 26, 2021
Resonance breathing is all about conscious belly breathing. An inhale of 4 seconds through the nostril and an exhale of six seconds through the mouth - all while expanding the belly is the idea behind it. Lagos crafts a 10 week plan of two sessions of 20 minutes each. I went by the book but I'm not sure if I've reaped the benefits as claimed. Probably, this indifference could also be an outcome of my less-anxious state. Not sure!
October 10, 2021
Very interesting book on using “ resonance breathing” to shift your body out of a “ fight or flight “ sympathetic state into the calmer, parasympathetic one. I have implemented the breathing practices for about a week and have already seen an increase in my HRV( measured by my Oura ring) and significant improvement in my sleep at night. Looking forward to seeing even more changes as I continue this technique.
October 31, 2021
I already loved resonant breathing. While reading this, I downloaded an app and committed to doing it for longer than the ~3 minutes a day I had to do to get my coaching certification. My autistic brain feeds me plenty of anxiety even in situations that wouldn't be a big deal for others, so I love any technique that helps me return to homeostasis. Now that I've finished the book, I'll return and do the 10-week program it outlines and see how it goes.
March 14, 2024
I found that I did not have a need, and was not willing to spend 20 minutes twice per day on breathing exercise. However, from October 6,2023 to March 2, 2024, I did 2 1/2 minutes of HRV measurement, followed by 5 minutes of breathing exercise on most days. Then life got busy. It was an interesting experiment.
September 16, 2021
I appreciated the tips on measuring HRV, but I am not going to spend 40 minutes a day listening to myself breathe. Nope.
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