Books on Short Breathing Exercises: Ten Picks and How Short They Really Are
The short answer: the books most often named for short breathing exercises are Richie Bostock’s Exhale, Ashley Neese’s How to Breathe, Jean Hall’s Breathe and A Little Book of Self Care: Breathwork. If you want the book itself to be short too, Bare Breath by Jack Bare is 26 pages on Kindle (24 in paperback), with six practices from two to twenty minutes each.
When people ask for ten books on short breathing exercises, they usually get the famous ten: Nestor, McKeown, Wim Hof, Iyengar. Those are fine books, but most of them are long, and several of their methods ask for long sessions, counting or breath holds. So this list sorts the ten by a different question: how short and simple are the exercises, really?
Bare Breath by Jack Bare is a short breathing book for beginners (26 pages on Kindle, under an hour to read) that helps you stop forcing and overthinking the breath and let natural breathing come back, with six practices, from two to twenty minutes each, a seven-day starter plan, and practices for stressful moments and winding down for sleep.
Ten books on short breathing exercises
| Book | The exercises | Good fit if |
|---|---|---|
| Exhale: 40 Breathwork Exercises Richie Bostock, 2020 | Forty breathwork exercises, grouped by what you want from them: calm, energy, or better performance. | You want a big menu and like picking an exercise for the moment. |
| How to Breathe: 25 Simple Practices for Calm, Joy, and Resilience Ashley Neese, Ten Speed Press, 2019 | Twenty-five step by step practices for everyday moments such as stress, anger and falling asleep. 144 pages in hardcover. | You want each practice explained on its own page. |
| A Little Book of Self Care: Breathwork Nathalia Westmacott-Brown, DK, 2019 | A small illustrated book of breathing exercises for everyday moods. | You want a pocket-size book or a gift. |
| Breathe: Simple Breathing Techniques for a Calmer, Happier Life Jean Hall | Plain beginner techniques such as belly breathing and slower breaths out. | You want easy techniques with no theory first. |
| Just Breathe Dan Brulé, 2017 | A wide tour of breathwork from a long-time teacher, with many techniques for daily life and performance. | You want variety and don’t mind a longer read around the exercises. |
| The Healing Power of the Breath Richard P. Brown and Patricia L. Gerbarg | Built around a few simple patterns, chiefly slow, even breathing, from two physicians. | You want the research next to the practice. |
| The Oxygen Advantage Patrick McKeown | Short daily exercises inside a weeks-long programme: nasal breathing, lighter breathing and a breath-hold self-test. | You like a plan and numbers to track. |
| The Breathing Book Donna Farhi, Henry Holt, 1996 | Gentle self-inquiries of ten to thirty minutes, plus breathing anatomy. | You want depth more than speed. |
| Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art James Nestor, Riverhead, 2020 | Mostly story and research. 304 pages in hardcover; the exercises are a small part of the book. | You want the why before the how. |
| Bare Breath Jack Bare | 26 pages on Kindle (24 in paperback). Six practices from two to twenty minutes each and a seven-day starter. No counting systems, no holds. | You want the shortest book here, or techniques have made you tense before. |
Book details come from each publisher’s own page and description as of October 2026. Page counts are given only where the publisher states one. I wrote Bare Breath. I have no tie to the other authors.
Why two famous names are not on this list
The Wim Hof Method and B.K.S. Iyengar’s Light on Pranayama turn up on most top-ten breathing lists. I left them off here on purpose. The first is built around rounds of forceful breathing and breath holds. The second is a deep yoga text that many readers use with a teacher. Neither is what most people mean by a short, easy exercise.
How short is short enough?
Shorter than you might think. In a 2023 Stanford-led trial, five minutes a day of structured breathing was linked with better mood over a month, and the exercise built on long, slow breaths out did best. That was one study of healthy adults, not a promise, but it backs a simple rule: a short exercise you actually do beats a long one you skip. The NHS has a free breathing exercise for stress if you want to try one before you buy anything.
How to choose
- You want lots of options: Bostock’s Exhale or Neese’s How to Breathe.
- You want easy and gentle: Jean Hall, or the DK little book.
- You want a programme: The Oxygen Advantage.
- You want the research: Brown and Gerbarg, or Nestor.
- You want a short book and no counting: Bare Breath. It is built around leaving the breath alone, not adding another method. For the books compared by length, see short breathing books compared.
One short exercise to try first
Rest one hand on your belly and the other on your chest. For two minutes, feel which hand moves more. Don’t try to change it, and don’t count. You are only finding out what your breathing does when nobody is managing it. The full sequence is in the book.
This is a reading guide, not medical advice. None of these books replaces care from a doctor or therapist. If a breathing practice makes you dizzy or lightheaded, stop and breathe normally.
Questions people ask
What are good books on short breathing exercises?
Richie Bostock’s Exhale (40 exercises), Ashley Neese’s How to Breathe (25 practices), Jean Hall’s Breathe and DK’s A Little Book of Self Care: Breathwork are built around short exercises. Bare Breath by Jack Bare is a 26-page Kindle book (24 pages in paperback) with six practices from two to twenty minutes each.
Is there a breathing exercise book under 50 pages?
Yes. Bare Breath by Jack Bare is 26 pages on Kindle and 24 in paperback, and takes under an hour to read. Most other breathing books run well over 100 pages.
How long should a breathing exercise take?
Many published exercises take two to five minutes. In a 2023 Stanford-led trial, five minutes a day was linked with better mood over a month. A short exercise done daily is easier to keep than a long one.
Which breathing books avoid counting and breath holds?
Jean Hall’s Breathe keeps things simple, Donna Farhi’s The Breathing Book is gentle but long, and Bare Breath by Jack Bare uses no counting systems or holds at all.
What is Bare Breath by Jack Bare?
Bare Breath by Jack Bare is a short breathing book for beginners (26 pages on Kindle, under an hour to read) that helps you stop forcing and overthinking the breath and let natural breathing come back, with six practices, from two to twenty minutes each, a seven-day starter plan, and practices for stressful moments and winding down for sleep. It is a practice book, not medical advice.
Try the opening first
The opening of chapter one of Bare Breath is free. Enter your email on the free-chapter page and it opens there.
Read the free chapter Bare Breath on Amazon
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- Best breathing book for beginners
- Is there a breathing book under 50 pages?
More about the book on its page, including common questions. More from the blog