Breathing as a daily ally

A dentist specialized in Orthodontics, university professor and former world champion in freediving, Marić approaches the topic from a perspective matured between scientific preparation, sports activity and personal experience. The result is not a technical treatise, but an illustrated manual built to be consulted, tested and resumed over time.

The heart of the volume are the 100 exercises aimed at children, adolescents, adults and the elderly. The practices work on the breathing rhythm, the diaphragm, nasal breathing, concentration and the ability to recognize the body's reactions in moments of tension. The organization by age groups and situations makes the book accessible even to those who have never taken breathing, meditation or sports training courses.

One of its strengths is language. Marić avoids overly specialized explanations and resorts to images, games and immediate instructions. For children , it offers, for example, the "Sloth's Breath", designed to accompany relaxation before sleep, and the more energetic "Dragon Breath". Transforming the exercise into a story helps the little ones to perceive the body and modulate emotions without experiencing the practice as an imposition.

For teenagers and adults, the book introduces techniques to be used in moments of agitation, fear or loss of control. Among these is Box Breathing, divided into four phases of the same duration: inhalation, pause, exhalation and new pause. Space is also given to the exercise of the five fingers, in which the movement along the contour of the hand accompanies the rhythm of breathing. These are simple practices, which invite us to interrupt automatisms and bring attention back to the present.

Also interesting is the part dedicated to heart rate variability, or HRV. Marić explains how the time distance between one beat and another is not perfectly regular and how this parameter can offer information about the body's ability to adapt to stress.

The volume also deals with less usual aspects, such as the relationship between breathing, intimacy and sexuality. The author observes how tension and involuntary apnea can limit body perception, suggesting individual and couple exercises based on the continuity and synchronization of breathing.

For older people , on the other hand , practices that combine breathing, mobility and stability are dedicated. The exercises can also be done while sitting or with a support and require a few minutes a day. The intent is to encourage greater awareness of respiratory capacity and counteract the progressive stiffness linked to age and sedentary lifestyle.