Art of Breathing or A Time for Listening and Caring

Art of Breathing: Six Simple Lessons to Improve Performance, Health and Well-Being

Author: Nancy Zi

According to the ancient Chinese discipline of chi kung (pronounced chee gung), the body's energy is released by the air breathed into it. Zi, a classically trained American singer raised in China, has adapted that idea in an intriguing method she calls chi yi. (Chi means breath, breathing or air.) Her premise is that controlled breathing can create new sources of life-enhancing energy. In six concise, uncomplicated lessons she shows how to tap into that energy through a range of exercises (accompanied by line drawings), imagery and situational applications. Her techniques for using the body's inner dynamics (the Chinese "core") will be especially valuable in relieving stress, building stamina and engaging in sports.

Read also Ethics out of Economics or Classic Readings in Organizational Behavior

A Time for Listening and Caring: Spirituality and the Care of the Chronically Ill and Dying

Author: Christina M Puchalski

This book is a thoughtful, informative, and practical guide for anyone involved in caring for the seriously and chronically ill or dying. The connection between spirituality and medicine has been receiving a lot of attention in both the scientific and lay presses recently, but research and anecdotal evidence all indicate that spirituality is central to the care of the chronically ill and dying. It is therefore critical that healthcare providers who interact with seriously ill patients know how to address their spiritual needs.
This book presents current thinking on how spiritual care can be integrated into traditional caregiving. Part one discusses aspects of spirituality, such as presence, ethics, and relationships. Part two delves into a number of specific religious and theological traditions. Part three offers practical applications and tools, including storytelling, psychotherapy, dance, music, and the arts. Part four focuses on patients' stories and reflections. The book concludes with appendices that have sample advance directives for Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, and Muslim patients.
Volume editor Christina Puchalski is the director of the George Washington Institute of Spirituality and Health. She is also an associate professor of medicine at the George Washington University Medical Center and an active practicing physician and medical educator. Dr. Puchalski is nationally and internationally recognized as a pioneer in the integration of spirituality and healthcare. Chapters are authored by an impressive group of medical and religious experts, and patients' stories also appear throughout, offering real-world examples. The book features a foreword by the DalaiLama.

Table of Contents:

1	The role of spirituality in the care of seriously ill, chronically ill, and dying patients	5
2	Spirituality in palliative care : an ethical imperative	27
3	Spiritual care : compassion and service to others	39
4	Spiritual stages of dying	55
5	The spiritual issues faced by children and adolescents at the end of life	83
6	The healthcare professional as person : the spirituality of providing care at the end of life	101
7	On sacred ground - the role of chaplains in the care of the dying : a partnership between the religious community and the healthcare community	115
8	A Buddhist approach to end-of-life care	131
9	Spirituality in end-of-life care from a Catholic perspective : reflections of a hospital chaplain	139
10	Building bridges : the Protestant perspective	155
11	Spirituality in palliative care - a Hindu perspective	171
12	Faith and Islamic issues at the end of life	183
13	Spirituality, suffering, and prayerful presence within Jewish tradition	193
14	Ojibwe beliefs and rituals in end-of-life care	215
15	Spiritual care : practical tools	229
16	Caring for patients at the end of life : honoring the patient's story	253
17	Meaning-centered group psychotherapy for cancer patients	269
18	Reflections on dance and music therapy in palliative care	283
19	"Waking dreams" : the arts : a nondenominational tool for reconnecting spirituality and medicine	299
20	The role of music at the end of life	319
21	Grief : a wall or a door	331
22	Transformation and redemption through the dark night of the soul	345
23	Rhonda - patient as teacher	353
24	Hope for the future	361