Carl Stough aka Dr. Breath: In Memorium

In Memory Of Carl Stough, who passed away in October 2000.

In his Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Thomas Kuhn was able to show that it takes thirty years for any new concept to gain acceptance. (Optimal Breathing will be accepted some day, hopefully during my lifetime.)

Morris was removing some engine valves from a car on the lift when he spotted the famous heart surgeon Dr. Michael DeBakey, who was standing off to the side, waiting for the service manager. Morris, somewhat of a loud mouth, shouted across the garage, "Hey DeBakey...Is that you? Come over here a minute."

The famous surgeon, a bit surprised, walked over to where Morris was working on a car. 

Morris in a loud voice, all could hear, said argumentatively:

"So Mr. fancy doctor, look at this work. I also take valves out, grind 'em, put in new parts, and when I finish this baby will purr like a kitten. So how come you get the big bucks, when you and me are doing basically the same work?" 

DeBakey, very embarrassed, walked away, and said softly, to the man. "While the engine's still running?"

Carl was one of the luckiest and most gifted experts on breathing in the world. Lucky because as a non medical lay person (singing teacher) he was in the mid 1960’s, given access to the pulmonary ward of an immense East Coast military hospital. The ward was full of dying emphysema victims. 

Gifted because his compassion, sensitivity, courage and expert knowledge of developing the singing voice guided him, as he addressed an entire ward full of terminally ill emphysema victims gasping for breath. Carl was able to use intuitive hands-on music teacher breathing coordination insights that developed the diaphragm and restored many to functional life saving breathing. 

This was the basis for the first major clinical study of diaphragmatic development in history.

Carl believed he was gifted and that others could not learn what he did. I believe he was greatly mistaken. I recently worked on the breathing of an 85 year old race walker who was diagnosed with emphysema. He left my office and the following day broke three state records. 

Now the MDs are "not sure" if he has emphysema.

For me, his videos brought it all together. Carl's video titled Breathing the Source of Life, is a must for any serious student of the breath. This work is the core level insight of conscious replicated breathing development. Strangely though, Carl's estate has removed it from the marketplace. We show it at all training sessions.

His breathing coordination work, along with the very compatible "Breathing Work" work of Carola Speads, also a New Yorker, were instrumental in my complete change of focus and profoundly deeper understanding of natural breathing. My singing voice for which I had struggled for twenty years to regain, at long last began to return. 

Carl worked in New York City and passed away in October 2000. Carola made her transition near the age of 99 in 1999. The world lost two gifted and dedicated teachers of breathing.

• Our basic ground level self help breathing development program. Where ALL should begin.
• Private sessions with Mike
• A medical doctor's comments about Optimal Breathing.