Thank you for a long and thoughtful commentary! The only book/author I would recommend right now is Carlos Castaneda, I like his method and description. They seemed to resonate with me.

But he has 11 books (if I am not miscounting) and I don’t remember on top of my head which one has detailed descriptions of it. When I find it, I will let you know.

As for breathing... you are so right and breathing itself is such a vast topic... There are many breathing exercises in martial arts and in different “spiritual” or “magical” traditions... We are so used to just breathe and not lay attention to the process, but it can be used as a practice for achieving many various outcomes. I had a teacher who would say there are thousands of breathing techniques that can change human perception, thinking, physical and mental abilities, dreams, and powers... And I must start trying all that out! I’ve been neglecting this breathing thing for such a long time because it seemed too “passive” for me, but I was wrong. “Calm” and “passive” is not the same thing, plus some breathing techniques are actually physically demanding.