Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art
by James Nestor
No matter what you eat, how much you exercise, how skinny or young or wise you are, none of it matters if you’re not breathing properly.
There is nothing more essential to our health and well-being than breathing: Take air in, let it out, repeat 25,000 times a day. Yet, as a species, humans have lost the ability to breathe correctly, with grave consequences. Journalist James Nestor travels the world to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it. The answers aren’t found in pulmonology labs, as we might expect, but in the muddy digs of ancient burial sites, secret Soviet facilities, New Jersey choir schools, and the smoggy streets of São Paulo. Nestor tracks down men and women exploring the hidden science behind ancient breathing practices like Pranayama, Sudarshan Kriya, and Tummo and teams up with pulmonary tinkerers to scientifically test long-held beliefs about how we breathe.
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Kim’s Review – I used to take breathing for granted. It’s automatic, right? WRONG! Getting enough air in your lungs is a whole other deal. In addition to keeping us alive, breathing regulates the nervous system and keeps us regulated. What a novel idea! I love that I’m paying attention like never before. It’s really made a difference.
Highly recommend – ★★★★★
