Breath
There is nothing more essential to our health and wellbeing 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. In Breath, journalist James Nestor travels the world to discover the hidden science behind ancient breathing practices to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it. Modern research is showing us that making even slight adjustments to the way we inhale and exhale can: - jump-start athletic performance - rejuvenate internal organs - halt snoring, allergies, asthma and autoimmune disease, and even straighten scoliotic spines None of this should be possible, and yet it is. Drawing on thousands of years of ancient wisdom and cutting-edge studies in pulmonology, psychology, biochemistry and human physiology, Breath turns the conventional wisdom of what we thought we knew about our most basic biological function on its head.
What you might want to know about Breath
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
James Nestor walks through ten-day mouth-breathing experiments at Stanford, free divers, opera singers, ancient skulls, and pulmonary labs to argue that how we breathe quietly shapes how we live and age.
Breath draws on real research from physiology, dentistry, and respiratory medicine, alongside more speculative claims. Some specifics, particularly around mouth taping and chronic mouth breathing, have become mainstream interventions; others remain debated by clinicians.
Yes. Breath is available on audiobook narrated by James Nestor. Many listeners recommend the audio version because Nestor demonstrates breathing techniques as he describes them.
Breath was written by James Nestor, published in 2020 by SOLAR.
Breath is 336 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Breath takes most readers 5 to 7 hours to finish.
Breath is a standalone novel by James Nestor, not part of a series.
Breath is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.
