Description
Breath by James Nestor
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.
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, asthma, and autoimmune disease; and even straighten scoliotic spines. None of this should be possible, and yet it is.
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.
Breath by James Nestor
