Book Review - Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art James Nestor
We breath 25,000 times a day, but as James Nestor details in the bestselling 'Breath - the new science of a lost art', somewhere along the way we have stopped doing it correctly. This has major consequences for our health, but in this informative and entertaining book, help is at hand. With a few adjustments, we can rejuvenate our internal organs, improve our athletic performance, and even sleep better - if you have to spend time in the spare room because of snoring, help may be at hand.
Lost Art
Nestor calls it a ‘lost art’ because the discoveries he makes aren’t new - some of the techniques have been around for hundreds, if not thousands of years. He travels far and wide to investigate research into investigate ancient breathing techniques such as Pranayama, Sudarshan Kriya, and Tummo, and asks what we can learn from them today.
Nestor highlights breathing pioneers he calls ‘Pulmonauts’. These are people who have discovered the power of breathing, often when trying to solve a related problem. He introduces us to a varied cast, that includes ‘civil war surgeons, French hairdressers, anarchist opera singers, Indian mystics, irritable swim coaches, stern-faced Ukrainian cardiologists, Czech Olympians, and North Carolina choral conductors.’
Respiratory Improvements
Nestor has suffered his own respiratory problems, so is prepared to undergo some of these techniques, including breathing through his mouth for ten days, which has dire health consequences. It made me realise it's something I do, so I have taken some of the steps recommended to try and improve my breathing. I began to see changes in my breathing almost immediately.
There's a lot of interesting information here. I never knew, for example, just how useful carbon dioxide is. And the trip to the catacombs below Paris was fascinating - it sheds light on how our facial structure has changed over the centuries. It's a wide-ranging book covering evolution, physics, athletic endurance, medicine and physiology.
But it's not a book just stacked with facts and research. It’s one of those books that I found incredibly useful; I began practicing the exercises even before I finished the book. And helpfully, there's a full list of the exercises and resources in the appendix.
Breathing Techniques
Some of the techniques I am familiar with - Wim Hof, for example, and his breathwork and cold water therapies. I’ll also be chewing a lot more, as soft foods have weakened our jaws. Nestor makes the claim that chewing triggers bone density and growth, further helping to open up channels for breathing - it'll be interesting to note if this makes any difference.
The perfect breath is simple: Sitting upright, breathe in for about 5.5 seconds, then exhale for 5.5 seconds. That’s 5.5 breaths a minute for a total of about 5.5 liters of air.
Alternate nostril breathing to help reduce anxiety, decongest the nose, improve respiratory efficiency, take more air into the lungs, and even do exercises that offer the benefits of high altitude training - they are easy to follow and can be practised anywhere. Though the exercise known as 'nose songs', where you increase nitric oxide which helps to widen the capillaries and increase oxygenation, will annoy the hell out of anyone within a ten-foot radius.
The exercises can be found here.
Breath: The new science of a lost art by James Nestor Summary
This book is a nice mixture - there are the author's own personal accounts of his own journey with his breath, and there is also plenty of scientific research and stats, but it never feels overbearing. It doesn't interfere with the narrative of the book - I read this book in a week, quick for me.
Listen, it's not like we don't know how important breathing is. But what this book helps us to realise is maybe we are doing it wrong, that modern living has forced us to breathe in ways that are alien to us. Following the exercises, breathing through our nose, adjusting our posture - these things can make a difference.
It’s the best of books and reading - not only will you learn something, you’ll pick up techniques that allow you to become better at breathing, something you might have thought you were doing correctly but this book will soon put you right.
And breathe.
James Nestor - Breath the new science of a lost art
First May 26, 2020 by Riverhead Books - 280 pages
My score 4/5