Description

A New York Times Bestseller and Washington Post Notable Nonfiction Book of 2020, Breath uncovers the surprising science behind the way we breathe—and how most of us have been doing it wrong for centuries.

No matter how well you eat, how much you exercise, or how young and fit you are, none of it matters if you’re not breathing correctly. Breathing is the most fundamental function of our bodies—something we do 25,000 times a day—yet as a species, we have lost the ability to do it properly, leading to serious health consequences.

Journalist James Nestor embarks on a global journey to understand what went wrong and how to fix it. His search takes him to unexpected places—ancient burial sites, secret Soviet research labs, New Jersey choir schools, and the smog-filled streets of São Paulo. Along the way, he meets experts studying lost breathing techniques such as Pranayama, Sudarshan Kriya, and Tummo, and he collaborates with researchers to put age-old practices to the test.

Modern studies reveal that small changes in how we inhale and exhale can improve athletic performance, heal internal organs, reduce snoring, asthma, and autoimmune disorders, and even help correct spinal alignment. Though much of this seems impossible, science is proving otherwise.

Drawing from thousands of years of medical texts and the latest research in pulmonology, psychology, and human physiology, Breath challenges everything we thought we knew about this essential biological function. After reading this book, you will never think about breathing the same way again.