top of page
Writer's pictureJohn Wilson

Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art- By James Nestor A Book Review

Updated: Sep 23, 2023

How to breathe, we would all like to think we know, but what do we actually know? Fortunately our breath will usually continue with or without our intervention, but sometimes there is the distinct impression that we could be breathing better, and that something is not right with our breathing. We might blame our health, stress, and our mental fitness in general for what we perceive as poor breathing habits, but have we considered our actual physiology, and how it has changed with humanity over time?




In this fascinating work Nestor shares his exploration of breath, breathing exercises, and current research on the subject. It begins with a Stanford experiment that he himself participates in that illustrates the ill health effects of mouth breathing from which sleep apnea, high blood pressure and high cholesterol quickly develop. He explores research on how mouth breathing even begins to change human and other animal anatomy, even within a matter of weeks. Dental and even Mental health are affected. He goes on to site research on changes in human skulls, face, and jaw that have begun to occour not 100,000 years ago, but within the last few hundered years, with the dawn of industrialization and the widspread advent of processed food.


This book and the research sited start to paint a gloomy picture of humanity in it's current state, but he also offers research and his own experience in breathing and facial exercises, C02 treatment, and even palate retainers. At the end of the audio book, breathing Guru Anders Olsan walks you through a handful of breathing exercises to help you attain a healthier manor of breathing and find new way of experiencing breath. For anyone who has considered the idea that something might be wrong with the way they breath on a daily basis, this book is a must! Warning, this book is hard to put down!


You can find this book on Amazon and Audible






21 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comments

Rated 0 out of 5 stars.
No ratings yet

Add a rating
bottom of page