Breath: The New Science Of A Lost Art By James Nestor

4.7 (6)
$29.00

Product Details

Web ID: 10918697

A New York Times Bestseller A Washington Post Notable Nonfiction Book of 2020 Named a Best Book of 2020 by NPR, A fascinating scientific, cultural, spiritual and evolutionary history of the way humans breathe and how we've all been doing it wrong for a long, long time. Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Big Magic and Eat Pray Love No matter what you eat, how much you exercise, how skinny or young or wise you are, none of it matters if you're not breathing properly. There is nothing more essential to our health and well-being than breathing: take air in, let it out, repeat twenty-five thousand 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.

  • Product Features

    • Author - James Nestor
    • Publisher - Penguin Publishing Group
    • Publication date - 05-26-2020
    • Page count - 304
    • Hardcover
    • Adult
    • Science
    • Dimensions - 9.1 H x 6.2 W x 1.2 D
    • ISBN-13 - 9780735213616
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Ratings & Reviews

4.7/5

6 star ratings & reviews

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11 months ago
from Rexburg, ID

A bit dry at times, but the content is good.

This was a decent book with anecdotal evidence. The concept of the importance of intentional breathing being as important as other basic functions in life was an interesting one. Overall, I had a positive experience listening to this. The audiobook was narrated well.

Recommends this product

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

1 year ago
from Chicago

Life changing

We are born assuming we know how to breathe. That is not the case. Breathing must be learned and there are tricks & best practices to follow. Enhance your mood, digestion, sleep and decrease your stress with proper breathing. James Nestor's writing is easy to read and reads in a fun, intriguing style.

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

1 year ago
from Sacramento, CA

A Breath Of Fresh Air

James Nestor shares is journey of understanding the importance of breathing. Not just about the scientific entities of breathing but also on how one breaths can be helpful or harmful to one’s health. Nestor allows us on his journey of understanding both. Along with his journey, there is wit. And, therefore, if you are “allergic” to scientific research, it is written in a way that will keep your attention. Nestor shares why it’s important to avoid being a chronic “mouthbreather” (ex: reduces fatigue, anxiety, and irritation), the necessary to have a balance between oxygen and carbon dioxide, and how processing food has reducing the amount of chewing during the Industrial Age has change the physical look of the human face (as well as reducing the amount of space to, well, breathe) (2020). In addition to this, Nestor allows the reader into various areas of how the story of breathing surprisingly didn’t come from pulmonologists (a physician who specializes in the respiratory system) but from places such as dentists, Native American tribes, and physiologists.

Recommends this product

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

4 years ago
from Vienna, Austria

Takes your breath away.....

This book is a must read for anyone with respiratory problems and most of the rest of us with none. After a month of following some of the breathing exercises, I managed to get rid of a chronic dry cough and digestion prolems.

Recommends this product

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

4 years ago
from San Jose, CA

Breath of Fresh Air

BREATH is a nonfiction book which explores the vital but largely ignored act of breathing. The author has a profound experience at a breathing class in San Francisco and spends the next several years researching all aspect of breath, from physiology, to psychology, to anthropology, to mysticism. I enjoyed this book and it gave me some different perspectives on breathing that I never considered. The science in this book is easy to understand. The author argues the importance of breathing through our noses, chewing harder foods more often, not breathing too much, and other concepts. He works with doctors, scientists, and other curious “pulmonauts,” as he calls them. From the breath work of Qi Gong to the catacombs of Paris, this book is a trip around the world and through time. I found it interesting that humans are the only animal species that can die of choking on food. I don’t know if I’ll pursue most of these techniques but I am noticing how I breathe more often.

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

4 years ago
from CT

Great read

I have appreciation for the author and I appreciated the informative read.

Recommends this product

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com