Books › Breath
Breath
368 pages
A fascinating, paradigm-shifting exploration of the most basic human function that will literally change the way you sit and breathe while reading it.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like unlocking a hidden control panel for your own body. It moves at a brisk, engaging clip, blending the obsessive curiosity of investigative journalism with the relatable vulnerability of personal self-experimentation. The tone is conversational and earnest, stripping away dense medical jargon to reveal a mind-expanding landscape of human physiology. You will find yourself acutely aware of your own inhales and exhales as you turn the pages, shifting from a state of oblivious dysfunction to an empowering realization of your body's potential. It is a deeply grounded yet awe-inspiring experience, perfect for readers who devour accessible pop science, biohacking memoirs, and stories that bridge the gap between ancient wisdom and cutting-edge research.
- Mood
- mind-expanding
- curious
- grounded
- Tone
- inquisitive
- conversational
- earnest
- accessible
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- the lost wisdom of the body · ancient practice meets modern science · self-optimization · hidden mechanics of everyday life
- The writing
- Clear, engaging, and journalistic, seamlessly blending scientific explanation with lively personal narrative and self-experimentation.
- The arc
- Moves from a state of oblivious dysfunction to a sense of profound, empowering realization about the body's innate capabilities.
- Who it's for
- Readers who love pop science, biohacking, and uncovering the hidden, transformative mechanics of everyday human existence.
Content notes
- medical procedures
- chronic illness discussions
About the book
There is nothing more essential to our health and wellbeing 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. In Breath, journalist James Nestor travels the world to discover the hidden science behind ancient breathing practices to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it.
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, allergies, asthma and autoimmune disease, and even straighten scoliotic spines
None of this should be possible, and yet it is. Drawing on thousands of years of ancient wisdom and cutting-edge studies in pulmonology, psychology, biochemistry and human physiology, Breath turns the conventional wisdom of what we thought we knew about our most basic biological function on its head.
Description from Open Library.
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