Breath : The New Science of a Lost Art

A revelatory account of how making minor alterations to the way we breathe could have profound benefits for health and wellbeing, Nestor’s clear, accessible volume combines science with ancient custom to develop a unified theory of breathing.

Shortlisted for the Royal Society Prize 2021

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.

You will never breathe the same again.

MEDIA REVIEWS

'If there's one book you read this year, make it this one'

'Who would have thought something as simple as changing the way we breathe could be so revolutionary for our health? James Nestor is the perfect guide to the pulmonary world and has written a fascinating book, full of dazzling revelations' - Dr Rangan Chatterjee

'In the past few years, there have been several potentially life-changing books, from Matthew Walker's Why We Sleep and Shane O'Mara's In Praise of Walking, to Norman Doidge's The Brain's Way of Healing. Breath deserves a place alongside such volumes. Read it, and I guarantee you will want to change the way you breathe' - Evening Standard

'I highly recommend this book' - Wim Hof, on Instagram

'James Nestor's fascinating new book is playful and optimistic' - Spectator