Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art

The major New York Times bestseller that explains the surprising and essential power of breathing, now fully updated for the paperback edition

We all know breathing is essential. 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, Brazil. 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.

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. Breath turns the conventional wisdom of our most basic biological function on its head. You will never breathe the same again.

About the Author

James Nestor has written for Outside, Scientific American, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and many other publications. He is also the author of Deep: Freediving, Renegade Science, and What the Ocean Tells Us about Ourselves. He lives and breathes in San Francisco. More at mrjamesnestor.com.

Author Residence: San Francisco