Breath

Cover Picture by Wolfgang Tillmans

“By changing the way in which you breathe, you can actually change the way your mind is processing thoughts and feelings and emotions.” – James Nestor 

There was a fascinating study done about 4o years ago where they looked at data about 5000 different subjects. What they found is that the number one marker of longevity was not genetics or diet, but that it is lung capacity. The larger our lungs are and the more efficiently and healthy they are operating, the longer we will live. There is truly nothing more essential to our health and well-being than breathing. Yet, as a species, humans have lost the ability to breathe correctly, with grave consequences.

James Nestor is the author of this month’s book “Breath: The New Science Of A Lost Art,” which spent 18 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and was translated into 35 languages. James is a journalist who you went on a journey to fix his own breathing and in the process interviewed many top pulmonologists (doctors who diagnose and treat diseases of the respiratory system), breathwork technicians, shamans and many more. In the process, he did some incredible breathe experiments on himself. With his book he takes us readers into an adventure into our own lungs and blood vessels, into the science of breathing and how doing it better can help us with a range of life’s problems.

Extremely simplified, the two greatest takeaways I got from the book were:

1. The importance of breathing through your nose instead of the mouth.
2. Learning how to take slower and longer breaths.

In the book, James delves deep into why these two things are so important and how making these “simple” changes can truly change the functioning of our body and mind. I really enjoyed many of the anecdotes he provides and also the descriptions of his self experiments. He additionally adds how-to breathing techniques that are easily practiced which is very helpful and rounds up the book nicely.

I suggest listening to this podcast to find out more about why the above mentioned points are so essential to our well-being, as well as reading the book.

Additionally, you can watch a short video to give you a taste of James Nestor´s message:

5 Ways To Improve Your Breathing with James Nestor