Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art book cover

Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art

Learn to use your breath as daily medicine that calms nerves, sharpens focus, deepens sleep, and strengthens the body

James Nestor
2020
8 Key Insights

About This Book

Your breath is the most powerful health tool you already carry. Learn how simple shifts—closing your mouth, slowing your pace, lengthening your exhale, and building comfortable breath‑holds—can lower blood pressure, improve sleep, quiet anxiety, and boost athletic endurance. Discover why carbon dioxide is not the enemy, how chewing shapes your airway, and when brief bouts of strong breathing can reboot a stressed nervous system. With clear science and step‑by‑step practices, you’ll rewire habits you do all day and night, turning every breath into a lever for better focus, energy, and long‑term health.

About the Author

The author is an investigative health educator who spent years interviewing clinicians, coaches, and researchers while personally testing breathing methods in labs and daily life. Their work bridges medical physiology with practical habit change, translating complex science into clear steps anyone can use. They’ve collaborated with sleep specialists, ENT surgeons, dentists, performance coaches, and nervous‑system researchers to pressure‑test what truly works. With a coaching style rooted in compassion and evidence, they focus on tools that are simple, measurable, and usable in the middle of real life—work deadlines, parenting, training, and stress.

Biggest Takeaway

- Sleep deeper with fewer awakenings and less snoring by restoring nasal breathing. - Lower resting stress, blood pressure, and anxiety with slow, coherent breathing. - Improve endurance and recovery by training longer exhales and tolerating carbon dioxide. - Boost focus and emotional control by engaging your diaphragm and vagus nerve. - Reduce mouth‑related crowding and airway resistance by chewing properly and correcting oral posture. - Gain practical tools for panic, cravings, and mental fog using brief breath‑holds and deliberate breathing drills.

Key Insights from This Book

Explore the most important ideas and learn how to apply them in your life.

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