James Nestor’s book — Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art

It turns out that breathing well, which is FREE, really matters to our health

Breath a 2020 non-fiction best seller [New York Times, LA Times, WSJ]. It is easy to read science journalism that shows that breathing well — which is free — really makes a difference in our health and well-being. It can have a huge effect on stress.

Here is just one thing from the book. Research shows that humans were built to breathe through our noses. Breathe in — tummy goes out, breathe out, tummy flattens. Ideally a four to six second inhale followed by the same length exhale.

For me, after about 10 days of doing that daily while walking my dogs I noticed a big improvement in the quality of my sleep and in my mid-afternoon energy levels. I was shocked. The cited science is very clear, and the author, James Nestor, figured no one would believe it. That is why the book has 56 pages of explanatory notes and bibliography.

Turns out some of that stuff that yogis and Daoists and mystics say about breathing, stress, relaxation, and the mind is true. Go figure! <smile>