Why you should read James Nestor’s famous book “Breath”
MINDBLOWING
Here are the five most interesting findings
I am - you might have guessed it by now - a huge fan of breathwork. So, reading the book by James Nestor “Breath - The New Science of a Lost Art” was a must for me. And I loved it. Nestor has made it his life’s work, after a life-altering breathwork session, to unearth the mystery behind this lost art. He talked to a lot of scientists, physicians, breathwork gurus, did an admirable amount of (sometimes awfully painful) self-experiments and distilled it into the following findings.
Now, why should you care about breathing correctly? Nestor dives deep into the science of breathing and comes up with some compelling arguments that will change the way you see your nostrils forever. Turns out, it is important how you breathe during your day. There’s a lot that can go wrong, and it is luckily also super simple to get it right.
#1 The magic of nose breathing
First off, nose breathing is like having a built-in air conditioning system. It warms and humidifies incoming air, making it just right for your lungs. It also filters out foreign particles, thanks to those tiny hairs and mucus membranes. Think of it as your personal air purifier. Many of us breathe through their mouths or don’t even think about it much. But it does make all the difference. The air that comes in through your mouth is not filtered, it is not humidified and it is not regulated to the right temperature. You inhale all the pollution, all the germs, all the dust, unfiltered. Your mouth is the amateur breather, your nose is the pro. You wouldn’t drink through your nose, right? I mean, you could. It’ll end up in your stomach eventually. But the entry way matters and it’s much easier to use the pathway that is built for what you are trying to do. I think you got the point. Breathe through your nose. Okay, so that’s great. But there’s more.
#2 Slow and steady is everything
Nestor doesn't stop at just telling us to breathe through the nose. He also emphasizes the importance of the pace and depth of your breaths. Slow, deep breathing is the name of the game. This type of breathing activates your parasympathetic nervous system, telling your body to chill out and relax. It's like sending a "Do Not Disturb" signal to your stress. There is a reason why your Mom tells you to take a deep breath if you are too excited, agitated or anxious (while it’s terrible advice when you are already panicking, but we’ll get to that in a different article). Every actor, singer or professional speaker knows that your voice sounds much more calm, stable and confident when you breathe deeply into your belly and we all know intuitively that it helps calm us down.
#3 The 5.5 Rhythm
And there is an ideal rhythm for that. This point is interesting and something you have probably never thought about. Nestor talks about the sweet spot for breathing: 5.5 seconds in, 5.5 seconds out. This rhythm, he suggests, is the key to unlocking your body's natural healing processes. It's like finding the tempo to the music of your physiological functions. So, a good rhythm to aim for is about 5 to 6 breaths per minute – a far cry from the average 12 to 20 breaths most of us take. According to my own Oura health tracker ring, my average is about 14 breaths per minute. Definitely some room for improvement here. The slower rate enhances the efficiency of each breath, ensuring maximum oxygen uptake and CO2 expulsion. Now, don’t get too caught up on this and don’t start obsessing, checking and counting. If you end up stressing yourself, you might actually make things worse. But if you can just take a few moments during your day and check in how and how fast you are breathing and just slow down your breath for a few moments, you might get some valuable insights into a whole new world of body awareness.
#4 The CO2 paradox
Here’s another twist: While we often think the point of breathing is to get oxygen into our bodies, Nestor sheds light on the crucial role of carbon dioxide (CO2). You need a certain amount of CO2 in your blood to efficiently release oxygen from your red blood cells. So it is much more important to focus on balanced CO2 levels than on oxygen intake. You have probably seen people breathe into paper bags when they panic and hyperventilate as a consequence. Now you know why. They have too much oxygen in their blood and that makes them light-headed and breathing in more of the CO2 they just exhaled into the bag, helps re-regulate the CO2 levels in the blood pretty quickly.
#5 Mouth Taping
Mouth taping. Now if you tend to panic and hyperventilate, reading this word might make you go straight there. But bear with me. First of all: yes, you read that right. Nestor explores the somewhat controversial practice of mouth taping at night to ensure nose breathing during sleep. It sounds like a DIY hostage situation and I have honestly not tried it yet, but it's actually a simple method to avoid mouth breathing and snoring. Just make sure you're not using duct tape ;)! In his book, he even explores this method during exercise and shows how athletes can reach better results by sticking to nose breathing, even (or especially) runners.
Summary
In summary, "Breath" is not just a book. It's a manual for a total respiratory makeover. I highly recommend reading it if you’re interested in breathing and the history (and success!) of ancient breathing techniques at all. By breathing as Nestor suggests, you can improve your physical and mental health, enhance your sleep, and maybe even extend your life. And all it takes is a little attention to how you inhale and exhale. Who knew something we do 20,000 times a day could be so transformative?
And if you like to learn more fun facts about breathing, read more here.
