Book Review Saturday - Breathe

The single most important factor for a long life is proper breathing.
- Yogic Teachings

The ‘greatest indicator of life span’ is lung capacity. Not diet, exercise or genetics.
- 1980 medical study

Today I’m kicking off Book Review Saturday. I’ve been thinking of doing this for a while, and it feels like the right time.

I’m usually reading three books at one time: one dharma-related book, one fiction and one non-fiction. At some point I get into a flow with one of the three then finish that one, before shifting focus again.

Today’s recommendation is “Breathe: The New Science of a Lost Art” by James Nestor. I came upon this book at the bookstore while looking for something else and it piqued my curiosity. (Shout out for the lost art of bookstore browsing!) As a meditation practitioner (and having done a bit of pranayama yoga as well), I wanted to see what a mainstream journalist had “discovered” with respect to breath practices.

It’s a super interesting and encouraging read. Nestor has spent the last several years researching a variety of breath practices, uncovering the historical roots of several powerful protocols, some of them relatively new to the West, some which had moments of popularity before disappearing, some (like Wim Hof) having been re-branded and re-popularized.

He has also subjected himself to extensive personal practice of the techniques, and joined a research study to track his own vitals.

The main takeaway, beyond the actual practices themselves, which he summarizes in an Appendix, is that pretty much all the techniques have had measurable success with clinical health outcomes for a variety of conditions. When researchers are asked why a particular protocol disappeared after showing success, the answer is invariably “for no good reason.”

Nestor touches on the actual reason at the start of his book: mainstream allopathic pulmonology is narrowly focused on treatment of pathologies, instead of the holistic wellbeing foundationally supported by proper breathing.

Those of us who practice conscious breathing can attest experientially to the overall systemic benefits of good breathing hygiene. The immediate mental benefits can be quite dramatic (clarity, capacity, resilience, calm), while the longterm physiological effects can be profound (higher immune system functioning, etc.)

I hope you all have a great weekend, and are enjoying friends, family and/or just your body in space and time. It’s 66 degrees here in Bozeman, where I am currently located. the warmest day of the year by far! It’s off to a mountain hike with the family this afternoon.

Finally, here’s my usual plug for a free Discovery session if you would like to explore working with me one-on-one, and a NEW plug for my YouTube channel and Instagram account, where I have started posting some short videos.

Best of all, here is my wife Aria’s YouTube channel called Rose Movement Awareness Practice. Follow her and you will find new joy in your body.

take care,

• Paul