Breath

Have we forgotten the most natural thing in the world?

In recent years, it seems people have become increasingly obsessed with a healthy lifestyle. We exercise more, take an interest in proper eating habits, study sleep, practice cold water therapy, and digitally record every bodily function. Yet, there is one process we only turn our attention to when problems arise: breathing.

Journalist James Nestor went through a similar experience. His long-term health problems were only resolved thanks to breathing exercises, which he initially viewed with scepticism. After Nestor relearned how to breathe, he set off on a journey to find the answer to the question: Is humanity forgetting the seemingly simplest thing in the world?

The author looks not only in pulmonary laboratories but also at choirs, ancient burial sites, Soviet research bases, and in the streets of São Paulo. He compares scientific findings from the fields of physiology, biochemistry, and psychology with yogic and other traditions, showing that breathing is the absolute foundation of our being. Just perhaps in a slightly different way than one might expect.

A bestseller according to The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, and more.