Breath

Author - James Nestor

Many times we do something that we don’t even think about and just keep doing. However, it takes us ages to realise that all this while we were doing it wrong and it was causing us harm. Breath by James Nestor is a book that gives us a very different perspective on how we breathe, our breathing techniques and why are we facing problems due to our wrong breathing techniques. It may sound trivial but it is a fact.

After reading the book you will never breathe the same again because the author has managed to demonstrate how most of us are breathing incorrectly as most of us have lost the ability to breathe correctly. As a result, we are facing the consequences of it in bad health both mentally and physically. We know well that air pollution is getting worse day by day as we read about it in daily headlines. Thus, breathing is already problematic and on top of it not breathing properly is making things even worse. Breathing correctly can rejuvenate our lives.

In his quest to understand more, this author went around the world meeting people to figure out what went wrong and to get some answers for the same. As part of his writing author investigated everyday breathing problems that have detonated modern human health. The author narrates his journey which makes the book more relatable. Apart from the physiological aspects of the quest author also touches upon the spiritual aspects of his journey.

While reading the book you may also get the feeling that you have read it somewhere before and possibly know about it. This intuitive feeling can be attributed to Google and the information overload that we are subjected to. Most of the information that you read in the book is available in public. However, what makes the book worthwhile is that author has created a compelling narrative, has provided all the information in one place and on top of that all breathing exercises and techniques are given for the reader to understand and practise.

The author makes a convincing argument about how we fail to maximize our potential by not breathing properly and with small adjustments in our breathing we can transform our physical and mental health. Many modern maladies can either be reduced or reversed simply by changing the way we inhale and exhale. The author makes it known, in no uncertain terms, that breathing properly will help one live longer. His goal is the encourage readers to breathe properly and to transform their lives. As mentioned earlier all exercises are given at the end and tied with chapters in the book for context and relatability.

Overall book provides a new dimension to exercise that we have taken for granted. Flow along the book, and make a few adjustments here and there to bring positive changes to your life.

BookVibe: 3/5