Breathing is a new science for a lost art - James Nestor

Regardless of what you eat, or how much you exercise, or whether you are slim or small or wise, none of that matters if you do not breathe properly. There is nothing more important to our health and well-being than breathing: take air in, let it out, repeat twenty-five thousand times a day. However, humans, as a species, have lost the ability to breathe correctly, leading to serious consequences. Journalist James Nestor travels around the world to discover what went wrong and how to fix it. The answers are not found in pulmonary disease laboratories, as one might expect, but in muddy excavations of ancient burial sites, secret Soviet facilities, New Jersey choir schools, and foggy streets of São Paulo. Nestor traces men and women exploring the hidden science behind ancient breathing practices such as Pranayama, Sudarshan Kriya, and Tumo, working with pulmonologists to test long-held beliefs about how to breathe scientifically. Recent research shows that slight modifications to the way we inhale and exhale can boost athletic performance; rejuvenate internal organs; stop snoring, asthma, and autoimmune diseases; and even straighten scoliosis. None of this should be possible, yet it is. Relying on thousands of years of medical texts and modern advanced studies in pulmonology, psychology, biochemistry, and human physiology, breathing turns traditional wisdom—what we thought we knew—upside down regarding our most vital biological functions. You will never breathe again the same way. Number of pages: 319 Year of publication: 2023 Publisher: Arab Cultural Center