
#829: James Nestor — Breathing Protocols to Reboot Your Health, Fix Your Sleep, and Boost Performance
The Tim Ferriss Show
Tummo vs. Wim Hof Breathing
Nestor distinguishes traditional slow tummo heat generation from the intense hyperventilation-style methods popularized by Wim Hof.
James Nestor is a science journalist and the author of the international bestseller Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, with more than three million copies sold in 44 languages.
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Timestamps:
[00:00:00] Start.
[00:01:37] Why I waited years to interview James about Breath.
[00:02:35] Maurice Daubard: The mysterious 90-year-old who preceded Wim Hof.
[00:05:01] Tummo breathing: Ancient Bon Buddhist heat generation.
[00:08:13] James’ personal breathwork practice and the Wim Hof method (with warnings).
[00:09:25] How breathwork cured James’ chronic respiratory issues.
[00:11:46] Sudarshan Kriya: The weekend workshop that changed everything.
[00:16:56] My nine-minute breath hold experiment (hyperbaric chamber edition).
[00:18:57] Post-book revelations and angry doctors’ offices.
[00:20:41] The ADHD-breathing connection: A controversial Venn diagram.
[00:22:00] DIY breathing assessments for kids.
[00:25:55] Mouth tape: From hostage situations to sleep optimization.
[00:28:48] James’ seven-year mouth taping commitment.
[00:31:14] CO2 levels: Your LEED-certified hotel is suffocating you.
[00:36:50] Monitoring CO2 with the Aranet4 and building a CO2 database.
[00:39:51] James’ travel kit: Red lights, granny packs, and a Soviet-era PEMF device.
[00:51:59] In Weirdville, eyes sing The Body Electric.
[00:52:58] The supplements included in David’s granny packs.
[00:54:16] Natto vs. nattokinase.
[00:56:18] Athletes and breathing: The BOLT score explained.
[01:03:25] LeBron James’ alternate nostril breathing and diaphragmatic dysfunction.
[01:04:47] Inspiratory muscle training and the back soreness warning.
[01:08:47] The Relaxator: An adult breathing pacifier for focus.
[01:12:54] San Francisco Writers Grotto and the trustafarian invasion.
[01:16:10] Writer’s block: A convenient excuse for hobbyists.
[01:19:04] Cutting the corporate cord: James’ visceral “I quit” moment.
[01:23:25] The freediving story that launched a book deal.
[01:25:41] Deep‘s disappointing launch and publisher betrayal.
[01:28:10] Breath: From 290,000 words to 85,000 in a house in the woods.
[01:31:51] Finding the skeleton: The Stanford experiment as through-line.
[01:35:44] Prayer and coherent breathing: The 5.5-second secret.
[01:38:44] James’ critique of breathwork culture and barriers to entry.
[01:41:07] Sleep optimization: SnoreLab, side sleeping, and incline bed therapy.
[01:44:56] Parting thoughts and where to find James and free breathing protocols.
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Show notes for this episode: https://tim.blog/2025/09/30/james-nestor-breath/
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