James Nestor, author of "Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art," dives into the often-overlooked power of breathing. He shares his fascinating experiment of blocking his nose, revealing how mouth breathing can alter facial structure and overall health. Nestor emphasizes the benefits of nasal breathing and proper exhalation for well-being. He introduces advanced breathing techniques that regulate carbon dioxide, enhance athletic performance, and combat panic attacks. Discover transformative breathing practices that can change your life.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Breathing Problems and Freediving
James Nestor, while researching freediving, experienced chronic bronchitis and pneumonia.
His doctor suggested it stemmed from improper breathing, leading him to a breathing class and inspiring his research.
question_answer ANECDOTE
The Mouth Breathing Experiment
James Nestor participated in a 10-day experiment where his nose was plugged, forcing him to breathe through his mouth.
This led to negative health effects, including increased blood pressure and snoring.
insights INSIGHT
Cultural Significance of Nose Breathing
Cultures historically valued nose breathing.
Some Native American tribes would close babies' mouths to instill nose breathing.
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In 'Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art,' James Nestor delves into the history and science of breathing, revealing how modern humans have lost the ability to breathe correctly. The book takes readers on a global journey to ancient burial sites, secret Soviet facilities, and other unusual locations to uncover the hidden science behind ancient breathing practices like Pranayama, Sudarshan Kriya, and Tummo. Nestor collaborates with pulmonary experts to test long-held beliefs about breathing and presents evidence that slight adjustments in breathing can significantly improve athletic performance, rejuvenate internal organs, and alleviate various health issues such as snoring, asthma, and autoimmune diseases.
When we think about improving our health, we typically think about altering our diet, trying to exercise more, and taking vitamins and supplements. But my guest today argues that none of that stuff really matters if we haven't improved something even more foundational: our breathing.
His name is James Nestor and his latest book is Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art. At the beginning of our conversation, James explains why he paid thousands of dollars to have his nose plugged up, and what happened to his body when he could only breathe out of his mouth. We unpack the dangers of the common problem of being a habitual mouth breather, including the fact that it can even change the shape of our faces, and why modern humans started breathing through the mouth rather than the nose. James then reveals what happened when he switched his experiment around and breathed only through his nose, and explains why simply switching the passageway of your breathing from oral to nasal can have such significant health benefits. He also shares his weird trick to switch from mouth to nose breathing at night, which I've tried myself and found effective. We then discuss the importance of getting better at exhaling, and why you counterintuitively probably need to be thinking more about getting carbon dioxide into your body rather than oxygen. In the latter part of our conversation, we discuss more advanced breathing techniques, including hypoventilation training, where you double your exhales to inhales to acclimate yourself to higher levels of CO2, as well as other experimental breathing techniques that may allow people to take conscious control of the supposedly involuntary autonomic nervous system in order to boost immunity and heal diseases.
The Art of Manliness 
