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A review by sarasreading
Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor
informative
reflective
fast-paced
3.75
Probably around 3.5 but I'll bump it up because I read this in one day. There's some great info in here, some great feats of human endurance, and also some potentially misleading advice and pseudoscience.
To say, for instance, that ADHD symptoms can be managed with breathing, when it has far more to do with dopamine receptors in the brain than just about anything else, is unhelpful.
Still, it's a fun read, and if you practice yoga, several of the breath techniques will be familiar to you. The audiobook has a half hour instruction at the end on several breathing techniques, many I knew and some I didn't. I didn't know the 3-9 technique, and that one lowered my heart rate over 10 points with only a few rounds. By far the most effective one for me with my current health issues.
I saw a pulmonologist for the first time just before starting this book, and had several lung function tests done, and that helped add a personal layer to this reading experience. (Suffering from long COVID since being diagnosed last August.)
All that to say I do recommend it, but with several grains of salt.
To say, for instance, that ADHD symptoms can be managed with breathing, when it has far more to do with dopamine receptors in the brain than just about anything else, is unhelpful.
Still, it's a fun read, and if you practice yoga, several of the breath techniques will be familiar to you. The audiobook has a half hour instruction at the end on several breathing techniques, many I knew and some I didn't. I didn't know the 3-9 technique, and that one lowered my heart rate over 10 points with only a few rounds. By far the most effective one for me with my current health issues.
I saw a pulmonologist for the first time just before starting this book, and had several lung function tests done, and that helped add a personal layer to this reading experience. (Suffering from long COVID since being diagnosed last August.)
All that to say I do recommend it, but with several grains of salt.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical content, Chronic illness, and Animal cruelty