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alreadyemily's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting book, fascinating really.
Note for audiobook version: James Nestor wrote a neat book and should be commended. I don't recommend that he narrate books.
Note for audiobook version: James Nestor wrote a neat book and should be commended. I don't recommend that he narrate books.
emperfectionist's review against another edition
3.0
This pop-science overview of breath and breathing has some really fascinating facts and engaging discussions about what we know and don't know about how breath works in the body. This is more of an overview, but it provides resources if you want to dig deeper. I enjoyed reading this book and learning more about modern and ancient understandings of breath work. Although, some of the science delivered feels sensationalized. I appreciate Nestor's enthusiasm and dedication to his subject, however there are times when he could be more upfront about the limitations of the health benefits of breathing techniques.
cookbookreadingstats's review against another edition
1.0
Didn't finish this, made it ~60 pages in, I kept waiting for the science to start but it didn't. Just anectdotal story after anecdotal story. 'One participant in the study had *these* results!' Whoop-dee-doo mate, what was the average outcome? Are there meta-studies? I can't have confidence in the author's analysis of a science I'm not familiar with if he's not presenting his information in a scientifically sound way. Maybe he's convinced of the healing powers of breathing because he cherry-picks individual results from individual studies and ignores the rest? I can't know. But I don't want to support an author who says 'trust me, because science' but isn't himself presenting scientifically, we should all be more skeptical than that.
lnt89's review
Godawful book. Repetitive, lacking in serious scientific theory or references, not internally consistent. A seller of snake oil and utter nonsense, made me furious every time I picked it up. Made for a GREAT book club with my fellow scientists but that's the only redeeming feature.
Author is not a scientist or scientific communicator and lacks the critical thinking that could have made this topic really interesting.
Author is not a scientist or scientific communicator and lacks the critical thinking that could have made this topic really interesting.
mysana's review against another edition
1.5
Interesting! But not scientific. Pop science at best, misleading and dangerous pseudoscience at worst.
Some of the examples and ideas are well supported by science, like nasal breathing being better for health tha mouth breathing, while others are not, like mewing / orthotropics. Nester doesn’t make it clear which is which.
I wish the book had been more of a look at breathing and its art through history. His own anecdotal stories around breath are interesting, but mean little to me without trust, which was thoroughly lost in the section on John Mew. Perhaps future research will validate John Mew, but it hasn’t yet and to ignore that seems like a serious failing in a supposedly scientific book.
In summary of the books ideas:
- How you breath matters. The ideal breath is 5.5 seconds in and 5.5 seconds out, through the nose.
- breath through your nose as much as possible, encourage the same in children
- Carbon Dioxide is the not the enemy, it is an essential part of breath, life, and health
- practice breathwork to
A) learn breath all air out of your lungs with every breath to be more efficient
B) breath more rapidly for short durations for specific benefits (see: Wim Hoff method and Tummo breathing)
C) practice holding your breath using specific techniques to reduce anxiety and panic attacks
- chew hard foods
- modern western medicine treats serious and acute maladies much more effectively than mild/moderate chronic or early stage maladies.
Some of the examples and ideas are well supported by science, like nasal breathing being better for health tha mouth breathing, while others are not, like mewing / orthotropics. Nester doesn’t make it clear which is which.
I wish the book had been more of a look at breathing and its art through history. His own anecdotal stories around breath are interesting, but mean little to me without trust, which was thoroughly lost in the section on John Mew. Perhaps future research will validate John Mew, but it hasn’t yet and to ignore that seems like a serious failing in a supposedly scientific book.
In summary of the books ideas:
- How you breath matters. The ideal breath is 5.5 seconds in and 5.5 seconds out, through the nose.
- breath through your nose as much as possible, encourage the same in children
- Carbon Dioxide is the not the enemy, it is an essential part of breath, life, and health
- practice breathwork to
A) learn breath all air out of your lungs with every breath to be more efficient
B) breath more rapidly for short durations for specific benefits (see: Wim Hoff method and Tummo breathing)
C) practice holding your breath using specific techniques to reduce anxiety and panic attacks
- chew hard foods
- modern western medicine treats serious and acute maladies much more effectively than mild/moderate chronic or early stage maladies.
saamdarius's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
4.25
mckmillican's review against another edition
I definitely would classify myself as a bad breather. This made me equal parts extremely self conscious and productively aware of my breath. Watch me never mouth breathe for a second of my life after reading this book.