The Science of Breathing | James Nestor

Ten Percent Happier with Dan Harris

You may be breathing wrong. Here’s how to fix it.

At times, self-improvement can seem like a never-ending hallway filled with limitless shame and insufficiency. So when something as simple as the breath falls into this category, it seems only natural to meet that news with some resistance. Our guest today, James Nestor, argues that many of us, of all things, are breathing incorrectly but that by fixing our breathing, it can help with both physical and psychological ailments.

Nestor is a science journalist who wrote a book called, Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, which spent 18 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and was translated into more than 35 languages.

In this episode we talk about:

• How Nestor got interested in breathing in the first place
• Why we are the worst breathers in the animal kingdom
• The importance of posture
• The deleterious effects of mouth breathing
• Why we need to chew more
• The relationship between breathing and anxiety
• The relationship between breathing and sleep
• And we dive into a variety of breathing exercises

Where to find James Nestor online:

Website: www.mrjamesnestor.com

Social Media:

• Facebook
• Instagram

Book Mentioned:

• Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art

Other Resources Mentioned:

• Daniel E. Lieberman
• The Wim Hof Method
• Dr. Stanislav Grof and holotropic breathwork
• Dr. Richard P. Brown
• Matthew P. Walker
• More on Kundalini Yoga and Breathing
• Sudarshan Kriya
• Dr. Herbert Benson and tummo breathing technique

Related Episodes:

Three Lessons from Happiness Research | Emma Seppälä

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