How to Maximize the Power of Your Breath

How to Maximize the Power of Your Breath

Our guest today is James Nestor, journalist and author of Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, which explores the often overlooked and undervalued function of breathing and all the ways that breath is at the center of health—and potentially illness. Nestor spent a decade studying ancestral breathing techniques and New Age technology and diving deep into studies that have brought surprising information to light. For example, Nestor tells us about the Framingham Study, which has been going on for seventy years: “They found that the most accurate marker of health and longevity wasn’t genes or even cardiovascular health. It was lung capacity and respiratory health.” Nestor shares all that he’s learned about proper technique (breathing through your nose is key) and his advice for shifting your habits. (For more, see The goop Podcast hub.)