Breathing? Yeah, you’re doing it wrong. This is a fascinating look at how and why humans now breathe so inefficiently. And the negative effects on our health. This book runs the gamut of evolution, orthodontics, and… erectile dysfunction.
The interior of the nose, it turned out, is blanketed with erectile tissue, the same flesh that covers the penis, clitoris, and nipples. Noses get erections.
James Nestor – Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art
This is a fairly short read and quick pace for nonfiction, with just enough detail to be informative without having to slog through it. The epilogue on its own is worth the read. I took copious notes for myself and plan to look for an app for breathing exercises. I also appreciate the author consistently calling out atrocious behaviors of past researchers. Yes, the knowledge they gained informed today’s thinking, but it’s worth knowing the origins has racist intentions or knowledge was gained through awful animal research. You might want to skip the paragraphs about monkeys and dogs if you are sensitive to that, although they are short in length. (Worth looking at content warnings on this one.)
The content of this book built nicely off two books I read in 2023:
- Origin Story: A Big History of Everything by David Christian
- A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived by Adam Rutherford.
Although those were NOT quick reads for me. 😉
I’ve never been so conscious of my breathing while resting, working, exercising, or lying down to sleep. There were two chapters that had me aware of every breath I took while reading.
I made for darn sure that I breathed through my nose this morning during exercise.