My Dad loves to read. He reads spiritual books that broaden his understanding of his faith. He reads about C.S. Lewis and Walking a Sacred Path, he even reads Brene Brown. Often, he will share his latest find with me as he knows it will relate to much of the work I do with clients and within my own journey of personal growth.
I can see him now, sitting in his chair at the dining room table. The moon is still high and the sun still sleeping. Coffee brewed only moments ago sitting on a coaster to not create a ring on the antique dining table his mother once had in her own home. I can imagine him opening up his latest find, pen in hand, glasses over his eyes.
A few years ago, he shared Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor. And then my husband gave it to me for Christmas so clearly the universe is telling me I need this book. While I have not read it fully, my Dad lovingly underlined and noted passages that felt important to him. A pharmacist by trade, he has always been curious about the medical world and finding ways to lengthen his life or at least make his existence a bit easier. My Dad instilled so many things in me beyond a love to run and red wine, he also instilled in me the yearning for growth and curiosity. Thanks for this one, Dad. :)
Before we get into it, here is a quick description of the book from Mr. Nestor’s website about his book, Breath:
Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art was released May 26, 2020 by Riverhead/Penguin Random House and was an instant New York Times Bestseller. Here’s what it’s all about:
No matter what you eat, how much you exercise, how skinny or young or wise you are, none of it matters if you're not breathing properly.
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There is nothing more essential to our health and well-being than breathing: take air in, let it out, repeat 25,000 times a day. Yet, as a species, humans have lost the ability to breathe correctly, with grave consequences.
Journalist James Nestor travels the world to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it. The answers aren’t found in pulmonology labs, as we might expect, but in the muddy digs of ancient burial sites, secret Soviet facilities, New Jersey choir schools, and the smoggy streets of Sao Paulo. Nestor tracks down men and women exploring the hidden science behind ancient breathing practices like Pranayama, Sudarshan Kriya, and Tummo and teams up with pulmonary tinkerers to scientifically test long-held beliefs about how we breathe.
Modern research is showing us that making even slight adjustments to the way we inhale and exhale can jump-start athletic performance, rejuvenate internal organs, halt snoring, allergies, asthma, and autoimmune disease, and even straighten scoliotic spines. None of this should be possible, and yet it is.
Drawing on thousands of years of medical texts and recent cutting-edge studies in pulmonology, psychology, biochemistry, and human physiology, Breath turns the conventional wisdom of what we thought we knew about our most basic biological function on its head. You will never breathe the same again.
While this is not part of the Therapy Book Club, I wanted to share highlights that I found helpful and informative as to why we are often told to take deep inhales and try for long exhales when we are feeling stressed.
Breathing is a power switch to a vast network called the autonomic nervous system. There are two sections of this system, and they serve opposite functions. Each is essential to our well-being. The first, called the parasympathetic nervous system, stimulates relaxation and restoration. The second half of the autonomic nervous system, the sympathetic, has the opposite role. It sends stimulating signals to our organs, telling them to get ready for action (p. 144).
Why do you take a deep inhale and a long exhale to increase relaxation? Here’s what the research says:
The lungs are covered with nerves that extend to both sides of the autonomic nervous system, and many of the nerves connecting to the parasympathetic system are located in the lower lobes, which is one reason long and slow breaths are so relaxing. As molecules of breath descend deeper, they switch on parasympathetic nerves, which send more messages for the organs to rest and digest. As air ascends through the lungs during exhalation, the molecules stimulate an even more powerful parasympathetic response. The deeper and more softly we breathe in, and the longer we exhale, the more slowly the heart beats and the calmer we become (p.144).
Why do quick short and shallow breaths cause a sympathetic response/fight or flight response? Here’s what the research says:
A profusion of nerves to this system are spread out at the top of the lungs. When we take short, hasty breaths, the molecules of air switch on the sympathetic nerves. These work like 911 calls. The more messages the system gets, the bigger the emergency (144).
I bet if you have ever been to therapy or attended a yoga class, you have heard the therapist or teacher prompt you to take a breath deep into your belly and to extend your exhale as long as possible. Well, tada! Now you know the science behind this prompt. Sometimes, knowing why someone is telling me to do something makes me invest in it more deeply and sincerely.
at the Deeper Call is a great Substack resource for breathwork and its vital importance to our health. I religiously used her How to Breathe book to formulate the breath practice when I used to teach trauma-informed yoga. does a beautiful job in this piece exploring why a regulated nervous system, which breathwork (over time) can help us find, is so important to our health. Dr. Connop shares how a vagus nerve plays a big role in helping us shift out of a sympathetic nervous state to a parasympathetic one with ease.*If you are someone who struggles with mindfulness and meditation due to a history of dissociation and/or trauma, please find an anchor in your breathwork practice to help you stay grounded and manage triggers more effectively.*
Resources for your breath practice:
5 ways to Improve your Breathe with James Nestor (the author of the book I mentioned above) At the 8:56 minute mark, he explains the information I shared above.
How to Breathe: 25 Simple Practices for Calm, Joy, and Resilience by Ashley Neese
Yoga with Adriene: 5 Minute Calming Breathwork
Vagus Nerve Yoga classes on YouTube with Dr. Arielle Schwartz
Ted TalkxChapmanU with Stacey Schuerman shares why 5 minutes of breathwork can change your life
I hope you find these little tidbits helpful! :) Now…take a deep breathe in…as deep as you can to turn those little parasymptathic nerves on and slowly slowly let the air back out as you exhale. You got this. Rinse. Repeat.
**Disclaimer: The stuff you find on this website or in our online yoga and therapy antics is meant for laughs and general info only. It's not a stand-in for serious medical or therapeutic wisdom. Before you embark on any new yoga moves or delve into our therapeutic shenanigans, consult your healthcare pal. Participation is your choice, and we won't be held responsible for any sudden interpretive dance injuries.
Think of the links we share like those quirky friends—we're not vouching for their quirks. By using this place, you're saying, "I get it, it's all in good humor." If you don't agree, kindly exit stage left and seek advice from the serious folks. Laughter is the best medicine, but sometimes you need a prescription.”**
Oh I love James Nestor's book! It has been subtly life-changing for me, and the coherent breathing practice (5-count breath in and out) is now one of my absolute go-to tools for regulating my nervous system. Thanks so much for the shout out to my article Lindsey 🙏