Breath: Difference between revisions

📘 '''''{{Tooltip|Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art}}''''' is a popular science book by journalist {{Tooltip|James Nestor}}, published by {{Tooltip|Riverhead Books}} on 26 May 2020. <ref name="PRH2020" />

The book is structured in three parts and ten chapters (e.g., “Nose,” “Exhale,” “Slow,” “Less,” “Chew,” “Hold It”). <ref name="MarmotTOC" />

It became a {{Tooltip|New York Times bestseller}} and a {{Tooltip|Washington Post Notable Nonfiction Book of 2020}}, and—according to the publisher—has sold more than three million copies in 44 languages. <ref name="PRH2020" /><ref name="WPostNotable2020">{{cite news |title=50 notable works of nonfiction in 2020 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/50-notable-works-of-nonfiction-in-2020/2020/11/16/37f4c4de-2069-11eb-b532-05c751cd5dc2_story.html |work=The Washington Post |date=19 November 2020 |access-date=19 October 2025}}</ref>

🖋️ '''Author & writing'''. Nestor is a science journalist and author of ''{{Tooltip|Deep}}'' (2014); the publisher notes that ''Breath'' follows his reporting across labs, ancient burial sites, Soviet facilities, choir schools, and city streets to examine how breathing works and why it went awry. <ref name="PRH2020" /> He frames the book as a “scientific adventure,” linking breathing patterns to health and recounting how recurrent respiratory issues led him to spend years researching breathing science and testingtest claims first-hand. <ref name="PWReview2020" /> Before ''Breath'', he had built a reputation writing long-form pieces on physiology and extreme environments for outlets such as ''Scientific American'', ''Outside'', ''The Atlantic'', and ''The New York Times'', a background reviewers say he carries into this book’s mix of travelogue, history, and immersion journalism. <ref name="JamesNestorBio2025">Biographical and speaking-agency profiles describe Nestor as a California-based science journalist whose work has appeared in outlets including ''Scientific American'', ''The Atlantic'', ''Outside'', and ''The New York Times''.</ref> A central episode is a {{Tooltip|Stanford}}-run experiment overseen by an {{Tooltip|otolaryngologist}} that forced mouth-only breathing for 10 days before switching to nose-only breathing, with diary-style measurements of snoring, apnea events, and blood pressure. that<ref arename="SleepReview20201204">{{cite wovennews through|last=Roy the|first=Sree narrative.|title=A Popular MedicalNew reviewersBook haveElicits notedGasps thatof NestorDelight structures& theConcern bookfrom inSleep threeSpecialists parts|url=https://sleepreviewmag.com/sleep-health/sleep-whole-body/lungs/breath-james-nestor-sleep-medicine/ and|work=Sleep tenReview concise|date=4 chaptersDecember that2020 move|access-date=19 betweenOctober case2025}}</ref> histories,The interviewsbook’s withvoice cliniciansmixes andreportage, “pulmonautshistory,” and practical breathingtechniques drills,across makingthree technicalparts materialand accessibleten toconcise general readerschapters. <ref name="Kirkus2020" /><ref name="Strahan2021MarmotTOC">A 2021 review in the journal ''Family Medicine'' contrasted Nestor’s fast-paced, case-driven style with more conventional pulmonology texts and recommended ''Breath'' to both clinicians and lay readers.</ref>

📈 '''Commercial reception'''. Nestor’s site records that ''Breath'' spent 20 weeks on the {{Tooltip|''New York Times'' bestseller list}} and became an international bestseller. <ref name="NestorAbout2025">{{cite web |title=About — James Nestor |url=https://www.mrjamesnestor.com/about |website=MRJAMESNESTOR |date=2025 |access-date=19 October 2025}}</ref> It debuted at #7 on the {{Tooltip|''New York Times''}} combined print and e-book nonfiction list in June 2020 and remained on various ''Times'' nonfiction lists for 18 weeks in its first year. <ref name="NYTBestseller2020">''The New York Times'' bestseller listings in 2020–2021 show ''Breath'' entering the combined print & e-book nonfiction chart at #7 and reappearing on hardcover nonfiction lists over subsequent months.</ref> In the sales week ending 30 May 2020, ''{{Tooltip|Publishers Weekly}}'' reported the book’s debut at #12 on Hardcover Nonfiction. <ref name="PWBestSeller20200608">{{cite news |last=Juris |first=Carolyn |title=This Week's Bestsellers: June 8, 2020 |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bookselling/article/83532-this-week-s-bestsellers-june-8-2020.html |work=Publishers Weekly |date=5 June 2020 |access-date=19 October 2025}}</ref> According to author and publisher materials,It itwas also reachedselected bestselleras lists in thea {{Tooltip|''WallWashington StreetPost Journal''}},Notable ''LosNonfiction AngelesBook Times''of and ''Sunday Times'' (London), and charted in markets including Spain, Germany, Croatia, and Italy2020}}. <ref name="NestorAbout2025WPostNotable2020" /> The publisher attributes more than three million copies sold and translations into 44 languages,. framing<ref the book as a breakout global health title.name="PRH2020" />

👍 '''Praise'''. ''{{Tooltip|Kirkus Reviews}}'' called the book “a welcome, invigorating user’s manual for the respiratory system.” <ref name="Kirkus2020" /> ''{{Tooltip|Publishers Weekly}}'' praised it as a “fascinating ‘scientific adventure’” that convincingly argues everyday breathing is “vital to get right.” <ref name="PWReview2020" /> {{Tooltip|The ''Boston Globe''}} highlighted its “entertaining, eerily well-timed” explanations of proper breathing and its potential to change daily habits. <ref name="BGlobe2020" /> ''{{Tooltip|Library Journal}}'' deemed it “highly recommended,” noting the clear synthesis of research, interviews, and techniques. <ref Beyondname="LJ2020">{{cite tradeweb outlets, reviewers in clinical journals have described ''|title=Breath'': asThe anNew engaging,Science ifof sometimesa sensational,Lost introductionArt to|url=https://www.libraryjournal.com/review/breath-the-new-science-of-a-lost-art slow|website=Library breathing,Journal nasal|date=1 breathingMay and2020 related|access-date=19 practices, suggesting it can complement more technical texts by sparking patient and public interest in respiratory health.October 2025}}</ref name="Strahan2021" />

👎 '''Criticism'''. In the ''{{Tooltip|Wall Street Journal}}'', {{Tooltip|Sam Kean}} faulted the book for not applying enough skepticism to “dicey” evidence and for underplaying placebo effects. <ref name="WSJReview2020">{{cite news |last=Kean |first=Sam |title='Breath' Review: Eager Breather |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/breath-review-eager-breather-11590953832 |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=31 May 2020 |access-date=19 October 2025}}</ref> Psychiatrist {{Tooltip|Kate Womersley}}, writing in ''{{Tooltip|The Spectator}}'', argued that Nestor leans heavily on anecdotes and makes overbroad claims about {{Tooltip|nitric oxide}} and {{Tooltip|CO₂}}, cautioning against turning “enhanced breathing” into a commercial self-optimization trend. <ref name="Spectator20200801">{{cite news |last=Womersley |first=Kate |title=We all breathe – 25,000 times a day – so why aren’t we better at it? |url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/we-all-breathe-25-000-times-a-day-so-why-aren-t-we-better-at-it/ |work=The Spectator |date=1 August 2020 |access-date=19 October 2025}}</ref> A trade article in ''{{Tooltip|Sleep Review}}'' welcomed the book’s accessibility but warned that popular practices like mouth-taping should not displace clinical diagnosis and care, particularly for suspected {{Tooltip|sleep apnea}}. Other commentators have questioned some of the book’s extrapolations, such as extending small animal studies or limited anthropological observations to broad claims about modern cognition and disease, arguing that these leaps risk overstating what current evidence can support. <ref name="AscoPost2021SleepReview20201204">An overview in ''The ASCO Post'' praised ''Breath'' as an accessible survey of breathing science but noted that some links between rodent data, ancestral skulls and contemporary cognitive claims “might seem like a scientific stretch” without more rigorous human evidence.</ref> Beyond reviews, a 2023 meta-analysis of randomized trials found small-to-moderate benefits of breathwork for stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms, while urging caution due to moderate risk of bias and heterogeneity in studies;. commentators<ref havename="SciRep2023">{{cite citedjournal this|last=Fincham as|first=Guy evidenceWilliam that|author2=Clara breathingStrauss techniques|author3=Jesus areMontero-Marin promising|author4=Kate butCavanagh not|date=9 aJanuary panacea2023 |title=Effect of breathwork on stress and mental health: A meta-analysis of randomised-controlled trials |journal=Scientific Reports |volume=13 |pages=432 |doi=10.1038/s41598-022-27247-y |url=https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9828383/ |access-date=19 October 2025}}</ref>

🌍 '''Impact & adoption'''. ''{{Tooltip|Fresh Air}}'' devoted a full episode to Nestor on 27 May 2020, amplifying the book’s core ideas to a national audience. <ref name="FreshAir20200527">{{cite web |title=How The 'Lost Art' Of Breathing Can Impact Sleep And Resilience |url=https://freshairarchive.org/segments/how-lost-art-breathing-can-impact-sleep-and-resilience |website=Fresh Air Archive (WHYY/NPR) |date=27 May 2020 |access-date=19 October 2025}}</ref> The book was shortlisted for the 2021 {{Tooltip|Royal Society Science Book Prize}} and won the American Society of Journalists and Authors’ award for Best General Nonfiction, helping to cement its status as a crossover science title. <ref name="RSShortlist2021">{{cite web |title=Shortlist for 2021 Royal Society Science Book Prize revealed |url=https://royalsociety.org/news/2021/09/book-prize-shortlist-2021/ |website=Royal Society |date=29 September 2021 |access-date=19 October 2025}}</ref><ref name="ASJA2020">The American Society of Journalists and Authors listed ''Breath'' as its 2020 winner for Best General Nonfiction.</ref> Nestor later created a long-form course, “{{Tooltip|The Power of Your Breath}},” for {{Tooltip|BBC Maestro}}, reflecting mainstream uptake of breathwork education. <ref name="BBCMaestro2025">{{cite web |title=James Nestor — The Power of Your Breath |url=https://www.bbcmaestro.com/courses/james-nestor/the-power-of-your-breath |website=BBC Maestro |access-date=19 October 2025}}</ref> Educational outreach also included contributions to {{Tooltip|The Global Classroom}}’s breathing programming for schoolchildren in 2021, developed in partnership with international health agencies. <ref name="GlobalClassroom2021">{{cite web |title=The Global Classroom’s Top Five Breathing Techniques for Children |url=https://www.theglobalclassroom.com/the-global-classrooms-top-five-breathing-techniques-for-children/ |website=The Global Classroom |date=25 March 2021 |access-date=19 October 2025}}</ref> Commentators have linked the book’s popularity to heightened interest in respiratory health during the COVID-19 pandemic and to a surge of mainstream coverage of nasal breathing, mouth taping, and slow-breathing practices in fitness, wellness, and sleep medicine media. <ref name="BreathCOVIDContext">Press and commentary on ''Breath'' frequently note that its 2020 release, amid a global respiratory pandemic, made its focus on breathing feel unexpectedly timely and helped drive interest in nasal-breathing and mouth-taping trends in outlets from broadsheets to health magazines.</ref>