Note to listeners: This is an unofficial summary of James Nestor's designed to enrich your reading/ listening experience of the original book.

Summary of Breath by James Nestor:

Breath by James Nestor is first an exploratory guidebook that describes and teaches us the lost art and science of breathing. It is also a history book that educates us on our ancestors' breathing practices and lifestyle that ensured they remained mostly healthy and more resilient than the current generation.

The book tells us how our ability to breathe has deteriorated over the ages and why our cavemen ancestors didn't snore. James Nestor wants us to understand that breathing goes beyond the simple act of inhaling and exhaling. This book explores the transformation that occurs inside our bodies when we breathe.

For most people, breathing is an automated process required to keep them alive. For James Nestor, breathing, if well understood, is a way to develop the body, build the mind, and grow stronger. Beyond just breathing, how we also breathe matters. Having suffered some respiratory problems, James Nestor admits that joining a breathing class and learning some breathing techniques gave him remarkable relief and, in some cases, cure even over drugs, inhalers, and diets.