This month I’m reading Breath by James Nestor.
Some key points from the book:
· James feels the missing pillar in health is the importance of how we breathe.
· The deeper and more softly we breathe in, and the longer we exhale, the more slowly the heart beats and the calmer we become.
· He writes about how in our evolution our brains have grown bigger at the cost of shrinking the front of our faces, affecting our sinuses, mouths and airways detrimentally. Including causing crowded crooked teeth.
· James stresses the importance of chewing harder foods for adults to keep from bone loss in our faces, and that the more time infants spend chewing and sucking, the more developed their faces and airways become, and the better they will breathe later in life.
· He noted that some of the researchers he spoke with were showing that many modern maladies-asthma, anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and more – could either be reduced or reversed simply by changing the way we inhale and exhale.
The book convinced me to start chewing hard gum which I haven’t done for years and I couldn’t believe how quickly my jaw got tired!
It’s an interesting read, and a great conversation starter. Highly recommended!