“A fascinating scientific, cultural, spiritual and evolutionary history of the way humans breathe—and how we’ve all been doing it wrong for a long, long time.” —Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Big Magic and Eat Pray Love

No matter what you eat, how much you exercise, or how young and wise you may be, none of it truly matters without proper breathing. As humans, our health and well-being are reliant on this essential act - inhaling, exhaling, and repeating it 25,000 times a day.

But we have lost this ability as a species, with dire consequences. In an eye-opening journey, journalist James Nestor delves into the secret science of breathing. He explores ancient techniques such as Pranayama, Sudarshan Kriya, and Tummo, and teams up with experts to scientifically test their effectiveness. Surprisingly, modern research is revealing the incredible benefits of adjusting our breathing patterns, from improved athletic performance to curing diseases. Breath challenges everything we thought we knew about this basic biological function, drawing on centuries of medical knowledge and cutting-edge studies to change the way we think about breathing forever.