Breath : The New Science of a Lost Art is an interesting read. Currently, modern science places very little importance on breathing correctly. I picked up the book expecting to learn ideas around breathing and how to do it correctly. The book did offer many ideas around it but some claims sounded preposterous to me at first (like that breathing can heal skin issues). But on checking the references on the web they possibly have some basis.
Firstly, the basics: A normal breath in-and-out is 3.3 sec. Breathing faster is generally not good. In colder climates noses are narrower and longer - to more efficiently heat up air.
One argument that has been continuously mentioned throughout the book is that during growing years soft diet/mushy food causes the mouth and the airways to not develop fully leading to breathing problems. This malformation causes the need for braces and orthodontists. In the collection of ancient skulls none of them seemed to have ever needed a dentist as they had straight teeth - which can be attributed due to the diet of natural foods like meat and plants. It basically highlights the importance of chewing as it gives the facial muscles much needed exercise. The more time babies spend chewing the more developed their airways become.
Without warm-up exercise feels hard as it is anaerobic (without oxygen) - which causes build up of lactic acid. Max heart beat can be calculated by this rough back of the envelope formula 180-age.
Mouth Breathing is a big problem as it makes the mouth dry. Breath inhaled through the mouth saps the body of strength, deforms the face, causes stress and disease, bad breath and periodontal disease. Breathing through the nose has the reverse effects.
And this is definitely a problem in the winters as the dry warm air due to heaters dries out mouth. Humidifiers are a possible solution. However, the author said a few breaths here and there through the mouth shouldn’t be a problem.
Insomnia is linked to inability to sleep properly.
No amount of snoring is okay! I also learned that are things called Sleep Tape sold online to tape your lips to make sure you only breathe through the nose at night.
Author claimed at one point that the body loses weight through exhaled breath. Not so sure about that.
CO2 therapy can cure skin disorders and even schizophrenia
Tibet practice of breathing(Tummo) allowed a woman to hike at a very high elevation in freezing temperatures without food, water. Tummo technique is legit. Wikipedia link
Overall, this is a decent book. It was interesting in the beginning and then I seemed to lose interest as some of the points were repeated (some personal stories can be edited) and some claims seemed wild. But good read overall. It re-inforced the idea that breathing through the nose is bare minimum and it determines lots of things in the body. Secondly, it encouraged me to get into Yoga.
