Podcast 221: How Nasal Breathing Can Transform Your Life with James Nestor

What if there was a way to get better quality sleep, to wake up more rested, to lose weight, to reach your performance goals, and to improve your overall health and wellbeing — and it cost you nothing? That’s the power of proper nasal breathing. WHOOP VP of Performance Science, Principal Scientist, Kristen Holmes is joined by international bestselling author and journalist James Nestor best known for his book Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art which has sold over 2 million copies worldwide. Kristen and James share how humans became the worst breathers in the animal kingdom, and how a renewed focus on proper breathing techniques has the power to transform our health. The best part? Practicing effective breathing can be done anywhere, at any time.

Want to see your questions answered? Email us – Podcast@whoop.com – or you can call our listener line (508-443-4952) and leave a voicemail, and your question might be answered on a future episode.

EPISODE CHAPTERS:

• 3:20 – The research that inspired the work for Breath
• 5:05 – How breathing is linked to performance and health 
• 6:48 – Where we went wrong with breathing
• 8:54 – Why people weren’t paying attention to breathing issues 
• 11:20 – The connection between asthma, allergies, and breathing
• 16:45 – People using James’ teachings and techniques
• 18:55 – Negative effects of mouth breathing
• 22:15 – Getting started with nasal breathing
• 25:30 – Elite athletes working on their breathing
• 32:05 – HRV’s correlation to breathwork
• 33:30 – Breathing protocols and optimization
• 40:40 – Seeing benefits from breathing protocols
• 46:05 – The connection between breathing and weight loss

Resources:

mrjamesnestor.com

Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art