Zero Commitment Book Club - June

"Breath" By: James Nestor

"Breath" was an excellent and fascinating read! Dustin and Rebecca particularly enjoyed learning more about the incredible impact that something as seemingly simple as breathing has on so many of our necessary physical functions - and how many things can go awry when breathing is ineffective. 
Some take-aways: 

• Over time, our human evolution has significantly inhibited our breathing patterns. Specifically, as our brains grew and our verbal language developed, our airways narrowed making deep nose breathing increasingly difficult. Many specialists believe this has created the opportunity for the development of modern health issues, including asthma, allergies, and sleep apnea.
• Breathing - as we know - is crucial to autonomic regulation. You cannot regulate your nervous system and all of the many, many bodily systems it impacts without deep, mindful breathing. Meaning.... You cannot attain true wellness without intentional focus on breath. 
• Lots of breathing techniques are described throughout the book - some more seemingly "out there" than others. Author James Nestor and the many experts and studies he presents site one "Holy Grail" or breath: Inhales and Exhales should measure approx. 4-5 seconds each with a slight pause in between.