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Lewis HowesThis BREATHING TECHNIQUE Will Transform Your BODY & MIND! | James Nestor & Lewis Howes
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WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT
James Nestor Explains Why Nasal, Slow, Light Breathing Reshapes Health and Performance
- Nestor argues that habitual mouth breathing, which he says affects 25 to 50 percent of people, bypasses the nose's filtering, humidifying and pressurizing functions and its nitric oxide release.
- He says modern faces and mouths have grown smaller, with crowded teeth, extractions and soft diets narrowing airways and contributing to snoring and sleep apnea.
- He claims most people over-breathe, and that breathing slower, lighter and fuller within metabolic need, which raises CO2 tolerance, improves oxygen delivery, efficiency, calm and athletic performance.
- He describes practical techniques including nasal breathing, five-to-six-count breaths, box breathing, humming, tongue-posture exercises, and a breath-hold trick for congestion, while stressing he is not a doctor.
- He links breathing to anxiety, asthma, inflammation, immunity, lung capacity and longevity, and says it works best alongside good diet and exercise.
IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING
5 ideasBreathe through your nose nearly all the time
Nestor says the nose filters, humidifies and pressurizes air, yielding about 20 percent more oxygen than equivalent mouth breaths, and releases nitric oxide that the mouth does not.
Breathing more does not mean more oxygen
He says heavy breathing offloads CO2, causing tingling and reduced circulation, whereas slower breathing improves circulation and lets oxygen release from red blood cells more easily.
The urge to breathe is driven by CO2, not oxygen
Nestor says rising blood CO2 creates the need to breathe, so in healthy people building tolerance to it is beneficial, and he applies the same logic to why masks feel uncomfortable.
Slow, rhythmic breathing calms the mind through the body
He says 80 percent of signals flow from body to brain, so slowing breath to about five or six counts in and out, or using box breathing, sends calming signals even when thoughts can't be controlled.
Smaller mouths mean smaller airways
He argues that extractions, crowding and soft diets have shrunk mouths and weakened throat tissues, and that tongue posture and oropharyngeal exercises can help with snoring and mild to moderate sleep apnea.
WORDS WORTH SAVING
5 quotesOur ancestors didn't need to know this, just like they didn't need to know the latest CrossFit exercise to stay fit.
— James Nestor
You wouldn't get in a sports car and just rev it at every stop sign and just completely pin the RPMs everywhere you go. The motor's gonna wear out, right? Our body is the same thing.
— James Nestor
Nature is simple yet subtle, and your body will respond to this.
— James Nestor
We carry our breath with us all day long, and we can focus that breath, and you will see instant benefits from doing this.
— James Nestor
In a lot of wellness circles, people are so stressed out about doing the right thing all the time that they're miserable.
— James Nestor
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SPEAKERS
James Nestor
guestScience journalist and author of "Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art," focused on breathing and respiratory health research.
Lewis Howes
hostHost of The School of Greatness and interviewer/entrepreneur known for personal development and performance-focused conversations.
High quality AI-generated summary created from speaker-labeled transcript.
