Breathing Protocols to Reboot Your Health, Fix Your Sleep, and Boost Performance — James Nestor

James Nestor is a science journalist and the author of the international bestseller Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, with more than three million copies sold in 44 languages. This episode is brought to you by: Helix Sleep premium mattresses: https://HelixSleep.com/Tim (27% off all mattress orders) Momentous high-quality creatine for cognitive and muscular support: https://livemomentous.com/Tim (Code TIM for up to 35% off.) AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement: https://DrinkAG1.com/Tim (1-year supply of Vitamin D plus 5 free AG1 travel packs with your first subscription purchase.) *** Buy Breath: https://www.amazon.com/Breath-New-Science-Lost-Art/dp/0735213615/?tag=offsitoftimfe-20 Timestamps: [00:00] Coming up. [00:51] Why I waited years to interview James about Breath. [01:46] Maurice Daubard: The mysterious 90-year-old who preceded Wim Hof. [04:15] Tummo breathing: Ancient Bon Buddhist heat generation. [07:32] James’ personal breathwork practice and the Wim Hof method (with warnings). [09:24] How breathwork cured James’ chronic respiratory issues. [11:08] Sudarshan Kriya: The weekend workshop that changed everything. [13:47] My nine-minute breath hold experiment (hyperbaric chamber edition). [15:54] Post-book revelations and angry doctors’ offices. [17:37] The ADHD-breathing connection: A controversial Venn diagram. [18:56] DIY breathing assessments for kids. [22:54] Mouth tape: From hostage situations to sleep optimization. [25:54] James’ seven-year mouth taping commitment. [28:14] CO2 levels: Your LEED-certified hotel is suffocating you. [33:46] Monitoring CO2 with the Aranet4 and building a CO2 database. [36:44] James’ travel kit: Red lights, granny packs, and a Soviet-era PEMF device. [47:22] In Weirdville, eyes sing The Body Electric. [48:22] The supplements included in David’s granny packs. [49:36] Natto vs. nattokinase. [51:36] Athletes and breathing: The BOLT score explained. [58:42] LeBron James’ alternate nostril breathing and diaphragmatic dysfunction. [01:00:04] Inspiratory muscle training and the back soreness warning. [01:04:01] The Relaxator: An adult breathing pacifier for focus. [01:07:58] San Francisco Writers Grotto and the trustafarian invasion. [01:11:16] Writer’s block: A convenient excuse for hobbyists. [01:14:09] Cutting the corporate cord: James’ visceral “I quit” moment. [01:20:36] The freediving story that launched a book deal. [01:23:03] Deep‘s disappointing launch and publisher betrayal. [01:26:34] Breath: From 290,000 words to 85,000 in a house in the woods. [01:28:15] Finding the skeleton: The Stanford experiment as through-line. [01:30:42] Prayer and coherent breathing: The 5.5-second secret. [01:33:29] James’ critique of breathwork culture and barriers to entry. [01:35:55] Sleep optimization: SnoreLab, side sleeping, and incline bed therapy. [01:39:44] Parting thoughts and where to find James and free breathing protocols. Tim Ferriss is one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Business People” and an early-stage tech investor/advisor in Uber, Facebook, Twitter, Shopify, Duolingo, Alibaba, and 50+ other companies. He is also the author of five #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers: The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Body, The 4-Hour Chef, Tools of Titans and Tribe of Mentors. The Observer and other media have named him “the Oprah of audio” due to the influence of his podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show, which has exceeded 900 million downloads and been selected for “Best of Apple Podcasts” three years running. Sign up for "5-Bullet Friday" (Tim's free weekly email newsletter): https://go.tim.blog/5-bullet-friday-yt/ Follow the Tim Ferriss Podcast: https://tim.blog/podcast/ Visit the Tim Ferriss Blog: https://tim.blog/ Follow Tim Ferriss on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tferriss/ Follow Tim Ferriss on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timferriss/ Like Tim Ferriss on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TimFerriss/

James NestorguestTim Ferrisshost

Sep 30, 20251h 41mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: September 30, 2025
Duration: 1h 41m
Channel: Tim Ferriss
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

James Nestor is a science journalist and the author of the international bestseller Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, with more than three million copies sold in 44 languages. This episode is brought to you by: Helix Sleep premium mattresses: https://HelixSleep.com/Tim (27% off all mattress orders) Momentous high-quality creatine for cognitive and muscular support: https://livemomentous.com/Tim (Code TIM for up to 35% off.) AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement: https://DrinkAG1.com/Tim (1-year supply of Vitamin D plus 5 free AG1 travel packs with your first subscription purchase.) *** Buy Breath: https://www.amazon.com/Breath-New-Science-Lost-Art/dp/0735213615/?tag=offsitoftimfe-20 Timestamps: [00:00] Coming up. [00:51] Why I waited years to interview James about Breath. [01:46] Maurice Daubard: The mysterious 90-year-old who preceded Wim Hof. [04:15] Tummo breathing: Ancient Bon Buddhist heat generation. [07:32] James’ personal breathwork practice and the Wim Hof method (with warnings). [09:24] How breathwork cured James’ chronic respiratory issues. [11:08] Sudarshan Kriya: The weekend workshop that changed everything. [13:47] My nine-minute breath hold experiment (hyperbaric chamber edition). [15:54] Post-book revelations and angry doctors’ offices. [17:37] The ADHD-breathing connection: A controversial Venn diagram. [18:56] DIY breathing assessments for kids. [22:54] Mouth tape: From hostage situations to sleep optimization. [25:54] James’ seven-year mouth taping commitment. [28:14] CO2 levels: Your LEED-certified hotel is suffocating you. [33:46] Monitoring CO2 with the Aranet4 and building a CO2 database. [36:44] James’ travel kit: Red lights, granny packs, and a Soviet-era PEMF device. [47:22] In Weirdville, eyes sing The Body Electric. [48:22] The supplements included in David’s granny packs. [49:36] Natto vs. nattokinase. [51:36] Athletes and breathing: The BOLT score explained. [58:42] LeBron James’ alternate nostril breathing and diaphragmatic dysfunction. [01:00:04] Inspiratory muscle training and the back soreness warning. [01:04:01] The Relaxator: An adult breathing pacifier for focus. [01:07:58] San Francisco Writers Grotto and the trustafarian invasion. [01:11:16] Writer’s block: A convenient excuse for hobbyists. [01:14:09] Cutting the corporate cord: James’ visceral “I quit” moment. [01:20:36] The freediving story that launched a book deal. [01:23:03] Deep‘s disappointing launch and publisher betrayal. [01:26:34] Breath: From 290,000 words to 85,000 in a house in the woods. [01:28:15] Finding the skeleton: The Stanford experiment as through-line. [01:30:42] Prayer and coherent breathing: The 5.5-second secret. [01:33:29] James’ critique of breathwork culture and barriers to entry. [01:35:55] Sleep optimization: SnoreLab, side sleeping, and incline bed therapy. [01:39:44] Parting thoughts and where to find James and free breathing protocols. Tim Ferriss is one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Business People” and an early-stage tech investor/advisor in Uber, Facebook, Twitter, Shopify, Duolingo, Alibaba, and 50+ other companies. He is also the author of five #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers: The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Body, The 4-Hour Chef, Tools of Titans and Tribe of Mentors. The Observer and other media have named him “the Oprah of audio” due to the influence of his podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show, which has exceeded 900 million downloads and been selected for “Best of Apple Podcasts” three years running. Sign up for "5-Bullet Friday" (Tim's free weekly email newsletter): https://go.tim.blog/5-bullet-friday-yt/ Follow the Tim Ferriss Podcast: https://tim.blog/podcast/ Visit the Tim Ferriss Blog: https://tim.blog/ Follow Tim Ferriss on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tferriss/ Follow Tim Ferriss on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timferriss/ Like Tim Ferriss on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TimFerriss/

SPEAKERS

James Nestor
guest
Author of “Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art,” known for reporting and research on breathing, sleep, and performance.
Tim Ferriss
host
Host of The Tim Ferriss Show and author focused on performance, health, and interviewing experts.

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Tim Ferriss, featuring James Nestor and Tim Ferriss, Breathing Protocols to Reboot Your Health, Fix Your Sleep, and Boost Performance — James Nestor explores breathing foundations, sleep fixes, athlete performance, and indoor CO2 surprises James Nestor describes how specific breathing cadences—especially a slow, even inhale/exhale pattern often found in prayer—are associated with measurable physiological changes and a state he calls “coherence.”

RELATED EPISODES