Why Changing How You Breathe Can Transform Your Health, with James Nestor

Intelligence Squared

News Commentary, Arts, News, Society & Culture

4.2 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 11 February 2026

⏱️ 41 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Each of us takes on average 25,000 breaths a day. Yet, as a species we have lost the ability to breathe correctly – and this has consequences for our health. That’s the argument of bestselling author James Nestor who has travelled the world to explore how ancient cultures used breathing as a medicine to help heal the body and calm the mind.. In February 2026 we were joined by Nestor for an eye-opening talk, as he explained the science and traditions of how the simple act of breathing can transform our health and wellbeing. Drawing from his bestselling book Breath Nestor showed how the way we breathe affects everything, from sleep to allergies, mental health and athletic performance. He also shared the remarkable stories of others who have changed their lives through the power of breath. Nestor challenged our understanding of our most basic biological function, and explained where we have gone wrong and how we fix it. ---- If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all our full ad free conversations, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events ... Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series … Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content and early access. … Subscribe to our newsletter here to hear about our latest events, discounts and much more. https://www.intelligencesquared.com/newsletter-signup/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	I'm B Duncan, executive producer at Intelligence Squared. Here's a thought. We don't often connect
0:05.7	our modern, digital world with something as physical as water, but the two are deeply linked.
0:11.3	Data centres, food production, your morning coffee, the clothes you're wearing, water is behind
0:16.6	it all. Our world is held together by water in ways we rarely stop to notice. That's why we're
0:21.9	proud to be kicking off 2026 by working in partnership with Water Aid to shine a spotlight on
0:27.0	something that connects us all. Water. Journalist Cocoa Khan speaks to Helen Rumford and Vera
0:32.4	Clutchin about her water is shaping the future of innovation, climate resilience and global development,
0:38.7	because when water flows, so does opportunity.
0:41.7	Helen Rumford is lead policy analyst for climate policy and campaigns,
0:46.1	focusing on inclusive, sustainable change and climate justice.
0:49.7	And via Kluxtan, WaterAid's climate and environment lead,
0:52.8	brings over a decade of international experience
0:55.1	working on climate resilient water, sanitation and hygiene systems. Listen in to discover why
1:00.6	investing in water is one of the most powerful ways to secure a sustainable, equitable future
1:05.4	for everyone. This is the second episode in our series in partnership with WaterAid, both of
1:10.5	which are available to listen to now on the Intelligence Squared podcast.
1:14.7	Poppy's come to the end of her work visa.
1:16.7	She partied most nights and now can't afford her flight back to the UK.
1:20.0	Her parents are annoyed, but not too worried.
1:22.0	With their HSBC Premier Bank account,
1:23.9	they can transfer money to her account abroad at HSBC UK's best exchange rates.
1:28.3	So more of their hard-earned cash actually reaches its destination.
	...

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