Sweet Air Extinguishes the Burn

Have you ever tried the yogic breathing technique (Pranayama) called Alternate Nostril Breathing or Nadi Shodhana?  This form of Pranayama helps to balance both hemispheres of the brain bringing both effectiveness and calmness.  Breathing through the left nostril is calming while breathing through the right nostril is energizing.·

Nadi Shodhana is excellent at helping you relax before an important event and can be practiced daily to reduce anxiety. It calms, purifies, and strengthens the nervous system and deepens self-awareness making it an excellent preparation for meditation. 

Here's how you do it!!

• Sit in a comfortable position such as Sukhasana (Easy Pose).  You may want to sit on a bolster or with your back against a wall for support. You prefer to sit with your legs straight or even in a chair. 
• Once you have found your comfortable position, sit tall by keeping your spine straight with your shoulders down.   Poor posture can disrupt your nervous system and increase physical and mental tension.  Gently close your eyes.
• Start to bring awareness to your natural breath.  Let each exhalation and inhalation be the same length—smooth, slow, and relaxed.  Do not force the breath.  Gradually increase the length of your exhalations and inhalations

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• Use the Vishnu Mudra (see photo above) to gently close each nostril (Bring the right hand up to the nose and fold the index and middle fingers to the palm, so that you can use the thumb to close the right nostril, and the pinkie/ring finger to close the left nostril). Be sure that you are not bending forward to bring the head down to your hand. Rest the thumb or finger against the side of the nostril; make sure to use only gentle pressure.
• Specifically,  close your right nostril with your right thumb.  Inhale through the left nostril then close the left nostril with the right pinkie and exhale through the right side.  Inhale through the right nostril (always inhale through the nostril that you have just exhaled with). Close with the right thumb and exhale through the left nostril. Inhale through the left nostril. 
• Continue alternating between the nostrils until you have completed three breaths on each side.
• Lower your hand and breathe gently through both nostrils.

​Try incorporating Nadi Shodhana into your daily yoga practice.  It will become one of the most relaxing and centering techniques in your practice. Your nervous system will be calmed, and your mind will become steadied for concentration and meditation.

"Breathe deeply, until sweet air extinguishes the burn of fear in your lungs and every breath is a beautiful refusal to become anything less than infinite"  D. Antoinette Foy