Today’s Yoga – Alternate Nostril Breathing

Alternate Nostril Breathing

Alternate Nostril Breathing helps clear these blocked energy channels, thus calming the mind. This breath helps equalize the right and left hemispheres of the brain and can support you in slowing down when your mind is feeling very busy or fast.

Steps

• Sit comfortably with your spine erect and shoulders relaxed. Keep a gentle smile on your face.
• Place your left hand on the left knee, and palms open to the sky or in Chin Mudra (thumb and index finger gently touching at the tips).
• Place the tip of the index finger and middle finger of the right hand in between the eyebrows, the ring finger and little finger on the left nostril, and the thumb on the right nostril. We will use the ring finger and little finger to open or close the left nostril and thumb for the right nostril.
• Press your thumb down on the right nostril and breathe out gently through the left nostril.
• Now breathe in from the left nostril and then press the left nostril gently with the ring finger and little finger. Removing the right thumb from the right nostril, breathe out from the right.
• Breathe in from the right nostril and exhale from the left. You have now completed one round of Nadi Shodhan pranayama. Continue inhaling and exhaling from alternate nostrils.
• Complete 9 such rounds by alternately breathing through both the nostrils. After every exhalation, remember to breathe in from the same nostril from which you exhaled. Keep your eyes closed throughout and continue taking long, deep, smooth breaths without any force or effort.