Balancing the mind and body.
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An alternate nostril breathing meditation with Angelica Janic.
Welcome to this guided meditation on alternate nostril breathing.
A powerful breathing technique that has been used for centuries to balance the mind and body,
Calm the nervous system,
And increase mental clarity.
This technique is believed to balance the two hemispheres of the brain,
Improve focus and concentration,
Reducing stress and anxiety,
And increasing overall energy levels.
To begin,
Find a comfortable seated position,
Either on the floor with your legs crossed or sitting in a chair with your feet hips width flat on the ground.
Ensure that you are in a place where you will be undisturbed for 12 to 15 minutes and ensuring your cell phone is switched to silent.
Rest both palms down on the knees and let's give ourselves a couple of minutes,
Closing the eyes,
To simply tune in,
Letting go of your day,
Letting the mind come to a place of stillness,
Where you are in control of your attention.
Whenever your mind wanders,
Acknowledge it and gently bring yourself back to observing,
Witnessing your breath moving in and out of your body.
Take an inhale,
Lift your shoulders up to your earlobes,
Exhale,
Relax them down,
Perhaps allowing the breath to come out of your mouth.
Do that two more times.
Inhale,
Shoulders up,
Exhale,
Out of the mouth.
Once more,
Taking your time,
Slowly begin to take your left palm in between your thighs so the back of the arm rests down in the center of your lap,
The palm itself faces up toward the face.
Your left arm is relaxed,
No engagement through the arm muscles.
Wiggle the fingers of your right hand,
Start to bring the palm of the right facing your face a couple of inches away.
We will be using the thumb to block the right nostril and the pinky finger to block the left nostril.
Your ring finger,
Middle and index stay pointing up to the sky,
Gluing them tight together.
Start by exhaling all of your breath out of your body now.
Inhale,
Close your right nostril with your right thumb and begin by taking a deep breath in through your left nostril.
Hold your breath,
Close your left nostril with your pinky finger and then exhale through your right nostril.
Inhale through your right nostril,
Hold your breath,
Use your thumb to close the right nostril as you exhale out of the left nostril.
This completes one round.
Inhale through your left nostril,
Switch,
Exhale through your right nostril.
Inhale through the right,
Switch,
Exhale through your left nostril.
Inhale through your left,
Switch,
Exhale out of the right.
Inhale through the right,
Switch,
Exhale through your left.
We're going to add on.
Inhale through your left for 5,
4,
3,
2,
Hold as you switch,
Keep holding your breath.
Exhale through your right for 5,
4,
3,
2,
Hold momentarily.
Inhale through your right for 5,
4,
3,
2,
Hold your breath as you switch.
Exhale out of your left nostril for 5,
4,
3,
2,
Hold momentarily.
Inhale through your left for 5,
4,
3,
2,
Hold your breath as you switch the fingers.
Exhale for 5 out of the right nostril,
Hold.
Inhale through the right for 5,
4,
3,
2,
Hold the breath,
Switch fingers.
Exhale out of the left for 5,
4,
3,
2,
Hold.
Continue for several more rounds,
Moving at your own pace.
Any point,
If you make a mistake,
It's okay.
Just start from the beginning,
Where you're inhaling from the left.
As you continue to practice,
Imagine yourself inhaling positive healing energy.
Exhaling any negative,
Any stressful thoughts.
Continuing at your own pace.
Just a couple more minutes,
Doing the best that you can.
Every time you practice,
You will get better and better with the technique.
Many benefits,
Including improving your overall respiratory health,
Balancing the hemispheres of the brain,
Leading to an increase of creativity,
Heightened intuition,
And greater emotional stability.
We are working to regulate the autonomic nervous system,
Which controls many of the body's autonomic functions,
Such as heart rate,
Digestion,
Wake and sleep cycles,
And breathing.
Taking one more full round.
To close alternate nostril breathing,
Also referred to as anavalom,
You will be exhaling out of the left nostril to finish the cycle.
Take your time.
Feeling a sense of calm and clarity.
As you come to the end of your meditation,
Feel free to stay here in stillness as long as you may have time for.
When you are ready,
Gently begin to open the eyes,
Allow both palms to rest down on either side of the legs,
And bow the chin toward the chest,
Finding length in the back of your neck,
Taking three mindful breaths,
Showing gratitude toward yourself for putting yourself first today in order to be able to give more.
Have you enjoyed this meditation?
Be sure to come back and share with your loved ones.
