Alternate Nostril Breathing For Anxiety

Alternate Nostril or Nadia Shodana is a powerful practice to quickly settle the body and mind in just a minute or two of practice. It involves taking a full cycle of breath through one nostril, and then alternating to the other nostril, taking a brief pause between switching sides.

Transcript

Today's practice is alternate nostril breathing, Also known as Nadi Shodhana in Sanskrit. It is a yogic breath work that is amazing for calming the mind. I personally love this when my mind is really busy because if I stop switching nostrils between inhales, I will notice quite immediately, Whereas perhaps if I'm just focusing on deep breathing, It might be quite a while before I notice my mind has wandered away and I've stopped deep breathing. This is also a great way to settle for a couple minutes before you begin a meditation if you're feeling like your mind is quite busy. So let's begin. Find a comfortable seat with an upright spine. You can rest your left palm comfortably in your lap and bring your right hand just in front of your face. With your right hand, Bring your pointer finger and middle finger to rest between your eyebrows. You can even apply some gentle pressure if you'd like. This is an acupressure point, So it can feel quite nice. Now place your thumb over your right nostril and the ring finger over the left nostril. To prepare, Take a deep breath in through your nose and out again through the nose. Close the right nostril with your thumb, Breathing in through the left. Close the left nostril with your ring finger. Open the breath. For a brief pause, It might just be a second. Then open the right, Exhaling fully. Inhaling fully through the right. Hold both nostrils closed, Taking your pause. Then opening the left nostril, Breathing out. Breathing in. Taking the pause. Open the right nostril, Breathing out. Breathing in. Pause. And continuing in this pattern for five or so more cycles, Switching nostrils after every inhale. So taking a full cycle of breath through one nostril, Switching after every inhale to the opposite nostril. Notice the next breath cycle through the right nostril. As you switch to the left nostril, Simply exhaling and then releasing the hand down to the lap, Resting with your natural breath, Noticing any differences in the state of your body or mind as a result of your efforts today. When you're ready, Closing your practice and opening your eyes.