Basic Alternate Nostril Breathing For Anxiety

This video will help you learn how to feel at ease with alternate nostril breathing. This step-by-step guide teaches you this fantastic breathing technique for balancing the mind and easing anxiety. Learn how to slow and control your breathing pace and pattern to feel more at home in your body. Please note: This practice may induce deep relaxation, so please do not listen while driving. Additionally, while breathwork is a wonderful tool, it is not a replacement for professional medical care.

Transcript

So today I'm going to take you through alternate nostril breathing. In the yogic world, We call it Nadi Shodhana, Right? And what's the point of breathing through both of your nostrils? Well, Most of us do it anytime, Anywhere, But now we're going to get very specific about air coming in and out of one nostril and in and out of the other nostril. It is said scientifically that the left nostril is connected to the parasympathetic nervous system, Which means calming everything down. And the right nostrils connected to the part of the brain, Which is led to arousal and the sympathetic nervous system. System, Turning everything on. So by focusing the breath specifically from one nostril and then guiding it through the other nostril, We're helping the brain in turn to balance, Regulating our stimulation and our relaxation so that they can meet as one. So this practice is wonderful to do. I use it as part of my meditation practice in the morning to get my mind focused for the day. It's also one of those breath patterns that are beautiful to calm yourself down at the end of the day and get yourself ready for sleep. Yeah, So some of our breath work we only want to do in the morning. When we wanna kind of wake ourselves up and get ready, And some we only wanna do at night when we're getting ready to tuck ourselves in, But this one we can do all the time, Which is great. So there's a caveat. If you are sick, Any sort of respiratory infection, Can't breathe smoothly, Easily, Or one nostril is completely plugged or both are plugged, Hit pause now, Right? This is not the breathing technique for you. It just simply won't work. You need to have air to breathe. Easily in and out of both nostrils, Right? So if one is totally clogged and one is open, You're already doing a variation of alternate nostril breathing, Right? So we can't practice this one right now. So turn this one off, Come back to it when that nose is nice and clear. You may notice, However, That in general, You tend to breathe a little more through one nostril than the other, And that's very normal. I tend to breathe much more through my right than I do my left, So I use this as a way to clear that left side and get more oxygen flowing. Good. I'm going to teach this to you in a two-part series. So the very first part is what I would consider a warmup. And for some of us, This will be as far as we go, And we'll set aside the more advanced version until another time, Right? So what we'll do with this version is simply breathe in and out of one nostril for several rounds, Set that aside and breathe in and out of the other nostril. This one is a great way to get yourself warmed up for the full Nadi Shodhana, The alternate nostril breathing, And you get the same benefits. The mind still gets balanced, The nervous system still settles itself down, Right? So this one is more simple with what we're doing with our hands. Your right two piece fingers are going to cover and seal off completely the right nostril while we're breathing through the left. You'll rest the right hand down. Left two piece fingers will completely seal off the left nostril when we're breathing through the left. So I won't be mirroring you. You'll have to think in your eye. I'll actually be the opposite of you here. Right? So sit up nice and tall, Any comfortable seat that feels good to you. Legs crossed, Butterfly might feel good for some of us. Some of us prefer to kneel and some of you might want to slide on back up against a wall so you can sit up really tall. Anything works with us as long as the spine is nice and long. Good. Eyes can blink closed if that makes you feel comfortable or just a soft gaze down. You won't need to see, All you'll need to remember is what side is your right and what side is your left and I'll guide you through. First thing we're going to do is take a huge breath in through both nostrils. Open your mouth, Big sigh out. One more like that, Really big, Rich in. Through the mouth, Let it go. Perfect. Go ahead and seal your lips. Breathe in through both nostrils. Pause, Breathe out through both nostrils. Good, Breath in through both nostrils. Breath out through both nostrils. Good, Pause at the bottom. Right two peace fingers seal the right nostril. Breathe in just through your left. Pause, Breathe out through your left. Pause. Breathe in through your left. Pause, Breathe out through your left. Pause, Breathe in through your left. Pause, Breathe out through your left. Seal your left, Release your right, Breathe in through your right. Pause, Breathe out through your right. Pause. Breathe in through your right. Pause, Breathe out through your right. Pause, Breathe in through your right ear. Pause, Breathe out through your right. Pause, Release your left hand, Full in through both nostrils. Full out through both nostrils. Full in through both nostrils. Full out through both nostrils. Good, Go ahead and blink your eyes open or refocus your eyes and just notice how you feel. Right? Just that simple. Three breaths through one nostril, Three breaths through the other nostril, And my mind feels calmer, More focused, And more present. Hope yours does too. Next video will be part two.