Hello my friends and welcome to this alternate nostril breathing practice,
Also known as Nadi Shodhana.
As you're finding yourself a comfortable position,
I'd like to explain to you a little bit more about this practice and why it's important.
I like to do this practice seated,
So find yourself a comfortable seat,
Either on the couch,
The floor,
Or a meditation cushion,
And make sure you're nice and comfy with your feet resting flat on the floor or crossed beneath you.
Nadi Shodhana,
Or alternate nostril breathing,
Is thought to balance the two sides of your energetic being.
You may have heard them referred to as the yin and the yang,
Or maybe the ida and pingala,
Or the lunar and solar energies.
You may have also heard that this practice balances the left and right hemispheres of your brain.
Ultimately,
What I want you to receive from this practice is a sense of calm that it brings to your nervous system,
As well as a feeling of centeredness.
This practice is a powerful way to reduce stress,
To clear your mind,
And to bring yourself back to your center and core.
So like I said,
You want to be sitting comfortably,
With your back long.
Try not to round the spine.
If you need to sit with your back against a wall,
That's totally fine.
Whatever you need in order to be comfortable.
This practice requires just a little bit of setup,
So be patient with me as I make sure that you're completely comfortable and appropriately set up for this practice without being able to see me.
So you're going to rest your left hand on your thigh or knee.
You're not going to be using it.
We're going to be focused on using your right hand.
You're going to place the pad of your right thumb against the soft part of your right nostril.
And then you're going to place the fingertip of your right ring finger on the left soft part of your nostril.
Then you can curl the middle and index fingers in towards your hand,
Or rest them lightly on the space between your eyebrows.
What we're going to be doing is covering the left and right nostril alternately as we breathe through each of the nostrils in turn.
I'd like to preface by saying this may feel uncomfortable for some of you.
You may feel like you're not getting enough air,
And you may feel a little bit of air hunger throughout this practice.
If that's you,
Please listen to your body.
Know whether you can continue through the discomfort or if you need to back off the practice and open both nostrils to breathe fully.
If you're feeling a little stuffy today,
Take a moment to blow your nose to make sure that your nostrils are clear.
And then we'll get started.
So let's start by just tuning in to your breathing.
We're not going to practice alternate nostril breathing just yet.
You can relax your right hand down and just take some slow,
Even,
And deep breaths through both of your nostrils.
Inhale through the nose,
And exhale through the nose.
Allow your heart rate to begin to slow,
Your body to begin to settle,
Your mind to begin to soften and quiet.
Now,
As we begin the alternate nostril breathing practice,
I encourage you to listen closely to your body and follow along with me.
Go ahead and place your right thumb against your right nostril,
Right ring finger against the left nostril.
Inhale fully through both nostrils,
And then exhale fully.
Now,
Use your right thumb to gently close the right nostril.
Inhale slowly through the left.
Now,
Close your left nostril with your ring finger,
Release your right thumb,
And exhale through the right nostril.
Now,
Inhale through the right nostril.
Close your right nostril with your thumb,
Release your left,
And exhale.
Inhale through the left nostril.
Close it.
Exhale through the right nostril.
Inhale through the right.
Close it.
Exhale through the left.
Inhale through the left.
Close it.
Exhale through the right.
Inhale through the right.
Close it.
Exhale through the left.
Inhale through the left.
Close it.
Exhale through the right.
Close it.
Continue this rhythm at your own pace.
Continue for a few more rounds.
You're doing wonderfully.
Continue to breathe,
Inhaling balance and harmony.
With each exhale,
Let go of tension and strain.
Imagine that as you breathe,
As you draw back and forth across the threshold that separates the left side from the right side and the right side from the left side,
That you're drawing closer and closer towards center.
We're almost there.
Wherever you are in your pattern,
After the last exhale through your right nostril,
Release both nostrils and take a full,
Deep breath in through a full,
Open nose.
And exhale completely.
Again,
Inhale.
Exhale.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Exhale.
Continue to breathe naturally through your nose and take a moment to observe the body,
To observe your mind.
Notice how the practice affected you.
Without judgment or expectation,
Notice how you're feeling.
If you're not feeling the way you expected to feel,
Then notice that as well.
Take a moment to tune into that.
I will share with you that personally,
I did not enjoy alternate nostril breathing the first several times that I practiced it,
But I did grow to enjoy it over time.
So if you loved this practice,
Wonderful.
If you did not love this practice,
That's okay.
Try it a few more times to know for sure,
But just know that some pranayama practices won't be for everyone,
And that's perfectly fine.
The point of practicing different various breathing practices is to learn what your body responds well to.
So as you move through the rest of your day,
I encourage you to take this breath with you if it served you.
If not,
Take something else that gives you a sense of calm,
That gives you a sense of grounding,
And hold on to that as you move throughout your day.
Thank you so much for joining me for this alternate nostril breathing practice,
And I'll see you next time.
Namaste.
