Hello lovelies and welcome to Wise Puppy Meditations,
Meditations for holistic mental health.
In this practice,
Which is part of our Breathwork series,
We will be engaging in a technique known as Nadi Shodhana Pranayama or alternate nostril breathing.
This practice is believed to balance the two hemispheres of the brain,
Which can improve cognitive functioning,
Enhance creativity,
And promote mental clarity.
Bringing mindfulness to our breath,
Using the lungs in a deeper capacity,
Also allows us to regulate our nervous system,
Reduce feelings of stress and anxiety,
And promote an embodied sense of peace,
Allowing us to move about in the world in a way that is more grounded,
More connected,
More open,
And available for what the universe has to offer us.
So before we jump into the practice,
I'll explain it and you can follow along.
What we'll do is we'll lift our right hand toward our nose,
Pressing your first and middle fingers down toward the palm,
Leaving your other fingers extended.
After an exhale,
What we'll do is we'll use our right thumb to gently close the right nostril.
We'll then inhale through the left nostril,
And then close that off with our pinky or ring finger.
We'll then release the thumb and exhale through the right nostril.
We'll inhale through that same right nostril,
Then close it off,
And exhale through the left nostril.
And then we'll inhale through that nostril,
Close it off,
And then exhale through the right nostril.
So what we're doing is we're exhaling through one nostril,
Inhaling through that nostril,
Closing it off,
And then exhaling through the other nostril,
And then inhaling.
Sometimes when I first start teaching this practice to people,
They'll look at me like my head is on fire or something,
Like I'm out of my mind.
I remind them that it's in these moments when we're doing something that might feel a little bit bizarre or different than we're used to,
That this is where the tenets of mindfulness come into play,
That open,
Nonjudgmental curiosity,
That playfulness that all of us are capable of,
This state of consciousness that lies beneath all of our judgments and all of our fears and all of our,
What am I going to look like as I do this practice?
Like,
Who cares?
Who cares?
So my encouragement for you as you go into this is to just allow whatever comes up to come up,
And to use the breath to not allow it to get trapped inside of you,
But to breathe it out.
It's another instance where not only is this practice supported by research,
Which I encourage you to look up,
But it's also something that's been done for centuries by Eastern traditions.
And so there's a certain level of humility that comes into play when we say,
If an entire tradition has been doing this for so long,
Who am I to judge it?
But instead,
Can I cultivate some gratitude for the lineage and for the availability that I have to be able to learn from and engage in this practice?
Just food for thought,
Something to consider.
So together,
We'll breathe for the next couple minutes,
Engaging in this practice,
Starting by exhaling everything out of the body.
We'll then cover the right nostril with the right thumb,
Inhaling through the left nostril,
Closing it off with the pinky,
Opening the right nostril,
Exhaling,
Inhaling through the right nostril,
Closing it off,
Opening the other nostril,
Exhale,
Inhale,
Close,
Open,
Exhale,
Inhale,
Close,
Open,
Exhale,
Inhale,
Close,
Open,
Exhale,
Inhale,
Close,
Open,
Exhale,
Inhale,
Close,
Open,
Exhale,
Inhale,
Close,
Open,
Exhale,
Inhale,
Close,
Open,
Exhale,
Inhale,
Close,
Open,
Exhale,
Inhale,
Close,
Open,
Exhale,
Inhale,
Close,
Open,
Exhale,
Inhale,
Close,
Open,
Exhale,
Inhale,
A few more,
Close,
Open,
Exhale,
Inhale,
Close,
Open,
Exhale,
Inhale,
One more,
Close,
Open,
Exhale,
Inhale.
Beautiful work.
Can allow your hand to drop,
Allowing your breathing to return to its normal state,
Just noticing any changes that you feel in your breath and any changes that accompany that in the body,
In the mind,
Maybe in your emotional state,
Maybe in your feelings of connection to your environment,
Your capacity for presence in this moment.
I hope that this practice is an offering to your mental health and well-being,
To your holistic health and well-being,
All of these different dimensions of our life and our entity,
And we can close our practice by dedicating the merit.
I put my hands to my heart and I say,
May we be well so that we can do good for ourselves because we deserve it,
For others and humanity,
Because it's what gives us meaning and purpose and connection,
And for the planet,
For the universe,
Because it is what drives us,
It's what heals us,
It's what nourishes us,
It's what gives us life,
And it is that which we return to again and again and again.
Thank you so much for practicing with me.
I will see you next time.
Peace and blessings,
Everyone.
