Hello.
Namaste.
Welcome to your breath practice.
Today we are going to explore a pranayama exercise that also is known to help prepare you for breath work.
It was traditionally used to purify your energy channels and then assist the practitioner in conducting a breath or pranayama technique.
So this practice is called Nadi Shodhan or Nadi Shodhana.
And if you'd like to align yourself deeply with the traditional practice,
You may find a comfortable seat facing east or north.
Your nadis are your energy channels.
It also means a river in Sanskrit.
And through this practice,
We have an opportunity to identify blockages in the energetic body and clear the obstacles,
The blockages that make it difficult for our mental body and our physical body to come into union when we perhaps want to make a decision but cannot physically proceed or mentally we are not fixed or focused the way that our being wants to be.
So you can use this practice to gain clarity or perhaps clear the mind and the energy in the body before sleep or to help prepare for a deeper spiritual practice.
So to begin,
I invite you to your comfortable erect seated position.
Taking a deep breath in through the nose.
Open the mouth,
Sigh it out.
Allow yourself to completely settle into this space.
To become completely aware of the sensations in the body.
Taking time and attention to focus inward.
Giving yourself the gift of stillness.
We will take our hands and place them on our knees,
Hands,
Palms facing upward.
And we will take our right hand,
Taking the pointer finger and the middle finger,
Placing it inward towards the root of the thumb.
So just almost bringing it in where your pinky finger and your ring finger are still extended and your thumb.
We will bring our right thumb to our right nostril,
Closing the right nostril.
And on the inhale,
We will exhale out the left.
Inhale deeply through the left for 4,
3,
2,
1.
Close both nostrils,
The left with the ring finger.
Hold here.
Relax the shoulders.
This is your breath retention.
See if you can physically relax the whole body.
Release the right nostril.
Exhale out the right for 8,
7,
6,
5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
Inhale right for 4,
3,
2,
1.
Close both nostrils.
Hold here.
Bring your focus,
Your gaze in towards the third eye space.
Check in with your physical posture that it is calm and still and relaxed yet focused.
Release the left nostril.
Release the air out for 8,
7,
6,
5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
Inhale left for 4,
3,
2,
1.
Close both nostrils.
Hold at the top 12,
11,
10,
9,
8,
7,
6,
5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
Release the air through the right for 8,
7,
6,
5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
Deep inhale through the right,
Your divine masculine,
3,
2,
1.
Hold at the top.
Relax the shoulders.
Focus the attention inward.
Maybe begin to find your root lock.
Squeezing the sex organs,
The perineum.
Here we are blocking,
We are contracting the prana in the body.
Release the left nostril,
Your divine feminine.
Release out.
Slowly release.
3,
2,
1.
Inhale left,
3,
4.
Hold here.
Is your breath beginning to stabilize,
To find stillness?
Release out the right,
8,
7,
6,
5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
Inhale right for 4,
3,
2,
1.
Hold at the top.
We'll do one more full round.
Stay with me.
This is your practice.
This is how we control our prana,
Our life energy force.
Release out the left nostril for 8,
7,
6,
5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
One more full round.
4,
3,
2,
1.
Hold at the top.
Focus your attention.
Lock all energy here in the center.
Feel the energy rising from your root all the way up to your third eye.
Release the right nostril.
Exhale for 7,
6,
5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
Deep inhale through your divine masculine,
3,
2,
1.
Hold here.
This is your last kumbhaka,
Last retention of your breath,
Of your prana.
Feel the control,
The surrender,
The discipline,
And the ease.
Release the left side,
Your divine feminine,
And release all the air out slowly with control.
You may bring your right hand back down to your right knee,
Palms facing up,
And begin to just be.
Do you feel the echoes of this breath technique?
Take a moment here to acknowledge any changes you may feel in your inner landscape from before when you started this practice.
Begin to deepen your breath,
Reaching the arms up above the head,
Stretching deeply towards the sky,
And taking any movements that feel nourishing for your body in this moment.
Whenever you're ready,
You may blink the eyes open and take in your surroundings,
Taking a moment to integrate the sensations in the body before going on with your day,
Remembering that this inner peace and these tools are always available to you.
They all start with just sitting completely still and bringing our focus and our life force energy,
Our prana,
Back into our space,
Into ourself.
Thank you so much for taking the time to do this work.
May this practice be in benefit for all sentient beings and for all those across the world.
The light in me sees and loves and honors the light in you.
Namaste,
Warrior.
