Welcome to your alternate nostril breathing practice.
To begin with bring yourself into a comfortable seated position with your spine straight.
Support your body in any way that you need to,
To feel as comfortable as possible.
You might like to sit onto a cushion or support your legs with blocks or cushions or you might like to lean against a wall if you know that your back is likely to distract you when sitting upright for several minutes.
The most important things are that your body is comfortable so that you won't be distracted by any physical discomfort as you practice and that your spine is as straight as you can comfortably make it to allow for a smooth flow of energy through the energy channels in the back.
So if you need to just pause the recording whilst you find a position that you'll be able to sit comfortably in for the duration of the practice.
And now close your eyes and bring your awareness to your breath.
Follow the natural flow of the breath.
Observe the air flowing in through the nostrils.
And down the back of the throat,
Down the windpipe and into the lungs.
Feel the lungs expanding as they fill with air and follow the breath back out again.
Observe the lungs relaxing and the air flowing back up the windpipe,
Over the back of the throat and out of the nostrils.
Witness the breath exactly as it is right now.
There's no need to change anything just yet.
Just follow the natural flow of the breath.
When we practice alternate nostril breathing,
We channel the breath through the alternate nostrils separately.
The Sanskrit name for this practice is Nadi Shodhana.
The word Nadi refers to the subtle energy channels that carry prana,
Or life force energy,
Around the body.
And the word Shodhana means to purify.
So Nadi Shodhana is a practice which purifies the energy channels.
And it specifically works with two of the main energy channels called Ida and Pingala.
Ida is connected to the left nostril and to the right hemisphere of the brain and is considered to be the lunar channel.
It's connected to our feminine nature and to our feelings and creativity and to the water element and it's cool in temperature.
And Pingala is connected to the right nostril and to the left hemisphere of the brain.
And is considered to be the solar channel.
It's connected to our masculine nature,
Our logical mind and rationality,
And to the fire element and it's warm in temperature.
When we practice Nadi Shodhana,
Ida and Pingala are gently purified and balanced,
Which harmonizes our masculine and feminine,
Or logical and creative sides,
And enhances mental peace and clarity.
To practice Nadi Shodhana,
We bring the hands into Mudras.
The left hand comes into Chin Mudra.
Bring the thumb and the index finger together with the other three fingers relaxing outwards.
And rest the left hand onto your left thigh with the palm of the hand facing upwards.
Making sure that the left arm is relaxed.
And the right hand comes into Vishnu Mudra.
Bend the index and middle fingers into the palm of the hand,
Keeping the thumb and the last two fingers extended.
We'll be using the right hand to close the nostrils.
So bring your right hand up to your nose and cover your right nostril with your thumb,
Keeping the last two fingers of the right hand extended.
With the right nostril closed,
You can breathe in and out of the left nostril.
Now bring the last two fingers of the right hand to the left nostril and close the left nostril.
And move the thumb away from the right nostril.
Like this,
You can breathe in and out of the right side.
Keeping the two fingers in,
Bring your right hand down to your right thigh and rest your hand onto your right thigh for now.
And just bring your awareness back to your normal breath,
To the natural flow of the air moving in and out of your lungs.
If one or both of your nostrils are blocked,
You might find it difficult to do this practice.
Another option,
If you're unable to breathe through the separate nostrils,
Is to place your hands on your legs with your left hand facing upwards and your right hand facing downwards.
Imagine the breath flowing through alternate nostrils with your mind.
And instead of opening and closing the nostrils,
Turn the hands over as you change through different sides.
So when you picture the breath flowing through the nostrils,
When the breath is flowing through the left side,
Have your left hand facing upwards.
And when the breath is flowing through the right side,
Have your right hand facing upwards.
Now let's begin.
Just take a few more normal breaths.
Follow the flow of the air as it comes into the body and as it flows out again.
Make the exhalation as deep and complete as you can.
Feel the lungs emptying completely.
And take a long deep breath in,
Sending the breath into the belly,
Into the chest,
All the way up to the collarbones.
And exhale another deep exhalation,
Pushing all of the old air out of the lungs.
Now bring your right hand up to your nose and close your right nostril with your thumb.
Take a breath in through your left nostril.
And now close your left nostril with your fingers and open your right nostril and breathe out through the right side.
Now breathe in through your left nostril.
In through the right side.
Use your thumb to close your right nostril.
Open your left nostril and breathe out through the left.
And breathe in through the left.
Close the left nostril and breathe out through the right.
Breathe in through the right.
And breathe out through the left.
Breathe in through the left side.
Breathe out through the right.
Breathe in through the right.
Breathe out through the left.
And continue breathing in your own time,
Changing sides after every exhalation.
Now that you've got used to breathing through alternate nostrils,
As you breathe in,
Focus on the flow of the breath from the right nostril flowing up through the nostril to the eyebrow centre.
Pause for a moment with the awareness at the eyebrow centre.
And as you breathe out,
Focus on the breath flowing from the eyebrow centre back out through the opposite nostril.
With each inhalation,
The breath flows up to the eyebrow centre.
Pause at the eyebrow centre.
And with each exhalation,
The breath flows from the eyebrow centre back out of the opposite nostril.
Continue breathing through alternate nostrils.
Follow the flow of the breath as it moves in through one side,
Up to the eyebrow centre,
And out through the opposite side.
And after your next exhalation through the left nostril,
Release the hand and bring your breathing back to normal.
And observe the natural breath.
Watch the air flowing in and out of the body.
And take a few moments to observe any effects from the practice.
Notice how your body feels.
Notice any physical sensations.
Notice your mind and the speed of your thoughts.
And notice how you're feeling.
Observe any emotions that arise.
Without analysing the body,
Or judging what's there,
Just observe.
And when you feel ready,
Slowly open your eyes.
This brings us to the end of the practice.
Thank you for joining me today.
