So notice as we're getting started what's happening in your nostrils.
Can you feel the breath in your nostrils?
There's a sensation.
And what kind of pattern or rhythm are you experiencing right now?
Ideally we're breathing in a continuous way with ease.
It's also diaphragmatic.
Notice what part of your body is moving as you breathe.
When we breathe diaphragmatically the stomach area softens on the exhale.
Continuity in the breath so we're not holding our breath.
The length of the breath is about the same on the inhale as the exhale.
We start with this awareness of the breath in the nostrils.
The one that has more air flow is the active nostril.
Start to let your awareness flow from the eyebrow center in behind the forehead to the nasagra where the nostrils meet the upper lip.
Let your awareness flow along that channel.
That's very calming and stabilizing to the vagus nerve.
Now let's start the practice of alternate nostril breathing as well.
Traditionally this is done sitting up.
Bring your hand up to your face and use your ring finger and your thumb to block off one nostril and then the other.
At the end of your next inhalation block off your passive nostril and then exhale and inhale several times through your active nostril.
Relax your forehead,
Mouth and jaw,
Neck and shoulders.
Next exhalation move to your passive nostrils on the exhalation switch sides.
So we're aware a little bit of the sensations of the air in the nostril.
And if you're not getting enough air in your passive nostril,
Open your other one a little bit so that you're not having any scarcity.
And then back to the active nostril.
You might keep a mental count.
Exhale,
Two,
Three,
Inhale,
Two,
Three.
Whatever the length of your breath is.
And then next exhale switching over to your passive nostril.
Let your awareness flow from the eyebrow center to the base of the nose.
Inhale back to the eyebrow center.
And then changing back to the active nostril again.
And let your awareness really flow now through the energy field from the eyebrow center to the base of the nose and back.
A little bit of awareness of the physical sensations,
But mostly now in the energy field.
Next exhalation change sides,
Exhale and inhale through your passive nostril.
Let everything else be in the background.
All of your awareness now is flowing with this energy from the eyebrow center to the base of the nose and back.
Smooth,
Continuous flow of breath and awareness.
And then when you finish your next inhale,
Bring your hand down and follow that flow of awareness coordinated with your breath,
Just with your mind from the eyebrow center to the base of the nostrils.
And now let your awareness rest in your eyebrow center and still remaining aware of the breath as though you're breathing in and out through your eyebrow center.
That area just behind the forehead,
Just above the eyebrows.
Relax your face,
Bring your attention into the Agnya chakra,
Eyebrow center and breathe in and out through that.
And then bring your attention to your throat center,
Vishuddhi chakra.
And imagine or experience the breath as though you're breathing in and out through your throat center.
We're really moving away from the physical now,
Right into the energy layer,
The energy field.
Inhaling,
Exhaling as though you're breathing in and out through the throat center.
Down to your heart center,
Anahata chakra,
As though you're breathing in and out through your heart center.
And let your awareness rest in the heart center and awareness of your breath as well.
And now as you inhale,
Begin to let your awareness flow from your heart center through your throat center.
To your eyebrow center and exhale back through from your eyebrow center to your heart center.
And become aware of an energy channel that flows between those chakras.
From the eyebrow center,
Exhale,
Take your time flowing down through the throat center to the heart center.
And then arriving at the heart center,
Just as you're finishing your out breath and then a smooth turnaround with your breath,
With your awareness flowing upward now.
And as soon as you reach the eyebrow center,
You're just completing your inhale.
Smooth turnaround into the exhale.
And you might have a visual sense of a channel of light,
For instance,
Vibration,
A felt sense,
However that's in your awareness is fine.
Allow your awareness to move along that channel from the eyebrow center,
Exhaling through the throat center to the heart center,
Inhale back.
Now let your awareness move along the right side of that channel.
So if you were to divide that channel into three,
Now there's the central core,
And then there's the right side of it and the left side of it.
We're going to work with our alternate nostril breathing in that energy channel.
Bring it right into this channel from the eyebrow center,
Exhale along the right side of that channel down through to the heart center.
And inhale back up the same side,
The right side.
And let all of your awareness flow.
And now switch over on the next exhalation to the left side of the channel.
If you're imagining it as a stream of light or a thin glass tube or something,
Allow your awareness to flow now along the left side of that channel.
Eyebrow center through the throat center to the heart center.
Just as you're finishing your exhale,
You're arriving at the heart center,
And then a smooth inhale,
Turn around into the awareness of the energy flowing up on the inhale.
Just as you arrive at the eyebrow center,
Exhale down,
Smooth,
Continuous flow of breath.
Next exhalation,
Switch back to the right side again.
This is pretty subtle,
But let your awareness flow along the right side of that channel from the eyebrow center through the throat center to the heart center.
Smooth turn around to the inhale,
Back up to the eyebrow center.
Let all of your awareness be flowing in this channel,
The right side of the channel.
And next exhale,
Switch to the left side of the channel.
Still in that same central channel,
But now just on the left side of it.
Let your awareness flow along the left side.
And take your time when you come to the end of your next inhale,
Switch again to the right side.
Pingala channel along the right side from the eyebrow center through to the throat center and the heart center,
Inhale back up.
Concentrate fully,
Let your whole awareness be flowing coordinated with your breath.
Next exhalation,
Back to the left side,
The ida,
The left side of that channel from the eyebrow center through the throat center to the heart center and back.
Smooth,
Continuous,
Even flow of awareness and breath.
And then when you finish your next inhalation,
Bring yourself back to the central channel.
Sushumna channel from the eyebrow center through the throat center to the heart center in the very center of that channel,
Channel of light or energy,
However it is you're experiencing it.
Starting that exhalation with awareness at the eyebrow center,
Flowing down through the throat center to the heart center.
Just as you're getting to the end of your exhalation,
You've arrived in the heart center and that smooth turnaround of breath and awareness.
Inhale back through the central channel,
Heart center,
Throat center,
Eyebrow center.
Smooth,
Easy,
Continuous flow of breath and awareness.
When you reach your eyebrow center,
You're finishing your inhale and then letting go.
Let your awareness float down to your heart center,
The very center of that channel.
Next time you reach your eyebrow center,
Let your awareness rest there for a moment.
And so you're breathing in and out through the eyebrow center.
And then let your flow of awareness come back into the nostrils,
Not so much noticing the physical breath,
But stay with the energy flow.
Exhale from the eyebrow center down through the central channel to the base of the nose.
And so this awareness is flowing in a beam of light,
A vibration,
A felt sense from the eyebrow center to the base of the nose,
Inhaling back.
And then bringing in a little bit of awareness now of the sensations in the nostrils.
Maintain the awareness of both layers.
That's a shumna channel running from the eyebrow center to the base of the nose and back.
And the sensations of air in the nostrils.
You can feel that into your mouth,
Your throat,
Maybe a little bit of movement into your body,
Maybe moving your fingers,
Your shoulders,
Seeing if you can maintain the awareness as you open your eyes as well.
And block off one nostril and then the other and check your nostril dominance now and see if it's changed,
If it's the same,
No right or wrong answer,
Just to notice.
And if you wanted to,
You could set an intention sometime during the day-to-day that you might come back and do a two or three minute or a 10 minute practice of this.
Just to start in the nostrils and the physical body,
Going into the energy layer,
Just to see what happens.
Often we feel more balanced after a practice like this.
Thank you.
