Nadi Shodhanam In The Chakras - Alternate Nostril Breathing

Explore the subtle energy body through Nadi Shodhanam, or alternate nostril breathing, paired with chakra awareness. This gentle practice guides you into balance by moving attention through the left (Ida), right (Pingala), and central (Sushumna) channels using breath and the mantra So Ham.

As you attune to both the breath and energy flow from the eyebrow to the heart center, the practice cultivates clarity, calm, and integration.

Ideal for grounding, releasing stress, and restoring nervous system balance, this session helps you return to your center—whether you’re feeling anxious, overwhelmed, or simply seeking inner stillness.

Transcript

Alternate Nostril Breathing in Sanskrit is Nadi Shodhana,

Which is channel purification,

Referring to the energy channels in our body.

We work with that practice through the nostrils,

Through our breath,

But it's actually more in the subtle or the energy body that we're working with.

It's an awareness practice of allowing our awareness to flow in the energy field.

The right side of our body,

The right nostril and the left brain,

But the right side of our body is the solar or more active energy.

The left side of our body and the left nostril and the right side of the brain is our more lunar or receptive energy.

So channel purification in this sense refers to Ida,

Pingala and Sushumna.

Ida is the left side,

I-D-A.

Pingala is the right side,

The more active energy and Sushumna is the central channel.

You don't need to know any of those words to do the practice,

But just for those of you who are interested in that kind of thing.

We're going to work with the breath today in the nostrils and then we're going to move inward into the chakras and do the same or similar practice along the right side of the energy channel in the spine,

The left side and back into the center.

The left side is the more lunar and the right is solar or active energy and then the center is Sushumna.

It includes the right and the left side,

The active energy,

The more receptive energy and we integrate them into the central channel.

Starting the practice,

It's always good to check in.

Notice what you're hearing,

What you're seeing and then how you're going to position yourself.

If you're doing the practice with your hands,

It's your ring finger and your thumb.

You want to be sitting upright so that you're not slouching over.

You have room to breathe.

We're going to use the mantra Soham to let the sound,

The vibration arise in the mind and flow with the breath.

If you're not familiar with it,

It might seem like there's a lot going on.

Just follow along.

Notice as you breathe in,

That's a bit cooler and as you breathe out,

It's a bit warmer.

And then start to notice which is your more active nostril.

If you were to block off one nostril and then the other,

One of them is cooler,

One of them has more air,

That's your active nostril.

Let's begin by letting our awareness flow from the eyebrow center behind the forehead to the base of the nostril and back.

We'll start with the active nostril.

Your next exhalation,

Plug off your passive nostril and just exhale and inhale through your active nostril,

Whichever one has more airflow.

And as you're doing that,

Let your awareness flow from the eyebrow center to the base of the nostril with your breath.

And switching over to the other side,

On your next exhale,

Now you're exhaling and inhaling through your passive nostril.

Let your breath be even and smooth.

And next exhale,

Switching back to the active nostril and begin to let the sound Soham arise in your mind and flow with your breath.

So it's on the inhale,

It's Soham.

On the exhale,

Hum.

Let your mind get into this easy groove,

Smooth,

Continuous breath.

Exhale,

Hum.

Inhale,

Soham.

Switching over again to the passive nostril,

Exhaling through the passive nostril,

Exhaling hum,

Inhaling Soham.

Bring all of your attention to this moment and to the practice,

The sensation of the breath.

Next exhale,

Switch back over to the active nostril.

Switching over again,

Back to the passive nostril and intend just with your awareness that that nostril will open and flow a little bit more freely.

And when you finish your next inhalation,

Bring your hand down if you're using your hand.

And for everyone to just really focus in on that flow of breath,

The sensations of breath in your nostrils.

Continuity of the breath,

The sound of the mantra flowing in your mind.

On the inhale,

The sound is Soham.

On the exhale,

Hum.

We're going to do another round in our nostril and then we're going to move interior.

Bring your hand up if you're using your hand and on your next exhalation,

Block off your passive nostril,

Exhale and inhale through your active nostril.

Relax your face,

Mouth and jaw.

Neck and shoulders.

Let yourself get into this easy groove,

This rhythm.

Next exhale,

Switch over to your passive nostril.

Exhaling,

Hum,

Inhaling.

Listen to the vibration,

The sound of the mantra in your mind coordinated with your breath.

Next exhale,

Back to your active nostril.

Your body relaxed,

Your breath even and smooth,

Exhaling and inhaling through your nose.

Switching over on your next exhale,

Exhaling and inhaling through your passive nostril again.

Notice you can feel a coolness as the breath flows in.

Inhale begins in that nostril.

Then back to the active nostril,

Exhale and inhale.

Really narrow in your focus so that all you're aware of is that feeling and the flow,

The awareness,

Sound.

Then back to the passive nostril on your next exhale.

Then bring your hands down and follow the flow now just with your mind.

Be aware of the coolness in both nostrils as you're breathing in,

Warmth as you breathe out.

Let your breath and your awareness flow smoothly with ease.

Relax.

Inhale the sound,

So exhale,

Hum.

Relax your forehead,

Mouth and jaw,

Neck and shoulders.

Let your whole body be relaxed.

Now as we move to the interior,

We're going to work with Ida,

The left side of the channel,

Pingala,

The right side of the channel,

And the Sushumna channel,

The center,

Which includes both.

Bring your awareness now to your eyebrow center.

It's in behind the forehead.

And as you exhale,

Let your awareness flow from the eyebrow center through the throat center to the heart center.

Inhale back to the eyebrow center.

And once you have that established,

Letting your awareness flow in that channel,

Bring in the mantra,

So hum.

Inhale from the heart chakra through the throat chakra to the eyebrow chakra,

Inhaling,

So exhaling,

Hum.

And now shift your awareness just slightly so that your awareness is flowing along the right side of the channel.

So some people see that as a tube of light,

A stream of energy.

However,

That shows up very slightly.

Shift more of your attention to the right side of that channel.

And exhaling and inhaling,

Smooth,

Even breath.

And on your next exhalation,

Switch over to the left side,

The Ida channel,

The left side of the channel.

Slight shift.

It's not very far.

It's still in the channel.

Just let your awareness flow now on the left side of that channel from the eyebrow center,

The ajna chakra through vishuddhi chakra,

The throat center to the heart center,

Anahata chakra.

Smooth flow of awareness.

And on your next exhalation,

Switch over now to the right side again.

And your awareness flow very slightly to the right in the pingala channel.

Let all of your focus be on the flow.

The next time that you're back at your eyebrow center,

The top of the breath,

Switch to the left side again.

Inhaling,

So exhaling.

Smooth flow of breath,

Awareness and mantra on the left side of the channel from the eyebrow center to the heart center and back.

In the next breath,

Move again to the right side.

Follow that flow of breath.

If something's distracting you,

Let it go.

Bring your awareness back to this flow.

Next,

Exhale back to the left side from the eyebrow center through to the heart center.

Inhaling,

So exhaling.

Hum.

And now bring your awareness into the flow on both sides.

As you're exhaling,

Be aware of the left and the right and the center that they're all one flow.

Exhale from the eyebrow center through the throat center to the heart center.

Inhale back up to the eyebrow center.

So if you're used to following that flow of awareness in that channel,

It's just more of a subtle awareness now of the right side and the left side as part of that central channel.

Now let's begin again with our focus flowing slightly to the right of the center.

Exhale,

Inhale.

Let your breath and awareness flow.

Inhaling,

Flowing along the channel just to the right of the center.

Next exhalation,

Switch to the left side.

Very close to the center,

But just a little bit on the left.

Be aware of that channel.

Eyebrow center to the heart center and back.

Feel your mind becoming calmer,

Quieter,

Just focusing on this flow.

And then changing back to the right side of the channel.

As you exhale,

Relax your face,

Forehead and eyebrows,

Mouth and jaw,

Neck and shoulders.

Enjoy this smooth flow of breath,

Awareness and sound of the mantra.

Next exhalation,

Switch back again to the left side.

Really focus on letting your awareness flow from the eyebrow center through the throat center to the heart center and back.

Back to the right side on your next exhale.

And then coming back to the left channel on your next exhale.

Exhaling,

Hum.

Inhaling,

So let your awareness flow smoothly.

Now bring your awareness to include both of the channels,

The left and the right,

And the central channel,

Sushumna channel.

Same smooth,

Easy flow of awareness from the eyebrow center to the heart center and back.

And allow the left and the right to integrate or merge into the central channel.

So that now there's this one central channel that holds both.

One stream of energy and awareness from the eyebrow center to the heart center and back.

Mantra flowing in the mind.

Inhaling,

So hum.

Let yourself be fully absorbed.

Let your mind become still.

Even the sound of the mantra might become softer.

Let yourself be completely absorbed in this flow of awareness.

Left and right sides merging into the central channel.

And now in addition to the energy flow,

Become aware a little bit of the physical body and allow your awareness now to flow from the eyebrow center through the nostrils to the base of the nose and back.

Same easy flow,

Continuous breath.

So hum,

Arising in the mind,

Flowing with your breath.

Keep your awareness on the central channel now.

It's a bit of breath awareness,

Sensations in the nose,

But there's also awareness of that channel in the middle.

Let your awareness be integrated into the central channel.

To come out of the practice,

You might open your eyes even as you continue to be aware of that flow of energy in the breath.

Notice that even with the eyes open and starting to move a little bit or engaging a bit,

We could maintain awareness of our energy field and of our breath.

Let the mantra be what you're thinking about instead of other thoughts right at the moment.

And notice as we're coming to the end of the practice,

What was the effect of that practice?

Some days we go deeply into the practice and we feel very rejuvenated after.

In this practice,

We're working with the energy field in the body.

The left side of the body and the left nostril is the lunar,

More receptive energy.

The right side is the solar,

More active energy.

And by going back and forth from one side to the other side and then integrating them,

We become more balanced.

So this is also called joyful breath.

It balances our nervous system.

So if we're angry or excited or overwhelmed or numb or whatever it is,

It brings us back to center.

It brings us down from hyperarousal or up from numbness.

And we get to experience the center of the active energy,

The receptive energy,

And then we bring those into the center.

Reviews

Just what I needed to help me do this practice. Lovely. TY