We can go for weeks without food,
Days without water and only minutes without the breath.
Yet which is the one that we typically put the least focus on?
The most important thing we do,
The breath.
Today I'm going to take you through a practice called alternate nostril breathing,
Also known as nadishodhana,
Which translates to subtle energy clearing breathing technique,
Meaning it's a great practice to bring balance into your whole system.
This practice can quickly reduce stress and fatigue,
Bring a sense of relaxation through the whole body and is great to do before high stress situations like job interviews or public speaking.
We will use the right hand to alternately close each nostril as we breathe in and out through the other one.
The pattern of breath is that we will breathe in through the left nostril,
Out through the right,
Then in through the right and out through the left.
I like to visualize this pattern as an upside down U shape.
And this helps me to remember the pattern as it's easy to get a little lost when first doing this practice.
So allow yourself to sit comfortably.
Have your spine long,
Your shoulders soft.
Relax a little through your belly.
As if you're clenching or tightening through your jaw.
Then have your left hand rest gently somewhere on your left thigh.
The palm can be up or the palm can be down.
And take your right hand in front of your face,
Palm facing towards you.
Place your middle and index finger on your forehead between your eyebrow.
Your ring and little finger will sit on your face to the side of your left nostril.
And your thumb will sit on your face to the side of your right nostril.
Now take two soft but deep breaths in and out through both nostrils.
At the end of your second exhale,
Close the right nostril with your thumb and inhale through the left nostril.
Close the left nostril with your index finger,
Release your thumb from your right nostril and exhale out the right nostril.
Inhale through the right nostril.
Close the right nostril.
Release the left nostril and exhale out the left nostril.
Release your hand from your face for a moment.
Brilliant,
You've just completed one full round.
As I mentioned,
I like to visualize the shape of an upside down U to help you to remember this pattern of breathing.
Let's do five more rounds with me guiding you.
And I'll give you some space to do this without guidance to find your own rhythm.
Take your hand back to your face.
Now take two soft but deep breaths in and out through both nostrils.
At the end of your second exhale,
Close the right nostril with your thumb and inhale through the left nostril.
Close the left nostril with your index finger,
Release your thumb from your right nostril and exhale out the right nostril.
Inhale through the right nostril.
Close the right nostril.
Release the left nostril and exhale out the left.
Now inhale through the left.
Exhale through the right.
Inhale through the right.
Exhale through the left.
Inhale through the left.
Exhale through the right.
Inhale through the right.
Exhale through the left.
Inhale through the left.
Exhale through the right.
Inhale through the right.
Exhale through the left.
Inhale through the left.
Exhale through the right.
Inhale through the right.
Exhale through the left.
Beautiful.
Now,
Again release your hand for a moment and just notice how that speed of breath felt for you.
Did it feel too fast?
Did it feel too slow?
Or did it feel just right?
Let's do a few more rounds without me guiding the pace so you can find the rhythm that suits you.
Take your hand back to your face.
Take two clearing breaths in and out through both nostrils.
And then let's begin by breathing in through the left nostril.
As you practice,
See if you can create more fluidity through your breath.
Relax your belly.
Soften your shoulders.
Soften your jaw.
Relax your arms.
Keep going.
Find the softness through the breath.
Notice if you are forcing or gripping the breath in some way.
How would it feel to allow this breath to be more easeful?
Now see as you get to the top of the inhale if you can suspend the breath held in just for a moment before you breathe out.
So not a gripping or an abrupt stop to the breath,
Just a gentle suspension of the breath at the top of the inhale.
And see if you can add that in to this practice,
To this flow.
And enjoy the practice.
Maybe even smiling a little as you breathe.
Take one final round using the hands.
Finishing with exhaling through the left nostril.
Once you've done that,
Release your hands from your face,
Relax them down and see if you can continue with two final rounds of the same pattern of breath using just your imagination.
So visualising that you're able to breathe in and out just through alternate nostrils.
Two final rounds like this.
At the end of your final round,
Finish with your exhale through the left nostril.
And allow your breath to find its natural rhythm.
Pause.
Notice.
Be with whatever is arising in this moment.
Notice what impact this breath has had on your whole system.
Have a beautiful rest of your day.
