In this video I will share the practice of Nadi Shodhana with you,
Which is the alternate nostril breathing practice.
This is a very beneficial practice in general.
Ayurvedically it's really great to balance out all the doshas.
It works on the heart rate,
On your breathing capacity,
So it's a very beneficial practice to practice in general.
There are different ways of doing it.
You can use the original or the typical hand mudra that they use,
Which is like this,
With the index finger and the middle finger folded inwards,
The ring finger and the pinky together,
And the thumb,
And you can use your hand like this to alternate the closing of the nostrils.
If this is a bit uncomfortable,
Which it can be,
You can also use it like this,
And then you can see that you have your,
Well,
Maybe even your pinky better.
You can alternate like this.
And another one which I also find really beneficial is that you can use your thumb to just close your nostrils.
So if there is a little bit of stickiness,
Sliminess in your nostril,
Then it will not bother you as you try to breathe in through one nostril.
So do make sure that your nose is clear,
So give it a good blow to make sure that you can breathe through both nostrils separately.
And then let's begin the practice.
So also to practice,
Make sure that you're seated comfortably.
You could also be standing,
But make sure that you can really have a straight back so that you're not slouching and rounding,
That you can be straight up without also being like forcefully straight up,
But just a relaxed,
Long spine,
Feeling your sitting bones grounded.
You can either be on a meditation pillow or on a chair or on whichever way seated is comfortable for you,
Where you can be with a straight spine.
So for this practice,
I will just close my nose,
Tapping it with my thumb.
Originally,
You'd use your right hand,
But my right hand doesn't turn.
So for me,
Doing the mudra,
I can't reach my nose well.
So I always use my left hand.
Originally,
It's done with the right hand energetically.
Has a different effect,
But if you can't do it,
You can't do it.
So that's why I could use my right hand to just tap my nostrils.
So first,
As you sit,
Take a moment to close your eyes and just notice your breathing as you are now.
And then we'll start with exhaling through the left nostril,
Tapping the right one.
So you exhale through the left,
And then you inhale through the left.
You change sides,
Exhaling through the right,
And you inhale through the right.
Change sides again,
Exhaling through the left.
Inhaling through the left.
Change again,
Exhaling through the right.
And inhaling through the right.
And just continue like this at your own pace,
Tapping your nose.
And don't force or strain or hold your breath or make it longer.
Just really go with how your breath is going now,
Like naturally,
With ease.
And just alternate the breathing through the nostrils.
So exhaling first through the nostril,
Then inhaling through the same nostril.
Then you switch sides,
Exhaling through the other nostril and inhaling through the other nostril.
And like that,
You go back and forth.
So I'll just continue practicing,
And you can sit and join at your own pace,
At your own rhythm,
With your own breath.
Just also noticing if you're cleansing your jaw or pushing your tongue against your palate.
If your shoulders are coming up.
If you can feel the breath in your ribs and in your belly just moving freely.
Just keep going at your own pace.
Here with the mudra.
Slow down.
So without force,
Just allowing your breath to maybe slow down naturally.
Noticing tensions in your body that can let go.
So you don't have to count.
You don't have to hold.
And then you finish the practice by exhaling through the left nostril.
Relaxing your arm,
Inhaling through both.
Just take a couple of breaths,
Breathing like this.
Sensing your body,
Sensing your breath.
Just noticing what this practice has done for you.
