Hello!
Today I wanted to invite you to join me for a beautiful breath work practice,
A pranayama called left nostril breathing.
We are going to do this to achieve calm,
Creativity,
And rest.
My name is Sevaram Sprong.
Come join me.
Get yourself in a seated position,
Whether you're on a cushion with your legs crossed or sitting on a chair.
Your spine is straight,
Your chin is slightly tucked in,
And the back of your neck is straight.
Your crown of the head is reaching up towards the sky.
And before we start the left nostril breathing,
Let's review the basis of breathing.
We inhale and exhale through the nose.
As you inhale,
Breathe into the belly,
Middle of the ribcage,
And then all the way up to your collarbones.
And to exhale,
Exhale from the collarbones,
Middle of the ribcage,
And belly.
Let's continue for a couple of breaths just like this.
Slow,
Deep inhalations and exhalations.
On every exhale,
The belly tucks in,
The navel pulls in to let all the air out.
Inhale,
Belly,
Ribcage,
Collarbones.
Exhale,
Collarbones,
Ribcage,
Belly,
Tucking that navel in to let all the air out.
And now,
Bring your right hand to your right nostril and cover the right nostril with either your right thumb or right index finger.
And we begin to breathe in and out through the left nostril only.
Let's begin.
Even though you are inhaling through the left nostril only,
And same with the exhale,
You are still doing the same pattern as you were doing before.
Inhale,
Belly,
Ribcage,
Collarbones.
Exhale,
Collarbones,
Ribcage,
Belly,
Navel tucks in to let all the air out.
Continue.
Notice how your breath is becoming slower and longer and deeper with every repetition.
Breathing through the left nostril connects you with the moon energy.
That is the energy that is associated with the traditionally feminine characteristics,
Such as receptivity,
Emotionality,
Creativity,
Nurturing.
The energy of the moon also cools the body and cools the mind.
So this breath is fantastic to do when you are anxious,
Over excited,
When you are going to bed,
Or you just need some peace.
And because the moon energy is the energy of creation,
You can do this breath before any kind of creative activity.
And as little as three minutes of this practice will do.
And if you wish,
You can go even longer.
If your mind wanders,
Gently bring yourself back to here and now to staying connected to your breath.
And now deeply inhale through both of the nostrils,
Suspend the breath and hold it in your body with no tension.
Exhale.
And now take a moment and notice what has changed in your body,
In your awareness,
In your heart,
In your energy.
Just notice there is no judgment needed.
Inhale and exhale.
And when it's good for you,
Open your eyes and get on with whatever's next in your life.
My deepest gratitude to you for practicing with me.
My name is Sev Aram Sprung and we'll practice again soon.
Sat Nam.
