Breathing Exercise For Clearing The Mind And Nervous System

This is a specific pranayama breathing exercise that has both meditative and physiological impacts, on calming, balancing, and clearing the mind and nervous system. It is called Alternate nostril breathing and it works by equalizing the breathing and ensuring both left and right parts of the brain and respiratory system are being balanced out.

Transcript

So this exercise that we're going to do is called alternate nostril breathing. In yoga it's seen as a way to clear out the nadis or energy channels in order for energy to flow more freely through the body and mind. So to explain this in Western terms it basically means by consciously changing which nostril we're breathing through we're activating both left and right sides of the brain and this in turn helps create a really balanced state in the mind but it also increases oxygen to the brain. So all in all it's just a very very calming balancing practice. So once you've found a private place to sit just rolling your shoulders back and down, Closing your eyes and taking a very deep breath in. Take three more of these deep breaths in and out and as you do just feel yourself rooting down through your sit bones and getting taller through the crown of your head. Keeping your spine nice and long and then bringing your left hand so it's resting in your lap and coming to your right hand placing the middle and index fingertip on the center point between the eyebrows so the third eye and then your ring and your pinky finger they'll be hovering over your left nostril and your thumb will be hovering over your right nostril. So there's different variations on this hand position but this is what we're going to practice today. Once you've got that hand position taking a full breath in and a full breath out. Now closing off the right nostril with the thumb and inhale deeply through the left. Hold your breath and as you do close off the left nostril with your ring and pinky and open your right nostril. Exhale through the right. Sticking with your right nostril inhale hold the breath close the right nostril and open the left. Exhale. This is one round starting and finishing with the left nostril. So again inhale through the left nostril closing the right. Hold the breath. Close off the left nostril. Open right. Exhale through right. Inhale through right. Hold the breath. Open left nostril. Close right. Exhale through left. Again inhale through left. Hold the breath. Exhale through right. Inhale deeply through right. Hold the breath. Exhale through left. Inhale through left. Hold the breath. Exhale through right. Inhale through right. Hold the breath. Exhale through left. Good. So you're going to do this five more times following your own rhythm and I'll come back to you in a minute's time. If at that point you've done more or less rounds then don't worry but just remember one round you finish and you begin with the left nostril. And then wherever you are just finishing off that round that you're on and then relaxing the hands down and taking a really big inhale and exhale. And just take a moment to absorb that lovely calm clear feeling that you've created in your mind.

Reviews

Loved the calm voice, the pace of the practice was perfect for me. 🙏

Excellent. Soothing volume levels in voice and music, clear instructions, and thorough exercise. Thank you.