Alternate nostril breathing, wellness breathing.
Alternate nostril breathing is a basic yoga technique that involves breathing alternately through one nostril or the other, alternately blocking them with your finger.
Do you know about alternate nostril breathing or Nadi Shodhana Pranayama? It is a breathing control technique (Pranayama) that helps to reduce the activity of the nervous system and blood pressure. This technique helps to soothe the body and mind!
It is both calming and energizing. Whether you practice in the morning, evening or both, you will feel its many benefits.
Nadi Shodhana – Alternate Nostril Breathing, what is it?
As its name suggests, it is an alternation of breathing between the two nostrils. The alternation can be done between 2 breaths (inhalation + exhalation) or between inhalation and exhalation. But we will come back to this a little later. We will start by talking about the nasal cycle, because yes we have a nasal cycle, we do not breathe in the same way from both nostrils.
The nasal cycle:
Throughout the day we alternate from one nasal cycle to another. In fact, our nasal cavities alternate between a decongested – deflated state and a congested – swollen state. When one is in one state, the second is in the other. Therefore we breathe mainly from one nostril at a time, the air circulating better and in greater quantity in the decongested nostril. This alternation or cycle lasts from 1 to 5 hours.
Changing these cycles by controlling your breathing helps you rebalance, focus and soothe your nervous system. In fact, Nadi Shodhana brings calm, relaxation and concentration. It is an excellent way to refocus before starting the day but also to calm down at the end of the day. Practiced before going to bed, it helps you fall asleep.
The technique:
We are going to offer you 3 variations of alternate nostril breathing:
– an introduction
– alternate nostril breathing
– alternate breathing counted + bonus: alternate breathing counted with a ratio of 1 to 2
First of all, here is the basic technique:
Start by getting into a comfortable position, with your back straight (cross-legged on the floor, sitting on a chair – even standing if necessary but it will be less comfortable).
For hand position: Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here is a diagram of your hand position (favor your strongest hand, right for right-handers, left for left-handers). The second hand will be resting on your thigh.
If the position of the fingers is uncomfortable for you, you can fold the ring finger and use only the little finger and the thumb.
Alternate nostril breathing : the idea is to breathe into one nostril at a time while blocking the second.
Introduction: (to make it easier to read we will describe the technique using the right hand, for the left hand just reverse it)
To get familiar with alternate nostril breathing you can start by:
-
Block the right nostril with the right thumb: 5 breaths (1 inhalation + 1 exhalation) with the left nostril then change to 5 breaths to the right while blocking the left nostril. To block the nostril, use the ring finger (see the second diagram a little further down)
This is a sequence. You can repeat as many times as you find useful.
Alternate Nostril Breathing
This is “real” alternate nostril breathing:
- Block the right nostril with the right thumb: inhale deeply with the left nostril. The ideal is to breathe through the stomach (the stomach swells when inhaling and hollows out when exhaling)
- Hold the breath by blocking the second nostril with the right ring finger without releasing the thumb, this transition lasts 1 to 2 seconds
- Release the right thumb and exhale through the left nostril.
Repeat 5-10 times (or more if you feel the urge or need). You can practice in the morning and/or evening or at any other time of the day when you feel your mind racing.
Alternate Nostril Breathing Counted. Once you have mastered the alternate nostril breathing technique you can go a little further and count your breathing time.
The idea is to mentally count the length of time it takes to inhale and exhale for the same length of time. If your inhale lasts the length of time it takes to count to 5 then you exhale for the length of time it takes to count to 5.
To go further:
- It is possible to change the ratio of inspiration to expiration, for example by doubling the expiration time. If you inhale for 5 then exhale for 10.
It's up to you to try!
And what about the sinuses?
While the alternate nostril breathing technique has many benefits, to benefit from them you need to be able to breathe! And therefore with a clear nose and sinuses.
Find here our 5 natural tips for taking care of your nose and sinuses .