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| Alternate Nostril Breathing—Finger Positions of Right Hand |
Yoga Breathing Exercise 2: Nadi Shodhanam—Alternate Nostril Breathing
Nadi Shodhanam, or “Alternate Nostril Breathing,” is a wonderful way to restore balance—physically, emotionally, and mentally. It can help to calm the nervous system, bring clarity to the mind, and may even help alleviate breathing and sinus problems.
Nadi Shodhanam, or “Alternate Nostril Breathing,” is a wonderful way to restore balance—physically, emotionally, and mentally. It can help to calm the nervous system, bring clarity to the mind, and may even help alleviate breathing and sinus problems.
To practice Alternate Nostril Breathing, assume a comfortable seated position. If you can, try sitting cross-legged on the floor with your sit-bones resting firmly on the ground and your trunk, spine, neck, and head erect. If this position is not comfortable for you, then try sitting in a straight-backed chair for support, with your legs uncrossed and your feet firmly resting on the ground. Let the chair or the ground support your body. In this position, also try to have your trunk, spine, neck, and head erect. A guide to the optimum posture of alignment is that a string passing through your ears, shoulders, and sit-bones would form a straight line, perpendicular to the floor. Asana literally means “seat.” One of the key purposes of the practice of asanas, or the physical postures of hatha yoga, is to develop and maintain your body’s strength and flexibility so that you can sit comfortably in an optimally aligned position for pranayama and meditation.
Allow yourself to center for a moment. Lift your right hand in front of you. Fold your index and middle fingers toward the inside of your palm. Allow your thumb and your third and little finger to remain extended outward from your right hand (see Fig. 16.2a). The position of the hand in this way forms a mudra, or yogic “seal” known as mgri mudra. Mgri refers to “deer” in Sanskrit: When the fingers are positioned in this way, they are said to form the shape of the antlers of a running deer when seen in profile.
Rest the back of your left hand comfortably on your left knee or thigh. Try touching the tips of the left thumb and index finger against one another, so that they form the shape of a circle. The fingers of your left hand are forming another yogic seal. This particular mudra is known as jnana mudra, the yogic symbol or “seal” of knowledge. Uniting the index finger and thumb represents the union of your individual consciousness with universal consciousness. This mudra helps to seal in the energy that will be circulating during your practice of Alternate Nostril Breathing.
Allow yourself to center for a moment. Lift your right hand in front of you. Fold your index and middle fingers toward the inside of your palm. Allow your thumb and your third and little finger to remain extended outward from your right hand (see Fig. 16.2a). The position of the hand in this way forms a mudra, or yogic “seal” known as mgri mudra. Mgri refers to “deer” in Sanskrit: When the fingers are positioned in this way, they are said to form the shape of the antlers of a running deer when seen in profile.
Rest the back of your left hand comfortably on your left knee or thigh. Try touching the tips of the left thumb and index finger against one another, so that they form the shape of a circle. The fingers of your left hand are forming another yogic seal. This particular mudra is known as jnana mudra, the yogic symbol or “seal” of knowledge. Uniting the index finger and thumb represents the union of your individual consciousness with universal consciousness. This mudra helps to seal in the energy that will be circulating during your practice of Alternate Nostril Breathing.
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| Alternate Nostril Breathing—Right Hand Finger Positions on Nostrils; Left Hand |
Now inhale through your left nostril. As you do so, gently place your right thumb over your right nostril to seal off the nostril. You are now breathing in through the left nostril.
As you complete your inhalation into your left nostril, press your right ring and little fingers gently over the left nostril as you simultaneously release your right thumb from the right nostril. Let your right thumb rest lightly on your right nostril without applying any pressure on the nostril itself so that you can exhale fully through the right nostril. You are sealing off the left nostril now as you allow your breath to release through the right nostril, thus alternating the passage of air from the left to the right nostril. On your next inhalation, maintaining the fingers of your right hand in the position where they are, inhale fully through the right nostril. As you complete your inhalation, gently release the pressure of your right ring and little fingers on the left nostril as you gently press your right thumb on your right nostril to seal it off. Exhale completely through your left nostril. You have now alternated the passage of air from the right to the left nostril. Breathing in the manner just
described—in through the left nostril, out through the right; and then in through the right and out through the left—constitutes one “round” of Alternate Nostril Breathing. You begin the practice of Alternate Nostril Breathing by inhaling in through the left nostril because the left nostril represents the channel of ida, or feminine, energy in the body. As feminine energy, this channel is considered to be receptive and so is a particularly appropriate channel with which to begin to receive the intake of air in Nadi Shodhanam.
Practice as many rounds of Alternate Nostril Breathing as often as necessary until you become comfortable with it. If you are a beginner, practice three to five complete rounds of Alternate Nostril Breathing. If you are more advanced, practice 10 to 20 or more rounds. If you find that there are certain days when your sinuses are particularly congested or you have difficulty breathing through one of your nostrils, then skip the practice. You may be pleasantly surprised to discover, however, that if you do have some breathing or sinus problems, a regular practice of Alternate Nostril Breathing might help to alleviate them.
As you complete your inhalation into your left nostril, press your right ring and little fingers gently over the left nostril as you simultaneously release your right thumb from the right nostril. Let your right thumb rest lightly on your right nostril without applying any pressure on the nostril itself so that you can exhale fully through the right nostril. You are sealing off the left nostril now as you allow your breath to release through the right nostril, thus alternating the passage of air from the left to the right nostril. On your next inhalation, maintaining the fingers of your right hand in the position where they are, inhale fully through the right nostril. As you complete your inhalation, gently release the pressure of your right ring and little fingers on the left nostril as you gently press your right thumb on your right nostril to seal it off. Exhale completely through your left nostril. You have now alternated the passage of air from the right to the left nostril. Breathing in the manner just
described—in through the left nostril, out through the right; and then in through the right and out through the left—constitutes one “round” of Alternate Nostril Breathing. You begin the practice of Alternate Nostril Breathing by inhaling in through the left nostril because the left nostril represents the channel of ida, or feminine, energy in the body. As feminine energy, this channel is considered to be receptive and so is a particularly appropriate channel with which to begin to receive the intake of air in Nadi Shodhanam.
Practice as many rounds of Alternate Nostril Breathing as often as necessary until you become comfortable with it. If you are a beginner, practice three to five complete rounds of Alternate Nostril Breathing. If you are more advanced, practice 10 to 20 or more rounds. If you find that there are certain days when your sinuses are particularly congested or you have difficulty breathing through one of your nostrils, then skip the practice. You may be pleasantly surprised to discover, however, that if you do have some breathing or sinus problems, a regular practice of Alternate Nostril Breathing might help to alleviate them.
Alternate Nostril Breathing helps restore and balance the entire body. It helps to harmonize the right and left hemispheres of the brain, and the masculine and feminine energies that reside in each man. It helps to calm the nervous system, and can be just the perfect technique to use when faced with stress. Because it helps to bring oxygen to the entire body, it is also energizing. Practicing a few rounds of Alternate Nostril Breathing may be just what you need to recharge yourself during a moment of lagging energy during the day.
