THE SACRED PRACTICE OF PRANAYAM: ALTERNATE NOSTRIL BREATHING

ALTERNATE NOSTRIL BREATHING PRANAYAMA: (Nadi Shodhana)

Benefits:

It is well documented throughout time that the practice of Pranayam calms and centers the mind, removes toxins from the body, and eliminates stress and anxiety. Nadi shodhana is known in Ayurvedic medicine to rapidly harmonize the two hemispheres of the brain, resulting in a balanced physical, mental and emotional well-being. This harmony highly benefits the sympathetic (fight/flight) and parasympathetic (rest/relax) branches of the nervous system, with profound long-term effects. Also, because this an active meditation, you will receive all the benefits of meditating and is a wonderful way to introduce yourself to a daily meditation practice. It will become much easier to stay present as you develop the habit of pranayama, a truly effective spiritual discipline.

Time: Begin with timing yourself for 3 minutes and add a minute every so often until you reach 10-15 minutes total.

Length: Make a commitment to try it for 2 weeks or more. Then decide for yourself if it is something that resonates with you. Some say a new practice requires at least 40 days to begin to see benefit. Each person of course, is uniquely different.

Technique: First, you may wish to blow your nose to clear your nasal cavities for maximum air passage. Begin by holding your index and middle fingers straight and resting the fingertips on your third eye (the middle of your forehead) with the right hand so that you can close your left nostril with your ring finger and your right nostril with your thumb. Lefties can use the opposite fingers if it feels more natural. Closing the right nostril first, exhale and inhale through the left nostril and then switch by closing the left nostril and exhaling/inhaling through the right. Take long slow (quiet) breaths and relax.

Advanced Technique:

When you feel comfortable with the method, feel free to add visualization to your meditation. While exhaling, envision stale energy and toxins that have built up in the body streaming out with the breath. While inhaling, visualize Prana (vital life energy) particles flowing through the body reinvigorating and re-energizing the whole self.

Recommendations:

It is best to practice this on an empty stomach at the end of physical activity at approximately the same time each day. I encourage writing about your experiences before and after the experiment. Writing not only records our thoughts and feelings but is a transformational exercise for releasing stuck energies and allowing profound life shifts to occur.