Alternate Nostril Breathing
Breathing in through one nostril and out through the other, in alternation. The central pranayama of the whole tradition, and the one most often prescribed for blood pressure and sleep.
Meaning of the name
Purification of the channels. Nāḍī is a channel through which prana moves; śodhana is a cleaning out.
How to practise
- 1
Sit upright and make Vishnu Mudra with the right hand — index and middle fingers folded in.
- 2
Close the right nostril with the thumb and exhale completely through the left.
- 3
Inhale through the left for a count of four. Close the left nostril with the ring finger and release the thumb.
- 4
Exhale through the right for a count of eight. Then inhale through the right for four.
- 5
Close the right, exhale left for eight. That is one round. Do nine rounds, always finishing on a left-nostril exhalation.
Benefits
- Lowers blood pressure — among the best-evidenced effects of any yogic practice
- Balances the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems
- Improves sleep quality and reduces the time taken to fall asleep
- Clears the sinuses and improves nasal airflow over time
- Sharpens attention and reduces mental agitation
- Prepares the mind for meditation more effectively than any other pranayama
What happens in the nervous system
The nasal cycle alternates dominance between the nostrils every few hours, under sympathetic control of the nasal turbinates, and correlates with lateralised shifts in brain activity. Right-nostril breathing is associated with increased sympathetic activity, left with parasympathetic. Alternating them deliberately equalises the two, which is exactly the claim the tradition makes in different words.