Right Nostril Breathing
Inhaling only through the right nostril, exhaling only through the left. Heating, activating, and the correct choice for morning lethargy, cold weather and low digestive fire.
Meaning of the name
Piercing the sun. The right nostril is the sun channel — piṅgalā — and this practice opens it deliberately.
How to practise
- 1
Sit upright and make Vishnu Mudra with the right hand.
- 2
Close the left nostril with the ring finger and inhale slowly through the right.
- 3
Close the right nostril with the thumb, release the ring finger, and exhale slowly through the left.
- 4
That is one round. Continue for nine rounds, always inhaling right and exhaling left.
- 5
Practise in the morning or before physical work — never in the evening.
Benefits
- Raises alertness, body heat and metabolic rate
- Improves digestion and appetite
- Counters morning lethargy and low mood
- Useful for low blood pressure
- Helpful in cold, damp weather and for those who feel the cold
What happens in the nervous system
Right-nostril breathing has been associated in several studies with increased sympathetic activity — higher heart rate, higher oxygen consumption, and increased left-hemisphere activity. It is one of the more interesting findings in the field, because the traditional description predicted it exactly.