Alternate Nostril Breathing
(Nadi Shodhan Pranayama)

What is Alternate Nostril Breathing? Apart from stating the obvious of breathing through alternate nostrils, it is a technique associated with the east, usually practiced by yogi's and often used in meditation and yoga to help prepare the mind.

What does it prepare the mind for - just about everything

Pranayama is an in-depth science for expanding and channeling the life force, prana. "Pranayama" comes from two Sanskrit words: "prana", meaning the fundamental life force, and "yama" meaning to control. Pranayama is, therefore channeling or controlling the life force. In India yogis believe that many diseases are connected to disturbances in nasal breathing. Whichever way you look at it, Breathing is a fundamental function of our well being.

Right and Left Hemispheres: Most of us know that the left brain governs our logic or thinking side whilst the right side of the brain covers feelings and such things as creativity. Alternate nostril breathing allows you to utilise both sides of the brain at once making life much easier. How often do we make head decisions about heart matters and vice versa? Now you do not have to, because you can activate your whole brain and find even more solutions to life than you thought possible.

Even if you just want to relax it helps with that too.

Here are some benefits of alternate nostril breathing:

1: It instantly centres and calms you. If you are confused or have an important presentation, meeting or even just a difficult conversation to deal with it will create instant "centre".

2. If you are upset or confused it will calm you so you can see reality again and put things into perspective.

3. Because it calms you it is good for anxiety, it is free and you can do it anywhere, any time.

4. It refreshes and revitalises you when you are tired. Use it when traveling or just whenever you need a pick me up.

5. Improves Brain Function. This is associated with using the whole of your brain in balance rather than one side or the other. You might think this is going to make decisions harder but in fact it makes them easier. Sometimes decisions are not needed anyway, all you need is peace and tranquility of mind and an ability to wait and see what happens in life. For this reason it is good for those who like to control life and who do not cope when they find it is beyond their control.

6. It gets rid of the rubbish in your head so if it gets rid of that it also gets rid of rubbish in other parts of your body too.

7. Improves Sleep or Wakes you up; Whaaaaat? The body's sympathetic nervous system and parasympathetic nervous system balance each other out while we go about our normal daily business. The sympathetic nervous system is related to activity in terms of fight or flight whereas the parasympathetic nervous system is related to rest and recovery. If you have ever felt "wired" at bedtime or sleepy when it is time to get up you can use alternate nostril breathing to balance or you can close off the right nostril if you want to sleep or close off the left nostril if you want to wake up. Whaaat? Remember the left nostril activates the right brain, the right nostril activates the left brain.

If you cannot sleep or suffer insomnia lie in the right side of your body, close your right nostril with your right thumb and breathe in through your left nostril.

If you are tired and sleepy in the morning sit comfortably and close your left nostril, breathe in and out through your right nostril. After a few minutes follow this up with Alternate Nostril Breathing.

Helps with your personal and spiritual connection.

Regulates the heating and cooling of the body. Left nostril for cooling, right nostril for heating. Cheaper than heating or air conditioning.

Enhances performance: whether you wish to improve athletic performance or spiritual, mental and creative ability alternate nostril breathing will give you the edge

Relaxes, Centres, Calms, Boosts Energy, Helps Insomnia

How to do Alternate Nostril Breathing.

Sit comfortably, hands relaxed, palms upwards on the upper legs, thumb and middle finger touching. Centre yourself a little and check your mind and body taking note of tension or anything significant. Never force your breath or over control it. As you practice and relax more you will find you breath more slowly and the slower your breath the more you relax.

Step one: Use right thumb to close off right nostril. Index finger on third eye between the brows

Step two: Inhale slowly through left nostril

Step three: Pause for a second

Step four: Now close left nostril with the middle or ring finger and release thumb off right nostril

Step five: Exhale through your right nostril

Step six: Now, inhale through right nostril

Step seven: Pause

Step eight: Use thumb to close of right nostril

Step nine: Breathe out through left nostril

Step 10: return your hand, palm upward, to your leg, thumb and middle finger touching. Pause for a minute and check your mind and body again.

This is one round of alternate nostril breathing. To begin with do a practice then do three, one after the other with a pause in the middle.

If you find this helps you imagine how much more you can do with personalised meditation techniques

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My Nose is Blocked, what can I do?

Now there is an interesting thing. If breathing through opposing nostrils activates the opposite side of the brain and you can manipulate this by using Alternate Nostril Breathing what happens to us as we go about our daily business not noticing whether one side or the other is blocked? I think the answer is pretty obvious, only one side or the other of your brain is dominant. When we have a cold and our nose is blocked up we feel stuffed up and foggy in the head too.

The truth about noses and breathing is that the dominance of one side or the other changes throughout the day. This can be because we need to use one side of the brain more than the other or because we are using one side more often. People who lack creativity and would like to add it to their lives can begin to take note of which side of their nose is more dominant and they can change their habits. Similarly, if you need to make a logical decision and not listen to your heart then you can manipulate the left, logical side. It is always better to do what you do with the "whole" brain. Decisions are easier and better balanced. You can see the creative vision and know the logical process needed to create it.

So, what about this blocked nose, sinus issue then? I won't tell you everything you need to know but maybe the first question you need to ask yourself is "why is my nose blocked" or "why do I have sinus problems".

The modern way of dealing with problem is drugs, over the counter anti-histamines to "make the problem go away" But does it make the problem go away?

Most likely we become full of mucous because we our body is reacting, with allergy, to something we are doing. It could be allergy to pollution because we live in a city. It might be allergy to the food we eat. Whatever the cause investigate it. Try eliminating dairy products from the diet as dairy is quite mucous producing. Can't give up cheese you say, or your daily cappuccino. If these things do not agree with the functioning of your body you might need to rethink your priorities. Having mucous in your nasal cavities is not only annoying it is a sign of toxicity, perhaps your daily fix is the same as eating a bowl of rat poison for breakfast if your body does not do well on it.

It is not always easy changing habits and there is a lot of talk about the modern day diet, paleo style etc and I do urge you to investigate and try things to see what works for you. If you are prone to colds and flu then the problem may be associated with your lifestyle and simple changes can be made to improve your overall well being. If you are well, do not get heaps of colds or flu all the time and you are happier you might find it is worth letting go of your dependence on certain things.

To stop me over indluging sometimes I have to look at a bar of chocolate and think "poison". Sometimes my inner child is not fooled (she is a smart little cookie but does not always act in her own best interests) and I give in. Most people are like that. if you struggle a lot and would like to adopt healthier habits there could be an underlying cause for self sabotaging ways. It is easy to find out about these

Check out probioltic foods and their benefits, sometimes you can sneak a little comfort poison and get away with it if your gut health is in good order. My preferences are Kombucha Tea, Milk Kefir and home made sauerkraut

Once you have found out about your allergies (and you can have a full blood test done to find out exactly what antibodies you have to certain foods) you may also need to heal and soothe the sinuses. In Australia there is a product called Fess which is available at chemists (drug stores). There is a range of saline sinus flushes available along with the apparatus to do the job. I find it useful as I often have sinus problems in dry weather.

Whatever you do, become more aware of your breathing and which nostrils are working when. Awareness of body function is vital to a happy and healthy life.

Recommendations for health and well being

Yoga is good. If you are in Palmerston North in New Zealand try Yoga on The Square
Meditation techniques of all kinds - see Meditation Sessions and Courses for simple but effective techniques
Being in nature, walk gently, sit and enjoy, just "be". It is out there, go find it.
Homeopathy - it is vibrational and so are you. A good homeopath can do a lot for your constitution
Life Coaching - sometimes you need help and guidance I use Astrology for self knowledge and life direction
Life Balance - chasing your tail? Do you want to stop? Try this
Sometimess you just need to talk. If friends are not quite right for the situation try Dr.Kaye Gersch or LifeLine

There is a solution to most things - All you have to do is Ask and someone will guide you