10-Minute Alternate Nostril Breathing Practice

Рет қаралды 30,451

Күн бұрын

Alternate nostril breathing, also known as Nadi Shodhana, is one of the most popular pranayama (yoga breathing) practices in the world but is surprisingly difficult to learn. The best way to learn it is in steps and in in this video we’ll show you how.
This is a Water Category breathing exercise to balance your nervous system. Balancing practices are designed to calm you down if you’re over-stimulated, and to boost your energy if you’re lethargic. Just like a glass of water, balancing practices are always appropriate, any time of the day or night and can be used freely without cause for concern.
To achieve a balancing effect, you’ll want to target four to six breaths per minute. There are dozens of breathing patterns you can use, but the rate of breath is what matters most. This will likely feel a little fast at first, but you’ll soon get used to it. Let’s get started!
VIDEO CONTENTS
0:00 Alternate nostril breathing
00:15 Water category practice
00:45 Tips for practice (pranayama mudra)
01:26 tips for practice (ocean sound)
01:48 Alternate nostril breathing practice
HOW TO PRACTICE
* Start and end on the left nostril
* Close your right nostril and inhale for four through the left
* Close your left nostril and exhale for four through the right
* Stay here and inhale for four on the right
* Close your right nostril and exhale for four on the left
DISCLAIMER - This video is for educational purposes only. If you are pregnant or suffer from asthma, COPD, or any other respiratory illness, check with a medical professional before starting any self-care routine.
BEST PRACTICES
Try to use the recommended hand gesture throughout. This classic pranayama mudra is functional, not showy. It's a clean and useful position for controlling and pinching your nostrils. Fold your first two fingers into your palm on your right hand, use your thumb for your right nostril and your ring finger for your left nostril. It's a little awkward at first, but you should quickly get the hang of it.
Also, if possible, try to include ocean sound (Ujjayi pranayama) as you practice. That means you make a whisper sound at the back of your throat both on the inhale and on the exhale.
Want to calm your nervous system instead?
Try one of these Whiskey Category breathing practices:
• Beginners Pranayama - ...
• 10-min Box Breathing P...
WANT MORE?
* 21-Day Yoga Breathing Challenge (on-demand): www.yogabody.com/breathing/
* Check out Lucas’ breathing TEDx talk: • Change Your Breath, Ch...
* Join our YOGABODY Daily at-home fitness program: www.yogabody.com/yb-daily/
* Main site: www.yogabody.com/
Got a question? Please post down below.
#BreathingExercises #YogaBreathing #Pranayama

Пікірлер: 56

@famousintellect 7 ай бұрын

the post meditation clarity hit diff on this one

@shashibansal 6 ай бұрын

I do every day for 10 to 15 minutes. I am 81 years old

@stox9630 4 ай бұрын

wow bro im 19

@mellainenewman576 Ай бұрын

Magnificent pranayam teaching. Honestly I love your style your knowledge your beautiful manner. Thank you very much Lucas for your generous sharing of theses life changing breathing practices. I am retired from yoga teaching and look to your teaching to continue to learn and practice. Mellaine from 🇦🇺

@YOGABODY.Official Ай бұрын

Thank you so much, Mellaine! Your kind words mean a lot. - YOGABODY Team

@BarbaraSumma 11 ай бұрын

first 4-5 minutes were quite hard, then the last 5 went like a breeze, I was almost surprised when it finished. thanks

@Pa_Nu 10 ай бұрын

Easy simple explanation and guiding. Thank you very much. 🙏🙏🙏👍👍👍🍀🍀🍀❤️❤️❤️

@DerekLukeBrother1 5 ай бұрын

This was an awesome deep-breathing session!

@user-ct4iw3su9n 11 ай бұрын

Thank you Lucas! You are the best yoga coach I've ever seen on KZfaq.

@YOGABODY.Official 11 ай бұрын

You're the best!

@nareshagarwal772 10 ай бұрын

🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳 Gift of Bharat to the World ❤

@guybuysse7 11 ай бұрын

Amazing, fantastic feeling ❤️🙏🍀

@xabierlecourtier2144 10 ай бұрын

It works!! I’ve just done it in a cab in the middle of a traffic jam in Bangkok and it was wonderful.

@YOGABODY.Official 10 ай бұрын

Hi Xabier - I lived in Bangkok and loved it (not the traffic)

@444NRG 10 ай бұрын

Hello people I am a Brahmin and it’s part of our daily ritual. 🕉️

@NizJazzBTC 8 ай бұрын

What benefits do you find?

@scottcoffinhotmail 8 ай бұрын

Thank you Lucas for sharing your talent and gifts. This is a beautiful practice. ❤

@YOGABODY.Official 8 ай бұрын

Thanks Scott!

@viktorpiktor8289 11 ай бұрын

Thanks for this input.

@OnkarSinghYoga 11 ай бұрын

You are doing very well ☺️

@chayasubramanyam2701 11 ай бұрын

Thanks Lucas. The animation helped 🙂. Of course, watched the video first and then started the practiced. Gets pretty intense towards the end. Namaste 🙏

@YOGABODY.Official 11 ай бұрын

Glad it helped!

@shellykearney7821 11 ай бұрын

Thank you 😊

@SweetBunny706 11 ай бұрын

Thank you Lucas for this technique!

@YOGABODY.Official 11 ай бұрын

Any time :)

@louisedunning2056 7 ай бұрын

I think you are just fantastic - love everything you do

@YOGABODY.Official 7 ай бұрын

Thanks Louise!

@livetarang512 9 ай бұрын

It's a very Beggining exercise of Pranayam 👍👍👍 there's more advanced things

@TheYogaMaster 8 ай бұрын

Lucas, interesting video and demonstration. I might add that you can also use your tongue instead of your fingers to perform Alternate Nostril Breathing. You do this by sealing off the nostrils one at a time from inside of the nasal cavity with your tongue and a benefit of doing this is that you can keep both of your hands and arms relaxed. If you would want to see how this is performed in practice, I demonstrate in a video on Nadi Shodhana Pranayama in my channel, how I control the flow of air from within my nasal cavity with my tongue. What you should keep in mind is that to be able to do this you first need to be able to perform a certain yogic mudra, called Khechari Mudra. This mudra involves rolling your tongue back in the mouth and up into the nasal cavity. If you would be interested in achieving this mudra, I can offer the following advice. You start out by holding your tongue back in the mouth with only the muscles of the tongue. You do this for as long as you can, then rest the muscles and continue again. You should repeat this all the time throughout the day, whenever not talking or eating. From time to time you should also use your fingers to gently push the tongue even farther back in the mouth. This will eventually cause parts of the lingual frenulum - that little strip of flesh underneath the tongue - to grow away naturally by itself and eventually allowing you to place your tongue into the nasal cavity. As soon as you can do this, you should also proceed to sleep with your tongue in the nasal cavity - otherwise those parts of the lingual frenulum will begin to grow back again overnight and thus making it more difficult to do this mudra in the morning. However, you should take care to never sleep this way while intoxicated or when a cold is blocking your nose. I also have a video in my channel where I speak more of this and demonstrate how I achieved Khechari Mudra in two weeks time. If you would wish me to clarify the practice of this mudra further and elaborate more on how to use it for Alternate Nostril Breathing, do not hesitate to let me know - I would be glad to assist you.

@olgakriksonov7263 3 ай бұрын

I liked it a lot ! Thank you. Usually I did alternate nostril breathing without ujjai and the reason I stopped after 4 years daily practice because my left nostril got always blocked after this pranayama. However when I tried as explained here with ujjayi my both nostril remained open during after the practice. I am planning to continue doing it and I would like to learn more

@YOGABODY.Official 3 ай бұрын

I'm glad to hear you found the recommendation helpful! Continuing with ujjayi breath in your alternate nostril breathing practice sounds like a positive step. Exploring more through the 21-Day Yoga Breathing Challenge could deepen your understanding and practice further. Keep up the great work! You can find it here: www.yogabody.com/breathing/

@marajade2048 2 ай бұрын

Thank you 😁

@YOGABODY.Official 2 ай бұрын

Glad the video helped, Mara! - YOGABODY Team

@kumudiniantony4639 2 ай бұрын

I do yoga 2 times a week n I do pranyams too❤. I love the way u presentation ❤

@YOGABODY.Official 2 ай бұрын

That's wonderful, keep up the great work! - YOGABODY Team

@photoshoott2022 8 ай бұрын

Amazing exercises. Thank you for sharing. My holistic doctor told to do this breathing technique, but he also said to breath in for 1 to exhale the count of 2, so if I breath in 4 count to breath out 8 count. He suggested for me to look more into it and I found your channel. Could you direct me or explain the benefit of what you are doing 4 to 4, as opposed to 4 to 8 count that he recommended? Thank you.

@YOGABODY.Official 7 ай бұрын

Breathing ratios, like 4 to 4, aim to balance inhalation and exhalation for a rhythmic flow. This can enhance focus, calmness, and oxygenation. However, the 4 to 8 ratio you mentioned can promote extended exhalation, fostering deeper relaxation. Both approaches have merits; choose based on your needs. - YOGABODY Team

@pixelart0124 7 ай бұрын

Any advice on doing this when my nose is chronically partially blocked?

@lowellhill6780 11 ай бұрын

Why don’t I see the PDFs that Lucas says are “down below”???

@YOGABODY.Official 11 ай бұрын

I don't mention anything about a PDF in this video, did you mean to ask this in a different video?

@netsurfer3655 11 ай бұрын

Looks good but, sadly, I have a deviated septum, and the nostril just closes.

@sonamchodon2852 2 ай бұрын

For how many minutes would you recommend for someone with panic disorder to do this breathing exercise?

@YOGABODY.Official 2 ай бұрын

Start with a few minutes and gradually increase as you feel comfortable. It's important to listen to your body. - YOGABODY Team

@pljdavies 11 ай бұрын

i very rarely have both nostrils free, how might i approach this?

@YOGABODY.Official 11 ай бұрын

If you rarely have both nostrils free, you can still practice alternate nostril breathing. Simply focus on the nostril that is more open and use that one for both the inhalation and exhalation. This will still provide the balancing and calming effects of the practice.

@gamedesign1 11 ай бұрын

Why do you have to have your fingers like that? Why can’t you just use the tip of the index finger for the other nostril?

@GrandmasterFerg 11 ай бұрын

The hand method he uses is a type of mudra

@TheYogaMaster 8 ай бұрын

If you do not want to use your fingers at all, you can actually use your tongue instead to control the flow of air in the nostrils from within of the nasal cavity. However, to be able to do this you would first need to learn how to perform a yogic technique called Khechari Mudra, which involves rolling your tongue back in the mouth and up into the nasal cavity. If you would be interested in learning this, I demonstrate how to achieve this mudra in a video in my channel and in another video demonstrate how to use it for alternate nostril breathing. Do not hesitate to let know if you should have any questions concerning this, I would be glad to assist you in achieving this mudra.

@hungrysimi 8 ай бұрын

but... what does this do? 🤔

@stejac1000 11 ай бұрын

My hand kept cramping😢

@YOGABODY.Official 11 ай бұрын

shake your hand out and try your other hand instead, see how that feels for you

@tnt3171 9 ай бұрын

I kept thinking I am watching Zelenskyy 🤣

@awokawok8453 Ай бұрын

My right nose hole is blocked 💀

@ricos1497 11 ай бұрын

My right nostril doesn't work!

@YOGABODY.Official 11 ай бұрын

That's okay! If only your left nostril is working, you can still practice alternate nostril breathing by using your left nostril for both the inhalation and exhalation. Give it a try!

@ricos1497 11 ай бұрын

@@YOGABODY.Official Thanks, I will. I actually found that after trying to force the right nostril a couple of times, that today it seems a little bit less blocked, and I can manage a very noisy 4 second inhale/exhale! I'll keep going with it and see if it results in a longer term improvement.