As a Sivananda Yoga Teacher, I enjoy teaching students Alternate Nostril Breathing exercise, also known by its Sanskrit name, Anuloma Viloma.
Breathing exercises, known as pranayama form the core of yoga. There is a saying in yoga that it is not the number of years lived which determines the length of your life, but the number of breaths taken! Therefore it is a good idea you breathe correctly to reduce your stress levels and to use your breath to calm down, relax and calm and quieted your mind, body and spirit. Out of all the yoga breathing exercises I use, the one I found which brings me the most relief is Alternate Nostril Breathing because it helps me to feel peaceful and balanced.
What Is Alternate Nostril Breathing?
Alternate Nostril Breathing (Anuloma Viloma) is a classic yogic breathing exercise and often practiced at the beginning of a Sivananda yoga lesson.
When Do You Practice It?
Whenever you feel out of alignment and start getting ratty and tense or feel anxious than that's a sign your energy needs to be re-aligned and rebalance.
Alternate Nostril Breathing helps with this process because it alternates the flow of breath/prana through one nostril and then the other.
In the classic yoga book Opening to Spirit by Caroline Shola Arewa, she describes seven main benefits of this practice which are:
· Balancing the autonomic nervous system.
· Balancing the left and right hemispheres of the brain.
· Improving concentration on any practical object or subject.
· Stimulating Anja (third eye) chakra.
· Increasing awareness of the chakras.
· Purifying each of the 72,000 nadis
· Aligning the individual force-field with the universal force-field.
Powerful stuff. And if you are interested in finding out more about the relationship between yoga, breathing exercises and the chakras, I urge you to buy Shola's book, Opening to Spirit. It's an excellent guide in helping you along your spiritual path.
How Do You Practice Alternate Nostril Breathing?
Word of Warming: As with all yoga exercises, please listen and respect your body. Any sign of discomfort or pain in the body, please stop, rest and if needed see your Doctor. If you are pregnant or new to yoga, I'd suggest you familiarise yourself with more basic yoga breathing exercises before trying this more advanced practice. Thank you.
Simple Guidelines For The Practice Of Alternate Nostril Breathing
Traditionally Alternate Nostril Breathing is practiced in the ratio of 1:4:2 -for every second/count of breath you inhale, you retain your breath for four times as long and exhale for twice as long - for example, if you inhale for a count of 2, then you hold your breath for a count of 8 and exhale for account of 4. Depending on your level of experience, you can, for example inhale for account of 4, retain for 16 and breathe out for a count of 8.
There are six steps to complete one round of Alternate Nostril Breathing.
Before you start, make sure you are sitting comfortably either on a chair or cross-legged on the floor. Sit upright with a straight spine. Rest your back of your left hand on your left knee, with your thumb and index finger touching; With your right hand, bend your index and middle fingers into your palm, which leaves your right thumb to close your right nostril and your ring and little fingers to close your left nostril.
Before you start, spend a few moments in quiet focusing on your every day breath as you allow your mind and body to settle into the practice.
Step 1. Exhale fully, close your right nostril with your right thumb, slowly exhale through your left nostril for a count of 4.
Step 2. Gently hold your breath, by "pinching" both nostrils between your thumb and ring and little finger, for a count of 16.
Step 3. Release your thumb from your right nostril (keep your left nostril closed) and exhale through your right nostril for a count of 8.
Step 4. Still keeping your left nostril closed, breathe in through your right nostril for a count of four.
Step 5. Close both nostrils and hold your breath for a count of 16 (as in #2).
Step 6. Release your left fingers from your left nostril, keep your right nostril closed with your right thumb and breathe out through the left nostril for a count of 8
This completes one round.
To Sum Up
Today's post, focused on one of my favourite yoga breathing exercises, Alternate Nostril Breathing, which is ideal to help calm and balance your energy and quiet an over active mind. Ideal tools to support you keep up your inner balance and focus in daily life.
Take Away Points
If you feel comfortable with Alumoa Viloma, over the next three days, schedule 3 dates in your diary, when you will specifically use the time to sit down and practice this yoga breathing exercise. Aim to do 3-10 rounds daily or set your timer and practice for 2-10 minutes. When you do, please share your thoughts, or send me an email because I'd love you know how you got on and how you feel afterwards.
Now you have a clearer understanding of how easy it is to get stress relief, I invite you to learn more stress relief techniques you can do at work. Check out my Kindle ebook Seven Simple Yoga Seated Exercises To Relieve Back And Neck Pain At Work available in my Kindle store. You can buy your copy at http://www.amazon.com/Simple-Seated-Exercises-Relieve-ebook/dp/B008578YSA/ref=la_B0085F6XAI_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339239945&sr=1-1
Take care and stay well
Ntathu Allen, Hatha Yoga Teacher and Meditation Teacher
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