And breathe ... Nadi Shodhana Pranayama

I share this with you my favourite breathing exercise as it's easy and effective.
Nadi Shodhana - Alternate Nostril breathing is a pranayama exercise to balance our bodies nervous system and instil calm.

Nadi means “channel” and Shodhana means “purification.” We have 72,00 nadi's in the body! This breathing exercises balances each hemisphere of the brain, easing anxiety quickly.
The HOLD part of the breathing exercise is optional and shouldn't be practiced by pregnant women. The hold part of the exercise dilates the capillaries in the brain, flushing it with fresh blood on the next exhale.

There has been extensive research on the effectiveness of pranayama and results have shown that short moments of conscious breathing, 2 - 3 times a day, can lower our blood pressure, relieve stress, help us sleep better, improve our memory and balance hormones.

How to:

1. Sit comfortably with your spine tall and shoulders relaxed.

2. Place the tip of the index finger and middle finger into palm of hand, the ring finger and little finger on the left nostril, and the thumb on the right nostril. We will use the ring finger and little finger to open or close the left nostril and thumb for the right nostril.

3. Press your thumb down on the right nostril and breathe out gently through the left nostril.

4. Now breathe in from the left nostril and then press the left nostril gently with the ring finger and little finger. Removing the right thumb from the right nostril, breathe out from the right.

5. Breathe in from the right nostril and exhale from the left. You have now completed one round of Nadi Shodhana pranayama.

6. Continue inhaling and exhaling from alternate nostrils.

7. Complete as many rounds as you can up to 9 by alternately breathing through both the nostrils. After every exhalation, remember to breathe in from the same nostril from which you exhaled.

8. Keep your eyes closed throughout and continue taking long, deep, smooth breaths without any force or effort.

Tips:

• Do not force the breath - keep the breath gentle and natural.

• Breath in and our through the nose only.

• Do not hold the breath if you are pregnant or do not feel comfortable doing this.

• Take a moment for the breath to return to normal after the exercise to be mindful of feeling light headed.

• If you feel uncomfortable blocking the nostrils, you can visualise the breath coming in and out through separate nostrils. Rod Stryker guides this so beautifully in his guided meditations which you can find on his Santuary app.