Pranayama: Nadhi Shodana
Pranayama Homework:
Take time to review the pranayama video below
Practice this Pranayama 1x per day this week with the recorded guidance, or on your own.
Read through the text on “How to Teach” this pranayama, typed out below.
Make a cue card for teaching this pranayama
Practice teaching this to a friend or family member at least 1x this week
Guided Practice
Textbook Entry:
Overview of Nadhi Shodana
Let’s cut to the chase:
Nose breathing is a lot like saving the environment— science shows us that it must be done, and we all love bees, but actually slowing down and shifting the way we live our lives takes more than science, it takes surrender. Breathing through your nose is more than just a different way of breathing, it is a different way of living and being, and for that reason nadhi shodana offers the practitioner a chance to reconnect with this vital aspect of our vitality, as well as our own inner balance.
Unconsciousness leads to mouth breathing:
Unfortunately, unconsciousness doesn’t lead to nose breathing, it leads to mouth breathing. When we lose awareness of our posture, at our computers or phones for example, our heads begin to crane forward and the nasal passageways become constricted. Try it, pull your head back and lengthen up and feel how much air can flow through your nose. Then let your head slowly crane forward and notice how much more challenging this becomes.
Mouth breathing receives 20% less Oxygen:
After a short period of this the body will naturally open the mouth to compensate for the lost air. Although this solves the issue temporarily, we suffer in the long run as this kind of breathing not only strains our neck and shoulders, but causes us to breathe more rapidly, and shallower, receiving less oxygen with more effort. In fact, studies have shown that we receive 20% less oxygen overall when breathing through our mouths— that’s a lot! Imagine if you had to live on 20% less food a day, or water— you’d feel it. Well, the breath is even more foundational than that. As the saying goes, “weeks without food, days without water, but only minutes without breath”.
Benefits of nose breathing:
Nose breathing, on the other hand, slows down the breath keeping our O2/CO2 balance in check which allows for better oxygen assimilation. This slower breath flow also activates the diaphragm, pulling our air to the lower lobes of the lunges, where more blood awaits to be oxygenated due to gravity. The nose is also a filter and humidifier of the breath, allowing for better oxygen assimilation. Native American populations cited nose breathing as their greatest ally in defense of disease, often gently holding their sleeping infants mouths shut with their fingertips to create these beneficial life long patterns (cite from “Breath”). On an even simpler level, we’ve had conclusive evidence for over a hundred years that breathing through our mouth causes more cavities than a poor diet or poor hygiene. (Cite ) In fact, a simple google search for nose breathing benefits will show you that many of the top articles are listed by Dentists, recommending nose breathing to their patients for a healthy mouth.
Anatomy of Nose Breathing:
When you look below the surface, you can see even more clearly that the nose was meant for breathing— Just look at the size of the nasal cavity compared to the oral cavity. Air enters through the nasal cavity, passes through the upper pharynx, which is connected to the ears via the eustachian tube. The breath then passes through the middle pharynx, where the food and respiratory systems cross, into the lower pharynx where we connect into the larynx, which produces our voice as well our coughs. The epiglottis covers the larynx when swallowing.
Spiritual Aspects of Nose Breathing:
Nose breathing is also a spiritual conduit for Higher Consciousness to enter and flow in many spiritual paths— even the Bible attests to the merit of nose breathing, as it is said that God breathed life into our nostrils. In the subtle body of Yoga, our breath of life if being breathed into us all day every day through our Ida and Pingala, 2 of our 3 largest energetic pathways, which end in our nostrils. These channels form a double helix as they spiral around your central Nadhi, the shushumna. They begin in the sacrum, and after making their way up the spine, passing through every major chakra, they end in the nostrils. This means that your nose is the literal gateway to these incredibly powerful energetic channels— number 2 and 3 out of our 72,000 nadhis total. Just to give this scope, imagine a hallway with 72,000 doors, wouldn’t it be good to know which two led you directly to its most sacred space? That sign on that door is Ida and Pingala, the focal point of Alternate Nostril Breathing.
Nostrils Alternate Breathing Naturally:
Scientific studies dating as far back as 1895 by a German physician named Richard Kayser, and as recently as 2015 at the University of California, San Diego, have shown that the body naturally alternates which nostril we are breathing through during our day in approximately 2 hour cycles when healthy, or much more rapidly when we are sick. The left and right nostrils have also been shown to act like natural heating and cooling system in order to control our body temperature and blood pressure, as well as our moods, emotions and sleep states. When we perform the alternate nostril breath, which was originally described in the Shiva Swarodaya, we gently accelerate this natural balancing process, bringing ourself towards equilibrium and homeostasis, which though not flashy, is the natural gateway to a quiet mind, open heart, and path to an experience of our true Self.
Shiva Swarodaya:
Much of this same information was first documented by ancient yogis Thirteen hundred years ago in the Shiva Swarodaya, a text dedicated to describing the benefits and techniques of breathing through alternate nostrils. “The science of Svarodaya, knowledge of the rise of breathing in one or the other nostril, is higher than the highest of the Sastras,” the original manuscript writes, “and is like the wick of the lamp to illumine the pot in the form of the True Self” (Shiva Swarodaya, p.8). This text described the nostrils as alternating their flow every 2.5 Gatis, which translates to about every 3 hours. But the Shiva Swarodaya goes much further, describing the qualities of breathing through the nostrils, “The controller of the flow of the left Nadi, which flow’s through the left nostril, is Moon who also resides in it in the form of Sakti. The controller of the flow of the right Nadi Pingala, which flows through the right nostril, is the Sun who also resides in it in the form of Shiva.”
Pingala Nadhi:
The Solar Pingala nadhi, our right nostril, is associated with qualities of heating, digesting, and computing. Breathing through the right nostril has been shown to stimulate our sympathetic nervous system, increasing cortisol levels and blood pressure, enabling an elevated state of alertness— perhaps this is why the Shiva Swarodaya describes the right nostril as the creator of the world, and the Ida as the sustainer of it. The right nostril also feeds more blood to the left side of our pre-frontal cortex, our cognitive control center influencing attention, impulse inhibition, prospective memory, and cognitive flexibility.
Ida Nadhi:
The Lunar Ida Nadhi, our left nostril, is associated with qualities of the moon and cooling qualities, described as “nectar like, and supporter of the world” in the Shiva Swarodaya. Breathing through the left nostril has been shown to stimulate qualities of the para-sympathetic nervous system, lowering blood pressure and reducing anxiety. Left nostril breathing also shifts blood flow to the opposite side of the pre-frontal cortex, enabling more abstract thinking and visualization.
Nose breathing and the Nervous System:
As has been said, our body naturally regulates the ebb and flow between these nostrils in order to keep us in balance as we navigate the ups and downs of our daily life. Together they act like a gas pedal (Pingala) and brake (Ida), both of which are needed to get from point A to Point B. But even more importantly, this natural ebb and flow is known in the yogic tradition as Spanda, the pulsation or dance of Shiva and Shakti— a dynamism that literally creates the manifest universe. When we perform the alternate nostril breath, which was originally described in the Shiva Swarodaya, we gently accelerate this natural balancing process, bringing ourself towards equilibrium and homeostasis, which though not flashy, is the natural gateway to a quiet mind, open heart, and path to an experience of our true Self.
Nose breathing requires more than science, it means surrender:
But even though science, religion and ancient cultures have shown that nose breathing is critical for our personal health, the inconvenient truth is that we are addicted to mouth breathing. Sustainability is more than a decision, its a lifestyle. In my personal experience, the path to breathing through the nose wasn’t just a matter of will, it was a matter of surrender on a lot of different levels as you navigate the important tasks of your day. Breathing through the nose requires that we prioritize ‘inner sustainability’ over our mind’s persistent “finish line” approach. The mind will quickly discourage you from breathing through your nose— that’s why it can be helpful to have so much science pointing you towards this new possibility.
Like a Mantra for your breath:
You can think of nose breathing as mantra for your breath. When we funnel the energy of our mind through a mantra, we slow down and begin to regulate that energy, just like when we funnel the energy of our breath through our nostrils. Mantra literally means mind protector, which is very much like the filtering, humidyfying, oxygenating, immune boosting, and abdominal pressurizing qualities that come from breathing through the nose. And finally, similar to mantra, just saying it isn’t enough, you’ve got to feel it, and let it affect you— nose breathing isn’t just another way of breathing, its another way of being. An inconvenient truth for your mind, but a liberating new reality for your heart.
Summary & Reflection:
Nose breathing, like environmental sustainability, requires more than just scientific knowledge—it demands surrender and lifestyle change. Unconsciousness often leads to mouth breathing due to poor posture. Mouth breathing results in less oxygen intake and strains the body, while nose breathing offers benefits like better oxygen assimilation, diaphragm activation, and filtration. The practice of alternate nostril breathing is an ancient yogic practice, first described in the Shiva Swarodaya, promoting balance and inner harmony.
Teaching Nadhi Shodana
Introduction
Nadhi Shodana is the practice of alternating which nostril we are breathing into and out of as a means of regulating our physical nervous system and balancing the solar and lunar aspects of our subtle nervous system, known as Nadhis. The alternating nostril technique of Nadhi Shodana follows our body’s own biological process of switching which nostril we are breathing into or out of, which occurs every two hours throughout our day. We will be alternating the nostrils with each breath, accelerating this natural path to balance. Yogic texts teach that this will help to balance the inner aspects of heating and cooling, masculine and feminine, analytical and creative within us.
Primary Technique
“We begin by forming the Mrigi Mudra with our dominant hand by bringing the first two fingers in towards the palm. This will allow you to alternately use the ring finger and thumb to lightly close your nostrils” : The mrigi mudra is a light positioning of the hand that allows you to use the ring finger and thumb to alternate nostrils. Some people like to rest the index and middle finger on the third eye while they practice, but this is just a preference— either is fine. The pressure on the nostrils should be gentle, in fact, you might want to try not pressing the nostril closed at all, but simply plugging the nostril with the tip of the finger. Many people find that the more we press the nostrils shut, the less the nostrils open, making it harder and harder to breathe as the pranayama goes on.
“Begin by closing the right nostril, and breathe in gently through the left side”: The left side is considered the lunar side, the cooling side. By beginning on this side, the pranayama has a generally cooler and gentler effect. This is generally recommended for most Western practitioners as studies have shown that we need to take every chance we can to down regulate our nervous system from constant fight and flight.
“Close the Left Nostril, and switch sides to exhale through the right nostril”: Here we begin with a specific phrasing meant to help the student continue with the pranayama on their own. We are emphasizing the path of ‘in through one nostril, out through the other’. This phrasing will slowly become more succinct as we begin to transition away from breath-by-breath cueing.
“Inhale through the same right side you just breathed out of, and switch sides to exhale out of the left”: Our take away cue has now become more thorough, as we can now tell students to ‘inhale same side, switch to exhale’. We are adding extra verbiage at this point to help everyone stay on track, but the cue will become very repetitious going forward.
“That was one full round. We’ll now breathe back in through the left nostril, and switch sides to exhale”: Letting them see that we have finished one full round helps keep the mind focused and gives the student a sense of completion. This also shows them why we will be ending on the left side exhale later.
“Inhale through the right side which is now open, and switch sides to exhale”: We now make our transition away from breath by breath cueing by emphasizing the path of the breath itself in a concise way.
“Inhale the open side, switch sides to exhale”
“Inhale through the open side, switch sides to exhale”
“Continue on your own, inhaling through the open side, and switching sides to exhale”: Breath by breath cueing is complete, making it possible to move towards our depth cues. It is important to remember that we may need to come back to this cueing phrase even during our depth cues if student’s are new to the practice.
(10)“If at any time during this pranayama your arm becomes tire, you can use the other arm like a shelf to support it”: This cue can also be given before the pranayama when teaching the mrigi mudra
Explorations
Exploration through Slower and Smoother Breathing
Patanjali taught that during Nadhi Shodana, the breath should flow as smooth as melted ghee from a tea pot. Though you might not know exactly what this looks like, you can imagine what warm oil pouring from a pot implies— smoooooooth! This depth segment follows the same path as our slow and smooth depth segment in full yogic breathing, and allows students to really focus on quality.
“Try to breathe in slow motion, without losing you breath”: Breathing in slow motion simply means that every aspect of our breath flow can slow down incremementally. We want to avoid any sense of being out of breath, and ensure that this is always a natural and sustainable experience.
“As the Breath slows, make each segment smoother, the inhale and exhale, as well as the spaces between them”: As the breath slows, we can bring our attention to smoother breathing. The inhale can become smoother, as well as the space around the pause after the inhale. The exhale can become slower and smoother, as well as the space surrounding the pause at the end of the exhale. Even the way that we press our nostrils can become smoother.
“Visualize the breath as melted oil being poured from a pot, pouring so smoothly that you can’t tell where it starts and where it stops”: Here we incorporate the amazing visualization of Patanjali. You will of course word this in your own way, but the image is clear and concise. This should allow the students to dive fully into an experience of their breath that truly reflects the balance at the heart of Nadhi Shodana, leaving them centered, calm and collected.
Explorations through Counting:
As has been quoted in this section, studies have shown that the ideal length of an inhale and exhale is 5.5 seconds each. This means that counting one’s breath for that amount of time can help a student achieve a more optimal breath rate resulting in better oxygen assimilation. This also leads to down regulation of the nervous system, filling us with a sense of calm.
“The next time you are inhaling, watch your natural breath and count up with it, and as you are exhaling through the alternate nostril, count back down from that number”: It is important during depth cueing to make sure that students always know they should be breathing at their own rate. For that reason it is common to include the phrase ‘the next time you are inhaling…’, or ‘when you are exhaling…”, as it empowers them to follow their own pace. Even though the ideal breath count may be 5.5 seconds, their is no benefit to forcing ourselves to breathe to an uncomfortable depth— this produces strain and tension and has the opposite effect we seek in our nervous system. For that reason it is good to encourage them to work with their natural breath before imposing any outside influence of ‘what’s best’.
“As you continue to count up and down with your breath, consider extending the length of the breath by 1 or 2 seconds, maybe breathing 4, 5 or 6 total seconds. This should not produce any strain, but may feel like a beneficial stretch”: As with all things yoga, we stretch. The Sanskrit word Yama actually means ‘to stretch or extend”, so if we have taken time to respect our natural breath flow, stretching it by 1 or 2 seconds will probably feel healthy and productive. The times of 4, 5 and 6 seconds are mentioned here because of the aforesaid science on the ideal breath length. Some students may be reaching for too much depth here, and reminding them of these numbers might bring them into a more balanced state.
“If your breath feels steady and without any strain, you may also consider adding a pause after each segment of the breath. Pausing for a count of 1 or 2 at the top of the inhale, and pausing for a count of 1 or 2 at the bottom of the exhale”: The pause of our breath is a time when our body’s CO2 levels can begin to rise, which is very beneficial in our constantly hyper-ventilated states. Nonetheless, as has been stated many times, strain does not equal gain, and all steps forward are only as valuable as they are sustainable.
“You can also substitute the numbers for syllables of the mantra Namah Shivaya, using Om as the pause between the breaths. Take time to hear each syllable, Na-Ma-Shi-Va-Ya, as well as the OM in the pause, in order to create a sustainable breathing pattern”: This may be a lot if your students have never heard this mantra before, but if you have mentioned it previously, then calling on it now can initiate a very powerful shift in awareness.
Concluding the Pranayama
“The next time you exhale through the left nostril, you can lower the hands”: Nadhi Shodana ends where it began, on the left nostril. Because we started by inhaling through the left, we finish when we exhale through the left side.
“Notice if you feel more centered physically as well as energetically”: The practice of Nadhi Shodana is balancing both on the physical level, as it is a natural biological process our body uses to maintain inner balance throughout the day, as well as energetically, as the Shiva Swarodhaya teaches, balancing the solar and lunar aspects, and their respective qualities.