This breathing exercise has been a favorite of mine ever since Boston yoga instructor David Magone first introduced me to it back in 2012… a casual 10 years ago 😊
There are variations for the flow and hand positions, but the gist is the same: alternating breathing out of one nostril at a time.
I have found that even when I’m teaching it, I feel calmer after only a few cycles, so I’m not surprised that there is research to support the benefits this has on our nervous systems (check out PubMed to see some).
I find when I’m teaching corporate wellness workshops to help address employee burnout, breathing exercises seem to be the most popular and can sometimes be less intimidating when people are coming to the session without an existing mindfulness practice.
Breathwork IS a form of meditation!
When people experience the physiological benefits that come with the specific breathing practice at hand, those positive feelings and impact can motivate them to come back and do more.
As with any habit, feeling that reward makes it much more likely to be something you repeat!
If you’d like to pair this with music, here’s a link to a meditation music playlist I created.
Anyone else a Nadi Shodhana fan?
Or if you’ve never done it, let me know how it feels if you try it out!