Help me make it easier for others to find this publication on Substack by hitting the ❤️ or 🔁 at the top or bottom. Thank you!
Two Breathing Techniques That Actually Work (And I Use Both)
I want to share something practical with you this week — two breathing techniques that I personally reach for when anxiety creeps in or my mind won’t quiet down at night. They work quickly, they’re simple, and all you need is yourself and a few minutes.
Left Nostril Breathing
The first one comes from Kundalini yoga, and it’s called left nostril breathing. Back in 2016, I became a Kundalini yoga teacher — not to teach classes, but because I wanted to go deep into breath and mantra for myself. It’s one of the best things I’ve ever done for my own healing, and this technique is one I still return to again and again. I love sharing it with my community because it works.
This one is especially good for those moments when your mind is racing, you can’t sleep, or you just need to come back to yourself. Three minutes is all it takes.
Here’s the beautiful thing about why this works: your body operates on both positive and negative electrical currents — it’s a finely tuned system. In the ancient science of Kundalini yoga, there are two energies: the Ida and Pingala. They intertwine as they move up each side of your spine and meet in the central channel.
The left side carries the Ida — feminine, moon energy, reflective, calming, cooling. The right side carries the Pingala — solar, masculine energy, bright, fiery, activating. In Western terms, you might think of these as your sympathetic (activating) and parasympathetic (calming) nervous systems. When we breathe through the left nostril, we’re intentionally inviting that calming, parasympathetic energy in.
How to do it:
Set a timer for three minutes. Sit comfortably cross-legged on the floor. Take your right hand and use your thumb to gently close your right nostril — fingers pointing straight up toward the sky. Rest your other hand in Gyan mudra: index fingertip touching your thumb tip, the “Seal of Wisdom.” Close your eyes.
Now just breathe — long, slow, deep breaths in through your left nostril. And long, slow, deep breaths out through that same nostril. Let your belly expand on the inhale. Release all the tension on the exhale. This simple act connects both hemispheres of your brain and begins to regulate your nervous system almost immediately.
(Watch me demonstrate in the video above!)
Box Breathing
My other go-to is Box Breathing — a technique used by everyone from Navy SEALs to anxious humans at 2 am (I’ve been both 😄).
Picture drawing a square as you breathe:
Breathe in — slowly through your nose for 4 counts
Hold — gently for 4 counts
Breathe out — slowly through your mouth for 4 counts
Hold — gently again for 4 counts
Repeat until you feel your nervous system settle down. It really does work.
I hope these tools serve you well this week. Your body knows how to calm itself — sometimes it just needs a little invitation.
XO, Sherold
P.S. — Wednesday, April 22nd, I’m hosting our second free (for paid subscribers) Gathering on Zoom: the 100-Day Visualization Project. We’ll write together as a group, each of us mapping out what we want our life to look like 100 days from now. Then share what we want to accomplish. Visualization works! I’ll be writing intentions for two more memoir chapters — and finally finishing the trim paint downstairs at our home (doors and baseboards, you know who you are 😄).
P.S.S. Paid subscribers - I will send you the Zoom registration link this weekend. Stay tuned.
