Hello, I’ve had an emotionally challenging few weeks. I flew to Atlanta two weeks ago and visited my mother for a week, spending five days with her in memory care. To get to sleep at night, I used a breathing technique that works like a charm to lower stress and anxiety. I use this technique a lot to reduce my stress level.
We have less than 10 days before our election here in the U.S. My husband John and I had planned to leave the country to travel to Oaxaca, Mexico, during the election. However, my mother was put in hospice with congestive heart failure a few weeks ago. I want to be able to fly to Atlanta if she takes a turn for the worst. We are sad not to go to Mexico but hope to travel there next year. I want to invite you to collect practices to help yourself when you need to.
My number one tool to reduce stress and anxiety
Did you know that when most people are stressed, they tend to breathe primarily through their right nostrils? The right nostril is connected to the left brain, which is thought to be part of what activates the body’s classic stress response — dilated pupils, increased core temperature, sweating, and increased heart rate and blood pressure.
The next time stress or anxiety strikes, learn to calm your body’s stress response by practicing Kundalini nostril breathing, a simple breathing technique from yoga that switches your breath to your left nostril.
photo by Freepik
Try to become more aware of your breathing as you go through your day. Are you a right-dominant nostril breather? Practice this technique regularly to balance out your breathing — and reduce stress.
I typically breathe in shallow breaths when stressed, so this technique is a game-changer.
In yogic breathing practices, special attention is paid to which nostrils we inhale or exhale through because these have different effects on the nervous system and brain hemisphere arousal.
When we experience parasympathetic arousal, we have greater access to compassion, kindness, joy, and equanimity.
In Kundalini yoga, the left nostril is associated with Ida Nadi, which is related to feminine energy, coolness, calmness, and the moon. Breathing primarily through the left nostril activates Ida Nadi, a technique known as moon-activating breath. It also activates the parasympathetic, or rest and digest, part of the nervous system.
Left Nostril Yoga Breathing Instructions:
Most people can comfortably practice alternate nostril breathing at home. However, you can talk to your doctor before starting this practice if you have a health condition. Learning the correct breathing technique from a trained yoga instructor might also be helpful.
Sit tall and place your right thumb against your right nostril with your fingers pointing up.
Inhale and exhale slowly through the left nostril while making the exhalation slightly longer than the inhalation.
You can rest at the bottom of your exhalation (external retention) for a second or two before you retake your next inhalation.
Practice this for three minutes or more.
Release your right hand to rest in your lap, and practice the breathing exercise/pranayama without your finger manipulating your nostril. Focus on the sensations of air entering and exiting your left nostril. Feel the coolness of the inhalation and the warmth of the exhalation. Notice how your left nostril flares open as you inhale and softens as you exhale.
Pause and rest for a breath or more to notice the effects of left nostril breathing.
If you have any of these symptoms, stop the breathing practice and see a doctor:
Shortness of breath
Chest pain
Fainting
Vomiting
Dizziness
In the Art of Breathwork in this month’s Oprah, you can learn to trick your system into feeling calm and slow your heart rate within minutes.
If you liked this article, please click the heart or leave a comment because these helpful tips help readers find my work.
Share this post