“The sun (right nostril) and the moon (left nostril) divide time into day and night.”
Hatha Yoga Pradipika, 4.17
The left side of your brain controls the right side of your body, while the right side of your brain governs the left side of your body. Yoga philosophy teaches that your breathing is closely connected with the natural shifts in function between these two sides of your brain as they work together to operate your body. It is affected by the flow of prana through your two main energy channels, the ida (left) and pingala (right) nadis (see page 23), which are thought to equate with your left and right nostrils.
To experience the effect these channels have on your physical body, hold the back of your hand beneath one nostril. Breathe out through your nose. Then move the back of your hand beneath the other nostril and breathe out again. You will notice that your breath is stronger on one side then the other. If you repeat this experiment a couple of hours later, you may find that your breath is stronger on the other side. In a healthy person without a cold or other respiratory blockage, your dominant breath will probably change sides every 1½ to 2 hours. From an energetic point of view, this is explained as a normal change in predominance of the energy in your ida or pingala channels.
Breathing through your right nostril stimulates prana, your energizing breath, while breathing through your left nostril stimulates apana, your calming and releasing breath (see chapter 5, pages 104–127). The top exercise opposite helps you to experience that shift from vitalizing to calming energy, and can be of help both at busy times of day, when you need to raise your energy, and at night to calm you before bed. The bottom exercise prepares you for full Alternate Nostril Breathing (see page 55), which promotes equilibrium between the two energies and brings you into a state of meditation. Practise both exercises equally.
Practise step 1 in the morning and step 2 in the evening, sitting comfortably, preferably with your legs crossed (see pages 35–7).
1 In the morning: sit with your back straight and gently seal your lips. Rest your left hand on your left thigh and position your right hand in Vishnu Mudra (see page 54), palm in front of your face. Close your left nostril with your right ring and little fingers. Inhale deeply through your right nostril for a count of 4 and exhale for a count of 8. Repeat 10 times and then relax.
2 In the evening: repeat, but closing your right nostril using your right thumb. Inhale through your left nostril for a count of 4 and exhale for a count of 8. Repeat 10 times, using all your lung capacity (see page 29), and then relax.
This is best practised at noon, before lunch, sitting with your legs crossed (see pages 35–7). After mastering this exercise, progress to page 55.
1 Sit with your back straight and gently seal your lips. Rest your left hand on your left thigh, palm facing upward and position your right hand in Vishnu Mudra (see page 54), holding your palm in front of your face.
2 Close your right nostril with your right thumb and inhale through your left nostril for a count of 4. Close your left nostril with your ring–little fingers.
3 Lift your thumb and exhale through your right nostril for a count of 8. Then inhale through the same nostril for a count of 4.
4 Close your right nostril with your thumb and lift your fingers to exhale through your left nostril to a count of 8. Repeat 10 times, using every part of your lungs (see page 29) before relaxing.