“The sun is the prana of the universe. It rises to help the prana in the eye to see.”
Prasna Upanishad, 3.8
Yoga philosophy regards the right side of your body (and left side of the brain) as the seat of masculine qualities. It is considered rational, warm and outwardly directed, and is represented in the yogic tradition by the god Siva and in the Chinese tradition by the yang part of the yin-yang symbol. The left side of your body (and the right side of the brain) is considered the seat of feminine qualities – intuitive, cool and inwardly directed – and is represented by the goddess Shakti and yin. In the yin yang symbol, each half has its opposing quality contained within it, just as each of us has both masculine and feminine characteristics. If these fall out of balance, your prana diminishes and your wellbeing suffers. Restoring balance involves reintegrating the intuitive with the rational, and the feminine with the masculine. You can do this by practising the Alternate Nostril Breathing exercise, opposite. It equalizes the flow of breath through your left and right energy channels, allowing prana energy to vitalize your body and mind, and apana energy (see page 104) to calm your emotions, release stress and prepare you for meditation. With regular practice, you may notice that you feel more “grounded”.
This mudra, or yogic hand position, enables you to seal the energy of your breath inside your body. Raise your right hand (even if you are left-handed) and bend your index and middle fingers into the palm of your hand (see left). This leaves your thumb free to close your right nostril and your ring and little fingers free to close your left nostril.
Try this exercise once you are comfortable with the simpler version on page 53. If you find it difficult to hold your breath for a count of 16, hold it for 8 and gradually increase it. Keep the other counts in proportion – for every second you inhale, retain your breath for four times as long and exhale for twice as long. Start by sitting comfortably (see pages 35–7).
1 Sit with your back straight and gently seal your lips. Position your right hand in Vishnu Mudra (see opposite, below) in front of your face. Rest your left hand on your left knee, palm facing upward.
2 Exhale fully, then close your right nostril with your thumb. Inhale through your left nostril for a count of 4 (see image A).
3 Gently pinch both nostrils shut between your thumb, and ring and little fingers. Hold your breath for a count of 16 – four times as long as your inhalation (see image B).
4 Release your thumb from your right nostril, keeping your left nostril closed with your ring and little fingers. Breathe out through your right nostril for a count of 8 – twice the count of the inhalation (see image C).)
5 Keeping your left nostril closed, breathe in through your right nostril for a count of 4. Then, pinch both nostrils shut and hold your breath for a count of 16.
6 Release your left nostril, keeping the right nostril closed with your thumb. Breathe out through the left nostril for a count of 8. This is one round. Gradually build up to 10 rounds daily. You may increase the count, but keep to the ratio 1–4–2.
CAUTION: AVOID IF YOU ARE PREGNANT: INSTEAD PRACTISE SIMPLE ALTERNATE NOSTRIL BREATHING ON PAGE 53.