“The wisest one-word sentence? Breathe.” – Terri Guillemets
Our wellness journey has led us to developing many different practices to help us feel our best. Something we discovered through yoga is different breathing practices. Certain breathing practices have the ability to reduce stress, balance energy levels, improve respiratory and cardiovascular functioning, and boost immunity. One of our favourite breathing practices to help us regulate our bodies and emotions is alternate nostril breathing (also known as nadi shodhana).
If you’re feeling out of sorts, a short breathwork session can often help. Get comfortable and follow our steps for alternate nostril breathing.
- Wash your hands as you’ll be touching your face.
- If you like to use essential oils, apply a drop of skin-safe essential oil to your palms.
- Find a comfortable seated position.
- Use your right hand. Place the index and middle fingers between your eyebrows. Rest your thumb on the outside of your right nostril and your ring finger on the outside of your left nostril.
- Draw a complete inhale breath through the nose and a complete exhale breath through the nose.
- Close the right nostril with the thumb. Inhale through the left nostril, then close it with the ring finger. Release the right nostril and exhale through it.
- Inhale through the right nostril, then close it with the thumb. Exhale through the left nostril. Steps 5 and 6 are one cycle of alternate nostril breathing.
- Continue for at least five cycles of alternate nostril breathing, focusing on the breath travelling into one nostril up to the space between your eyebrows, then exhaling through the other nostril.
- Notice how you feel. Do you feel more calm and refreshed?
One of the great things about breathwork is that you can do it anywhere: at home, at school, in the car. Take this wellness practice with you and let us know how it works for you!
If you’re interested in exploring other wellness practices that have worked for us, get our Teacher Wellness Toolkit. You’ll receive a yoga practice, guided meditation and journaling suggestions created by teachers for teachers.
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