Ayurveda Breathwork: Alternate Nostril Breathing
- Veena Haasl-Blilie
- Feb 3
- 7 min read
Updated: May 9
In the pressured lives we live today, it's essential to create moments of calm and balance amidst the chaos. One ancient practice that has withstood the test of time is Ayurveda breathwork, with one technique standing out for its numerous benefits: alternate nostril breathing (Nadi Shodhana). This pranayama supports all doshas.
Let's delve into this powerful practice and uncover the transformative benefits it can bring to your life.
1. Understanding Alternate Nostril Breathing
Alternate nostril breathing, also known as Nadi Shodhana, is a breathing exercise rooted in Ayurveda, the sister science to Yoga. This technique involves breathing through one nostril at a time by alternately blocking the other nostril with your thumb.
2. Balancing Your Energy Channels/Nadis
By practicing alternate nostril breathing, you can balance the flow of energy or prana in your body and mind. According to Ayurvedic principles, this breathing exercise helps in balancing and clearing the energy channels, known as nadis, thereby balancing the overall prana (energy) flow.
3. Reducing Stress and Anxiety
In today's hectic world, stress and anxiety have become all too common. The rhythmic nature of alternate nostril breathing can help calm the mind, reduce stress levels, and promote a sense of inner peace. Incorporating this practice into your daily morning and evening routine can work wonders for your mental well-being.
4. Enhancing Respiratory Function
The process of alternate nostril breathing encourages diaphragmatic breathing, which can improve lung function and respiratory efficiency. By expanding your lung capacity and enhancing oxygen uptake, this technique can boost your overall respiratory health.
5. Boosting Cognitive Function
Clearing the mind through alternate nostril breathing not only reduces stress but also enhances cognitive function. This practice has been linked to improved focus, concentration, and mental clarity, making it a valuable tool for enhancing productivity and mental acuity.
6. Promoting Emotional Balance
Emotions play a significant role in our overall well-being. Alternate nostril breathing can help regulate emotions, promote feelings of positivity, and create a sense of emotional equilibrium. By harmonizing the mind-body connection, this practice fosters emotional resilience and stability.
7. Supporting Overall Health and Wellness
Integrating alternate nostril breathing into your daily routine can have far-reaching effects on your health and wellness. From improved digestion, better sleep, and increased resilience.
NADI SHODHANA: ALTERNATE NOSTRIL BREATHING
Nadi Shodhana, or alternate nostril breathing, is a simple yet powerful breathwork practice. It calms the nervous system and balances the nadis—the subtle energy pathways that inter-penetrate the physical body.
Also called “channel purification,” this technique gently shifts the breath from one nostril (nadi) to the other. In doing so, it harmonizes the flow of both breath and energy, bringing the system into balance.
With regular practice, Nadi Shodhana quiets the mind, softens emotional reactivity, and helps prepares you for meditation. It’s one of the most essential yogic breathwork practices for grounding attention, deepening relaxation, and finding calm within.
Ayurveda Breathwork: Alternate Nostril Breathing
WHY PRACTICE Nadi Shodhana?
This gentle practice offers lasting benefits, both physically and energetically. It:
Balances energy flow between the left and right sides of the body and mind.
Enhances communication between the brain’s hemispheres.
Grounds attention and supports a peaceful mental state.
Softens reactivity to emotional triggers over time.
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Creates space for deeper insight and awareness.
Think of it as clearing energetic static to tune into a peaceful, focused state.
WHEN TO PRACTICE Nadi shodhana
For best results, practice twice a day—once in the morning and again in the early evening. You can also add a midday or nighttime session if helpful.
Always practice on an empty stomach (at least 2 hours after eating).
Each session takes about 5–10 minutes, depending on your breath length.
Nadi Shodhana is best done when you won’t be disturbed.
Option One
First Session: Before breakfast, as part of your Ayurvedic morning routine.
Second Session: Midday, a couple of hours after lunch.
Third Session: As part of your Ayurveda evening routine, before bed.
Option Two
First Session: Before breakfast
Second Session: Before lunch
Third Session: Before dinner
Step-By-Step Guide: How To Do Nadi Shodhana
1. Find Your Seat
Choose a stable, upright sitting position:
On a Chair:
Sit near the front of a hard-backed chair, feet flat on the ground, knees at 90°. Avoid leaning back.
On the Floor:
Sit in Sukhasana (easy pose) on a folded blanket or cushion if needed. (see image below)
Keep your head, neck, and spine aligned. Relax your body. Let the breath flow naturally and quietly into the diaphragm.
2. Create the Hand Position (Vishnu Mudra)
With your right hand, form the classic mudra for alternate nostril breathing:
Fold the index and middle fingers inward toward the palm (rest on the fleshy part below your thumb)
Leave your thumb and ring finger extended.
Hold the ring finger just over the left nostril
Hold the tip of the thumb just over the right nostril
In this position, you can open and shut your nostrils with just a slight movement of your thumb or ring finger. Use a featherlight touch.
3. Check Your Active Nostril
Before beginning, gently close one nostril at a time and notice which of your two nostrils is flowing more freely. The nostril with stronger airflow is your active nostril, the other is your passive nostril. This helps determine which side to start with.
4. Establish the Breath
Before you begin alternating nostrils, take a moment to establish diaphragmatic breathing—quiet, smooth, and deep.
Let your breath flow low into the belly without effort. No force, no sound—just a steady rhythm, like a wave gently rising and falling.
Keep your breath continuous, with no pauses between the inhale and exhale. Imagine the breath tracing a soft, elliptical path, like a figure-eight or a sine wave.
Now, with that calm foundation, begin the practice.
5.Begin the Breathwork Begin the Breathwork
There are many different versions of Alternate Nostril Breathing. The version below is the most simple. Perform each step 3 times.
Round 1
Lightly close active nostril with your thumb or ring finger.
Slowly inhale and exhale through the passive nostril (×3)
Switch fingers to lightly close the passive nostril.
Slowly inhale and exhale through the active nostril (×3)
Inhale and exhale through both nostrils (no nostril closed) (×3)
Round 2
Begin with the active nostril (×3)
Then the passive nostril (×3)
Then both nostrils (×3)
Round 3
Repeat the pattern from Round 1
Embrace the Transformative Power of Alternate Nostril Breathing
Incorporating Ayurveda breathwork, (pranayama) specifically alternate nostril breathing, into your daily routine can be a game-changer. By harnessing the benefits of this ancient practice, you can embark on a journey towards greater well-being, inner peace, and vitality.
So why wait? Take a deep breath, exhale slowly, and begin your exploration of the profound benefits of alternate nostril breathing today.
This blog post explored the transformative benefits of alternate nostril breathing, a key technique in creating your environment of inner calm. Discover how pranayama can enhance your well-being, reduce stress, boost cognitive function, and promote emotional balance. Enjoy our free daily guided practices and deepen your stillness.
Ayurveda Breathwork: Alternate Nostril Breathing
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Ayurveda Breathwork: Alternate Nostril Breathing
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Veena is a Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner and meditation teacher, and monk.
She is President Emeritus and teaching faculty of the Meditation Center.
Veena fell in love with the traditional medicine used in her family’s home, learning herbal remedies at her grandmother's knee.
These childhood experiences were the seeds of a lifelong passion. For over 30 years, Veena has dedicated her life to the world’s oldest healing system: Ayurveda.
She draws on this ancient wisdom to help others find their compass to a healthy life – and support those left wanting by Western medicine.
An experienced Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner, Veena’s deep, intuitive knowledge of Ayurveda empowers her clients to reclaim their fullest, most vibrant lives –mentally, physically, and spiritually. Veena individualizes treatment plans to each person, rather than offering a one-size-fits-all approach, so it fits your life and becomes woven in your lifestyle, naturally.
