Yoga Breathing to Calm your Mind

Ayurveda and Yoga both recommend that we spend time each day practicing some simple breathing exercises for relaxing the mind and looking after the body.

One of the most popular yoga breathing exercises is a pranayama practice called Nadi Shodhana, or alternate nostril breathing. It's a simple technique that controls the flow of vital energy to the brain and has a very calming and balancing effect on the mind and body.

Nadi Shodhana is a Sanskrit term that means channel purifying. Both Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine place great significance on keeping the channels of the body and mind clear and consider it vital to our wellbeing.

The Benefits of Alternate Nostril Breathing Include

- Calming stress and anxiety and relaxing the mind
- Cooling Anger 
- Encouraging the flow of vital energy throughout the body
- Enhancing mental concentration and clarity

How Alternate Nostril Breathing Works

Alternate nostril breathing works by balancing the opposite energies in the body, in a very similar way to the Chinese theory of yin and yang. One nostril is cooling, one is heating, one has a male energy, and the other has female. Breathing through one nostril stimulates the left hemisphere of the brain and the other nostril stimulates the right. So by spending just 10 minutes a day switching your breath between nostrils you can balance your brain, calm your mind and boost your immunity.

In this podcast Shann talks you through the benefits and then leads a live pranayama practice for you to listen and follow along.

Related resources: Yoga Downloads for Stress and Anxiety Relief

Photo by Pensiero