Nadi Shondhana Pranayama is an alternate nostril
- Breathing exercise which de-stresses the mind and releases accumulated tension and fatigue. It clears the energy channels in the body which in turn clear the mind.
- To carry out the exercise sit comfortably with a straight spine, relax your left hand on your knee or take Chin Mudra ( thumb and index finger together), place the tip of your index and middle finger of your right hand In between your eyebrows and use the thumb to open and close your right nostril and the little finger and ring finger for the left nostril.
- Close the right nostril with the thumb and exhale through the left, then inhale through the left, close the left nostril and exhale through the right, then inhale through the right, close the right and exhale through the left. This is one round of Nadi Shodhana. Continue inhaling and exhaling through alternate nostrils making sure that you inhale from the same nostril from which you exhaled. Complete as many rounds as you see necessary up to 9 rounds. Keeping the eyes closed throughout.
- The exercise is great to prepare you for meditation. Once you have finished the alternate nostril breathing release the right hand down and breathe normally through both nostrils, noticing the energy in the body.
Katarina Rayburn’s Slice Live class is on at St Johns Church, SE8 4EA - Rocket Yoga Tuesday at 19.15 and Vinyasa Yoga on sat at 13.15. www.slicelive.com