How do you do alternate nostril breathing?

Sit upright. Fold the index and middle fingers of the right hand into the palm. Close the right nostril with the thumb, breathe out through the left, then in through the left for about four. Close the left with the ring finger, release the thumb, and breathe out through the right for about six. Breathe in through the right, close it, release the left, and breathe out through the left. That is one round; do five to ten, slowly, and finish on a left-side exhale.

What are the benefits of alternate nostril breathing?

It forces slow nasal breathing and gives the hands and the attention a job, and both of those calm the nervous system: heart rate comes down, heart rate variability goes up, and small trials report lower anxiety and better attention afterwards. Those are the same benefits as any slow nasal breathing at around six breaths a minute. Claims about balancing the two sides of the brain, or of the body's energy channels, come from the tradition and are not supported by measurement.

Which nostril do you start with?

The classical instruction is to begin by inhaling through the left and to end by exhaling through the left, which keeps the rounds symmetrical. It does not matter physiologically; what matters is that the breath is slow and that you alternate. If one nostril is blocked, skip the practice that day rather than forcing it.

How long should you do alternate nostril breathing?

Five to ten rounds, which is three to five minutes at a slow pace, once a day, or before something you want to be settled for. Longer sessions are fine. The pace is the point: about four in and six out, or five and five, never rushed.

What does nadi shodhana mean?

Nadi means channel and shodhana means purification, so the name means channel purification: in yogic anatomy the practice is said to clear the subtle channels through which energy flows. That is a description from within the tradition. What it measurably does is slow the breath, keep it nasal, and hold attention, which is enough to explain the calm.

Is there an app for alternate nostril breathing?

The hand work sets its own pace, so a timer matters less here than elsewhere; Braele, for iPhone, paces the breath underneath it, four in and six out or five and five, with a voice that counts so your hand is free and your eyes can close. Box breathing and the physiological sigh are free forever; no account, no ads, works offline.

Alternate nostril breathing

Nadi shodhana · left in, right out, right in, left out

One nostril at a time, closed with the thumb or the ring finger, the breath slow and quiet, the face soft. It is the pranayama practice most people learn first after equal breathing, and it works for a plain reason: it forces slow nasal breathing and gives the hands and the attention a job. The fingers set the pace; the timer below keeps the breath underneath them slow.

Tap a pace and breathe along with the hand work. Free, no download needed.

Step by step

Where the fingers go

1
Sit, and shape the right hand
Upright, shoulders down. Fold the index and middle fingers of the right hand into the palm, or rest them lightly between the eyebrows. That leaves the thumb for the right nostril and the ring finger for the left. Left-handers can mirror it.
2
Close the right, breathe out and in through the left
Thumb on the right nostril. Breathe out fully through the left to start clean, then in through the left, slowly, for about four. The breath should be quiet enough that nobody next to you would hear it.
3
Switch: close the left, breathe out through the right
Ring finger on the left nostril, thumb off the right. Breathe out through the right for about six, unhurried, all the way.
4
Breathe in through the right, switch, out through the left
In through the right for four. Thumb back on the right, ring finger off the left, and out through the left for six. That is one round: two inhales, two exhales, every side once each way.
5
Five to ten rounds, finish on the left
Keep the pace slow, the face soft and the hand light; a heavy hand on the nose is the most common mistake. End with an exhale through the left, lower the hand, and take a few normal breaths before you get up.

Why it calms you

Three things, none of them mysterious. It forces breathing through the nose, which slows and warms the breath on its own. It slows the breath to around six a minute, the pace at which the vagus nerve's braking effect is largest and heart rate variability peaks. And it gives the hands and the attention a task, which is why it works for a racing mind when plain slow breathing does not: there is nothing left over to think with. Small trials report lower anxiety and better attention after a session, in line with slow breathing generally. The vagus nerve page covers the mechanism.

What the tradition says, and what it means

Nadi shodhana means channel purification: in yogic anatomy the breath through each nostril is said to clear the subtle channels, ida and pingala, and to balance the two. That is the tradition's language, and there is no anatomical counterpart to the channels or evidence for balancing the hemispheres of the brain, which is the modern retelling. None of that is needed to justify the practice; the slow nasal breath does the work. If the vocabulary helps you keep the habit, keep the vocabulary. The pranayama page puts it alongside the other six practices.

Variations, and when to skip it

Once the basic form is easy, a pause of two or three at the top of each inhale is the classical next step; leave it out if you are pregnant, have high blood pressure or a heart condition, or feel lightheaded. Skip the practice on a day one nostril is blocked rather than forcing it; coherent breathing without the hand gives the same pace. And if the hand position is the problem, a stroke, an injury, a child who will not sit still, the breath alone at four in and six out is most of the benefit.

Questions

What people ask

How do you do alternate nostril breathing?: Sit upright. Fold the index and middle fingers of the right hand into the palm. Close the right nostril with the thumb, breathe out through the left, then in through the left for about four. Close the left with the ring finger, release the thumb, and breathe out through the right for about six. Breathe in through the right, close it, release the left, and breathe out through the left. That is one round; do five to ten, slowly, and finish on a left-side exhale.
What are the benefits of alternate nostril breathing?: It forces slow nasal breathing and gives the hands and the attention a job, and both of those calm the nervous system: heart rate comes down, heart rate variability goes up, and small trials report lower anxiety and better attention afterwards. Those are the same benefits as any slow nasal breathing at around six breaths a minute. Claims about balancing the two sides of the brain, or of the body's energy channels, come from the tradition and are not supported by measurement.
Which nostril do you start with?: The classical instruction is to begin by inhaling through the left and to end by exhaling through the left, which keeps the rounds symmetrical. It does not matter physiologically; what matters is that the breath is slow and that you alternate. If one nostril is blocked, skip the practice that day rather than forcing it.
How long should you do alternate nostril breathing?: Five to ten rounds, which is three to five minutes at a slow pace, once a day, or before something you want to be settled for. Longer sessions are fine. The pace is the point: about four in and six out, or five and five, never rushed.
Is alternate nostril breathing safe?: Yes, for nearly everyone; it is slow breathing with a hand position. Leave out any breath holds if you are pregnant, have high blood pressure or a heart condition, or feel lightheaded. Do not force air through a blocked nostril. Stop if you feel dizzy, which means the breaths have got too big or too fast.
What does nadi shodhana mean?: Nadi means channel and shodhana means purification, so the name means channel purification: in yogic anatomy the practice is said to clear the subtle channels through which energy flows. That is a description from within the tradition. What it measurably does is slow the breath, keep it nasal, and hold attention, which is enough to explain the calm.
Is there an app for alternate nostril breathing?: The hand work sets its own pace, so a timer matters less here than elsewhere; Braele, for iPhone, paces the breath underneath it, four in and six out or five and five, with a voice that counts so your hand is free and your eyes can close. Box breathing and the physiological sigh are free forever; no account, no ads, works offline.

A voice for the count, a hand for the nose

Braele calls the count out loud so your hand stays on the hand work and your eyes stay closed, and keeps the daily rounds on a streak with a rest day built in. Box breathing and the physiological sigh are free forever on the App Store.

Downloadon the App Store