Speaking of self
We are an image. We create images of self for the self, hopeful others will see the image we project, even an image that others may fathom or share about ones self. There is a deep desire to be understood, to create an image of who you are seen as being. To feel accepted or at minimum seen as valued. There is no escape to this. Throughout moments in existence we ingest mass amounts of data to which we compare and evaluate our selves. Proud and confident in comparison or low esteemed and flailing, how to curb this behavior? How does one speak to the self? With all the data that is being intercepted, what conversations occur in the mind?
Clearing the mind from the thoughts and patterns is a skill that all can learn to perform. Connection to breath with complete focus to the inhalation and exhalation can open channels, calm the nervous system, and reset the frame of mind we are operating from.
Nadi Shodhana, a breath work or pranayama, allows for alternate nostril breathing to balance the flow of prana or energy in the body.
Want to learn more about the benefits of Nadi shodhana, view the Banyan Botanicals instructions below:
How to Practice Nadi Shodhana
Nadi shodhana (as with most pranayamas) is best practiced on an empty stomach. The early morning is an ideal time.
Choose a comfortable sitting position—either cross-legged on the floor (with a cushion or blanket to support the spine), or in a chair with your feet flat on the floor. Allow your spine to lengthen so that your back, neck, and head are erect throughout the practice. Gently close your eyes.
Connect to your breath. Begin by taking a full, deep inhalation followed by a slow, gentle exhalation. In this way, practice several rounds of Full Yogic Breath to help awaken the prana maya kosha (the energetic body).
Find Vishnu mudra. Fold the tips of the index and middle fingers inward until they touch the palm at the base of the right thumb (Vishnu mudra). You will alternately use the right thumb to close the right nostril and the right ring and pinky fingers (together) to close the left nostril.
Inhale through the left nostril. Use the right thumb to close the right nostril. Exhale gently, but fully, through the left nostril. Keeping the right nostril closed, inhale through the left nostril and deep into the belly. As you inhale, allow the breath to travel upward along the left side of the body. Pause briefly at the crown of the head.
Exhale through the right nostril. Use the ring and pinky fingers of the right hand to gently close the left nostril and simultaneously release the right nostril. Exhale through the right nostril, surrendering the breath down the right side of the body. Pause gently at the bottom of the exhalation.
Inhale through the right nostril. Keeping the left nostril closed, inhale once again through the right nostril, allowing the breath to travel up the right side of the body.
Exhale through the left nostril. Then again, use the right thumb to close the right nostril as you release the left nostril. Exhale through the left nostril, surrendering the breath back down the left side of the body. Pause gently at the bottom of the exhalation.
Focus and Cognition
This completes one round of nadi shodhana. The same pattern continues for each additional round: inhale through the left nostril, exhale through the right nostril, inhale through the right nostril, exhale through the left nostril.
Repeat this alternating pattern for several more rounds, focusing your awareness on the pathway of the breath—up one side of the body (from the pelvic floor to the crown of the head) and back down the other side of the body (from the crown of the head to the pelvic floor). Keep the breath slow, gentle, fluid, and relaxed throughout the practice.
Nadi shodhana can be immensely rewarding, even when practiced for as little as five minutes on a regular basis, but practicing daily for 10–15 minutes offers even deeper benefits.
When you are ready to close your practice, complete your final round of nadi shodhana with an exhalation through the left nostril. Relax your right hand and place it comfortably in your lap as you take several Full Yogic Breaths.
Allow your breath to return to normal. As you do, notice your state of mind.
