Nadi Shodhana - The breathing technique with amazing health benefits

"My head is tight and all my thoughts are whizzing round in different directions and I can't catch them." (source Mind)

This is someone describing how stress feels.  

Does it sound familiar to you?  

Other ways stress could affect us might include feeling anxious, nervous, irritable, finding it hard to make decisions or being unable to switch off.

Stress affects everyone differently, and while it’s not always a bad thing, too much stress can be harmful to our health and state of mind.

Today I want to share with you a yogic breathing technique I include in my classes because of its profound effects. It’s a technique that’s been scientifically proven to increase parasympathetic nervous system activity or in simple terms initiate a relaxation response; from the very first time, you try it.

Origins of Nadi Shodhana

The technique is called Nadi Shodhana and is sometimes described in English as alternate nostril breathing. It was developed by ancient Indian yogis and is included in several medieval yogic texts such as the 15th Century Hatha Yoga Pradipika, which describes various yogic practices designed to purify the body, mind and sense organs.

Nadi’s are subtle energy channels that run through the body, not dissimilar to meridians of Chinese medicine. Shodhana means cleansing or purifying. So the purpose of Nadi Shodhana is to cleanse two of the most important nadis, the Ida and Pingala nadis that run from the base of the sacrum up to each nostril. For yogi’s, these nadis need to be purified so prana (life force) can travel up the central nadi (Sushumna) allowing the yogi to reach the highest state of inner awareness. Blockages in these nadis are thought to negatively impact health.

Benefits of Nadi Shodhana

 As well as its influence on the subtle body as described in the yogic texts, Nadi Shodhana has many physical health benefits. There have even been several scientific studies into the benefits of Nadi Shodhana, which I’ve included more about below.

Something you might find interesting – which nostril is dominant as we breathe actually changes throughout the day. 

This is known as the nasal cycle and each cycle normally lasts up to 2 hours. Left nostril dominance is associated with more activity in the right side of the brain, and right nostril dominance is associated with more activity in the left side of the brain. The reason this happens is thought to be due to increased oxygen supply to the brain through the dominant nostril. It’s part of how our brain keeps functioning optimally and disruptions in the nasal cycle are linked to ill health. This is something the ancient yogis were aware of. 

It’s thought that the regular practice of Nadi Shodhana may help regulate this process.

Asthma Relief

When my teacher taught us this practice one of the main benefits he described was that it reduced symptoms of asthma. This could be due to the possible link between nasal congestion and asthma. 

Practising Nadi Shodhana clears the respiratory tract and calms the nervous system therefore starting each day with the practice could reduce symptoms of asthma and hay fever.

Although I couldn’t find any studies related to improvements in symptoms of asthma through the practice of Nadi Shodhana several studies are indicating positive benefits from the practice.  

 Here is my top three:

1) Reduces anxiety 

This study of nurses preparing for examinations in Bengaluru, India found that 15 minutes of Nadi Shodhana twice daily had a significant effect on reducing their test anxiety.  

2) Improves Heart and lung Function

This study showed decreases in both heart and respiratory rates after 15 minutes of practice and then again after 8 weeks of regular practice. Suggesting that Nadi Shodhana initiates a parasympathetic nervous system response   

3) Aides recovery from heart surgery

This study was interesting because it focused on patients recovering from Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery. As we’ve already seen Nadi Shodhana improves lung function and reduces anxiety but when paired with physiotherapy it also reduced depression and stress in patients recovering from heart surgery. Amazing!

 So now you’ve heard how great this practice is for you…. here’s how to try it yourself!

How to practise Nadi Shodhana

 Traditionally pranayama practices are described from a seated position on the floor. However, this might not be the most comfortable position for everyone to begin their practice.

The most important point is to sit with your back straight to allow the prana (subtle energy) to flow up your spine. You could sit in a chair with your feet on the floor (using books or blocks as support if needed). Or you could sit on the floor supporting yourself with cushions. You may want to try a few different options to see what works for you.

It’s not uncommon for your arm to start aching when you begin this practice. If this is the case you may need to support your elbow, either by resting your arm on a table if you’re seated in a chair or with your left hand (check out the video for more help here).