AMID THE CHAOS - BREATHE

Image courtesy of Brett Jordan (unsplash)

Our world is fraught with anxiety and stress, leading to a Sympathetic Nervous System (fight/flight) that is chronically in high gear. You know the feeling – elevated heart rate and breathing, sweaty palms, hyperactivity, disrupted sleep, agitation, poor digestion, etc. In other words, we cannot just seem to calm down. Fear not because we can access the relaxation response (our chill-out mode) by accessing the parasympathetic response. Let's talk about how the yogis say we can accomplish this.

Yoga is all about connecting breath to movement to find balance and ease. Breathwork is called pranayama (pra-nee-ya-ma) and is essential to the yogic lifestyle. Pranayama allows one to control the activities of the mind (the monkey mind, referenced in a previous blog post) by focusing on the sensation of the breath. There are several pranayama styles, but for discussion purposes, we will concentrate on Nadi Shodhana (na-dee show-da- na) or Alternate Nostril Breathing. Nadi Shodhana is a gateway to the relaxation response.

In yoga philosophy, prana, or life force, flows through energy channels called Nadis - the Sushumna, Ida, and Pingala. Sushumna runs the front of the spine from the center of the pelvis to the crown of the head. The Ida (feminine/right brain) ends in the left nostril while the Pingala (masculine/left brain) ends in the right nostril. Receptive versus controlling, respectively. The practice of Nadi Shodhana brings balance to the left and right hemispheres, quiets the mind, and, as mentioned previously, invokes the relaxation response. This pranayama is a great way to begin and end a day or anytime. Amid the chaos, always come back to the breath, even for one cycle (deep inhale/exhale) - it only takes approximately 6 seconds.

Namaste,

Tim

In the following video, I demonstrate and then lead you through the practice of Nadi Shodhana: