Sending another gentle reminder for you to take some time to breathe.
This week is all about balance and energy.
What avenues are you currently giving your energy to?
How can you find balance and stay present?
Today I offer you this quote from Lao Tzu as food for thought:
“If you are depressed you are living in the past.
If you are anxious you are living in the future.
If you are at peace you are living in the present.”
If you find yourself living in the past (depression) or future (anxiety), mindful breathing is the quickest pathway to return to the present and return to peace.
In the video for this week (below) I offer guidance through a balancing breath called Nadi Shodhana, or alternate nostril breath. Feel free to visit this video whenever you need for guidance on this breath.
Read on for more information about Nadi Shodhana.
Nadi Shodhana PranayamaIn Sanskrit, Alternate Nostril Breathing is called Nadi Shodhana Pranayama, which roughly translates to “subtle energy clearing breath technique.”
This breath technique purifies the nadis… So what the heck are nadis?
Nadis are Energy channels in our body (similar to the meridians in TCM).
In the yogic perspective (according to tantric texts) there are 72,000 energy channels, with 14 major channels, and 3 fundamental nadis.
These nadis are the channels through which prana (life force energy) flows through the body.
When these channels are free from obstruction, and energy can flow freely, we maintain vitality and health in our lives. However, when congestion arises through events in our lives, such as times of hardship, prolonged extreme emotion, negative thought patterns, injury, or trauma, the resulting disruption of the flow can lead to disharmony in the body, leading to pain, dis-ease, or poor mental and physical health.
Nadi Shodhana pranayama focuses on the fundamental 3 nadis; The ida, pingala, and sushumna.
The sushumna nadi, otherwise referred to as “the great river,” is the main channel that runs from our crown chakra (just above the crown of the head) through the center of the body down to our root chakra (center of our pelvic floor). This channel, when flowing, is where we connect to higher consciousness and discover our ability to manifest our ideas and dreams into reality. It is the pathway and balance between divinity and reality, our higher selves and our earthly bodies.
The ida and pingala are the channels that represent the polarity of masculine and feminine energies that we all hold within. We aren’t talking about our biological sex here, but rather the energy or representation of masculine and feminine, and how it shows up in our lives.
The ida and pingala channels weave around the sushumna resembling the infinite dance of opposing forces that defines our lives. This weaving of channels creates a double helix (DNA) or, more accurately, a caduceus (symbol for modern medicine) pattern with the ida beginning and ending on the left side of the body, and the pingala beginning and ending on the right.
This duality of ida and pingala represents the balance between two opposites, the yin and yang, that allows all life to exist.
The sushumna is the harmony between those opposites that brings us to higher consciousness and manifestation.
Below is a more detailed list of these opposing channels and their qualities or systems they govern.
- IDA:
- Left
- Feminine
- Lunar energy
- Cooling
- Rest & comfort
- Nurturing
- Mental strength
- Subconscious thought
- Internal awareness
- Yin
- Negative
- Parasympathetic nervous system
- Right brain function: creativity, information processing, extrasensory perceptions
- Element of water
- PINGALA:
- Right
- Masculine
- Solar energy
- Warming
- Stimulating
- Physical strength
- External awareness
- Active
- Yang
- Positive
- Sympathetic nervous system
- Left hemisphere of the brain: logic, reasoning, and analysis
- Element of fire
Throughout our everyday life, one of these polarities is always leading. If we are healthy, these energies alternate equally throughout each day. Sometimes, when we allow one side to lead more than the other, it can create imbalance in our lives, either burning out from too much heat, or lacking motivation and the ability to take action from too much stillness or cold.
Nadi Shodhana pranayama helps to bring back balance of these opposing energies through equal flow of breath through the right (pingala) and left (ida) nostrils. This awakens the qualities and functions of each channel to dance equally with each other in harmony.
This technique is great way to bring balance and greater communication between the left and right hemispheres of the brain. Allowing us to think, perceive, create, and process information more effectively.
Practice AwarenessIf you pay attention throughout the day, your breath can actually tell you which energy is active, based on which nostril is mostly open to receive air.
Try it out right now:
Plug one nostril and breathe…
Then plug the other and breathe.
Which side feels more open and easy to breath through?
That is the side that is active for you now.
I encourage you to try this throughout the day to grow your awareness of which energies are most present for you throughout the day
Nadi Shodhana Benefits
- Sharpens concentration and mental clarity when feeling dull, clouded, or distracted
- Improves focus: great for before important events, exams, classes, interviews, or meetings
- Calms and centers the mind
- Brings the mind to the present moment and out of the past or future
- Therapeutic for the circulatory and respiratory systems
- Relieves stress
- Calms the brain and body
- Harmonizes the left and right hemispheres of the brain
- Promotes smooth flow of prana (life force) through the body and clears the energetic channels
- Regulates body temperature
- Rejuvenates and relaxes the nervous system
- Removes toxins
- Settles stress
May this breath bring you more balance and focus where you need it.
If you need extra assistance in this time, Harmonizing Healthcare is offering online herbal consults. Feel free to give us a call to book your next session!
Have a beautiful weekend!
With gratitude,
the Harmonizing Healthcare team