08:07

Alternate Nostril Breathing For Balance And Stress Relief

by Ulrike Maria McCarty

Rated
4.5
Type
guided
Activity
Meditation
Suitable for
Everyone
Plays
74

Alternate Nostril Breathing - Nadi Shodhan Pranayama is a breathing technique to calm the mind, the nervous system, and bring balance to the body. Energy channels can become blocked. The practice of Nadi Shodhan Pranayama brings balance to the breath and helps clear energetic blockage. This practice will leave you calm, centered, happy, and peaceful.

Breathing TechniqueBalanceStress ReliefEnergy ClearingCalmnessHappinessMeditationPostureAlternate Nostril BreathingNadi Shodhan PranayamaEnergy Channel CleansingStress ReductionChin MudraBreath AwarenessMeditative StatePosture Alignment

Transcript

Welcome,

I am so glad you are here to practice alternate nostril breathing with me.

Nadi Shodhan Pranayama.

Nadi Subtle Energy Channels Shodhan Cleansing Purification Pranayama Breathing Technique Alternate nostril breathing helps to clear block energies,

Releases stress,

Relaxes and it prepares us to settle into meditation.

Let's begin.

Sit comfortably.

Sit nice and tall,

Your spine extended,

Shoulders released.

Keep a gentle smile on your face,

Palms on your knees.

Breathe in and out,

Inhaling and exhaling through the nose.

Maybe let's take a nice deep breath in through the nose and exhale through the mouth.

Keep your left hand on your left knee,

Palm open or in Chin Mudra,

Where you bring the thumb and index finger gently touching,

Just the fingertips.

Bring your right hand up and place the tip of your index finger and your middle finger,

So your peace fingers,

Right between your eyebrows.

Just a gentle touch,

No pressure needed here.

And then place the ring finger and little finger on your left nostril and the thumb on the right nostril.

We will use these fingers to open and close the nostrils one at a time as we're breathing in and breathing out.

Try to keep your arm relaxed.

You can maybe let your elbow rest onto your rib cage,

Still sitting nice and tall.

Now gently press your thumb onto your right nostril as you're inhaling slowly through your left nostril.

Slow steady breath in.

Now close your left nostril with your index and pinky.

Open the right and exhale through the right nostril.

And now continue as you now inhale through the right nostril,

Slow and gentle,

Then closing the right nostril and exhaling through the left nostril.

Inhaling again through the left nostril and exhaling through the right,

Keeping the left nostril closed as you inhale through the right,

Closing the right nostril and opening the left as you exhale fully and gently.

Inhaling again through the left nostril,

Closing the left nostril,

Opening the right and exhaling through the right nostril.

Continue at your own pace,

Gentle breath,

Not forcing it,

As you come back to your left side to your left nostril with your next exhale through the left nostril.

Release your hand,

Place your hand back on your knee,

Palm facing open,

And now breathe in and out through both nostrils,

Inhaling through the nose,

Exhaling through the nose.

Notice what shifted,

What changed.

Notice the energy.

Continue to breathe in and out through the nose and just observe as you have probably entered a more meditative state with your breathing.

Allow yourself to gently come back into the space,

Noticing your seat,

Noticing external sounds,

The space you're in,

Gently opening your eyes,

Bringing your awareness back fully.

Notice how you feel,

Even so you have your eyes open,

Keeping this wonderful feeling,

This purified feeling with you for the rest of the day.

Thank you for joining me in the practice of alternate nostril breathing,

Nadi Shodhan Pranayama.

Meet your Teacher

Ulrike Maria McCartyMichigan, USA

4.5 (6)

Recent Reviews

Leslie

May 12, 2025

I am still somewhat new to alternate nostril breathing so I appreciated the explanation. Thank you for offering this gentle, centring and calming meditation.

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© 2026 Ulrike Maria McCarty. All rights reserved. All copyright in this work remains with the original creator. No part of this material may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

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