Category

Seated

Level

beginner

Hold

1–3 minutes (5–10 rounds)

Type

Breathing exercise

Breath

Slow, silent, even inhales and exhales through alternating nostrils

Alternate-Nostril Breathing

Nadi Shodhana — "channel purification"

Breathe in through one nostril, out through the other, alternating in a slow, even rhythm guided by your fingers. One of the most reliably settling breath practices — good before meditation, sleep, or anything that needs a steady head.

Step by step

1. 1Sit comfortably tall and rest your left hand on your knee.
2. 2Fold the index and middle fingers of your right hand toward your palm, leaving thumb and ring finger free.
3. 3Close your right nostril with your thumb and inhale slowly through the left.
4. 4Close the left nostril with your ring finger, release the thumb, and exhale through the right.
5. 5Inhale through the right, then close it and exhale through the left.
6. 6That's one full round — continue at an easy, unhurried pace.
7. 7Finish by exhaling through the left nostril, then let both nostrils breathe naturally.