Practice
Anulom Vilom (Alternate Nostril Breathing)
Alternate nostril breathing without any holding of the breath — the calming, balancing practice most people mean when they say Nadi Shodhana.
By PranaJiva
Editorial Team
- Kind
- Pranayama
- Level
- Beginner
- Takes
- 5 minutes
- Rounds
- Nine to twelve rounds, building up to five minutes
- Best time
- Early morning, Morning, Before bed, Empty stomach
- Suits
- Vata, Pitta
What it is for
- Noticeably steadies a scattered or racing mind within a few minutes
- Evens out breathing that has become shallow and uneven without you noticing
- The usual way to settle before sitting to meditate
How to do it
Sit upright and comfortably. Rest the left hand in your lap.
Fold the index and middle fingers of the right hand into the palm, leaving the thumb, ring and little fingers free. The thumb will work the right nostril and the ring finger the left.
Close the right nostril with the thumb and breathe out fully through the left.
Breathe in through the left nostril, slowly and without strain.
About 4 seconds
Close the left nostril with the ring finger, release the thumb, and breathe out through the right.
About 4 seconds
Breathe in through the right nostril.
Close the right, release the left, and breathe out through the left. That is one complete round.
Carry on for nine to twelve rounds, always finishing on an exhale through the left nostril.
About 3 minutes
Why it works
Anulom Vilom or Nadi Shodhana?
The two names are used interchangeably almost everywhere, and they are not the same practice. Anulom Vilom is alternate nostril breathing with no retention: in through one side, out through the other, continuously. Nadi Shodhana adds kumbhaka — holding the breath in — and that single addition is what brings the blood-pressure and heart cautions with it.
Which matters, because the version taught in most videos is this one, under the other name. If you have been told to hold the breath, you are being taught the more advanced practice, and it is worth knowing that rather than discovering it.
What the tradition says it is doing
Ayurveda and yoga describe the breath as running through nadis, with the left and right nostrils associated with the chandra and surya channels — cooling and heating, receptive and active. Alternating them is held to balance the two. That is the traditional account, and it is a good description of what the practice feels like; it is not a physiological mechanism that has been demonstrated.
What is uncontroversial is simpler. Breathing this way is slow, it is regular, and it requires just enough attention that you cannot do it and continue an anxious train of thought at the same time.
Before you try this
Do not use if
- Your nose is completely blocked by a cold, sinus infection or allergy
- You have had nasal or sinus surgery recently, or have a significantly deviated septum that makes one side unusable
Take care
- No holding of the breath in this practice. If you find yourself pausing at the top of the inhale, you have drifted into Nadi Shodhana, which carries its own cautions.
- Never force air through a blocked nostril. If one side will not pass air, practise something else today.
- Keep the fingers light on the nose. Pressing hard is a common habit and it makes the breath laboured.
- Stop if you feel light-headed, and breathe normally until it passes.
- Pregnancy, breastfeeding & children
- Generally considered safe in pregnancy because there is no retention and no force, but ask your doctor first. Suitable for children over about eight.
- How long is too long
- Can be practised daily without a limit. Build the length gradually rather than in jumps.
This is traditional Ayurvedic guidance shared for general wellbeing. It is not a diagnosis and not a substitute for medical advice. If a symptom is severe, persistent or worsening, or you are pregnant, taking prescribed medicine or managing a diagnosed condition, speak to a qualified doctor before trying it.