The Breath that Pierces the Sun
Important: The breathing exercise(s) below should not be practiced without a solid foundation in diaphragmatic and yogic breathing (3-part breath). Breathing exercises, including yogic pranayama practices, have become quite popular in recent years. While this is wonderful for many reasons, it is important to note that pranayama was traditionally taught to practitioners experienced in hatha yoga and under direct supervision of a teacher. These practices can have a significant impact on our physiology, thoughts, and emotions, and it is important to consider the risks along with the benefits, make an accurate assessment of whether these practices are appropriate for us, and seek out the guidance of an experienced teacher when exploring new territory.
Surya Bhedana
Alternate nostril breathing (Nadi Shodhana Pranayama in Sanskrit) is one of the first exercises introduced to students when they're starting a pranayama practice. In Sanskrit, “nadi” translates to channel, and “shodhana” means purify, so its technical name is ‘channel purifying breath.’ It's so named because the intention of the practice is to clear the main energy channels of the body and bring them into balance. It has a host of benefits, including a calm mind, increased focus, better digestion, and stretching and toning the breathing muscles. So it can be a great way to bring our bodies into energetic balance when we're trying to adjust to things that have shifted our daily rhythm, like jet lag, for instance, or, ahem, daylight saving time. Learn more about Nadi shodhana here.
But what if “calm” isn't what we're looking for? Sometimes, what we really need is to clear the cobwebs and get rid of the feeling that our brain is ‘offline.’ Well, as always, yoga has an answer. At some point in human history, a yogi got curious, and thought, 'if alternate nostril breathing balances me out, what would happen if I just did one side?' So they tried it, first just the left nostril for a while, then just the right nostril for a while, and lo and behold, they felt a difference! And in this moment, surya bhedana was born. Obviously I’m making up stories, but every yogic practice was at some point a personal experiment by an individual person, probably one who got curious and tried something just to see what might happen.
In all seriousness, though, surya bhedana is one of the core pranayama practices designed to support us going deeper in our meditation practice. It can have very strong effects on the nervous system, and therefore I urge you to proceed with caution, and short intervals, when first trying it. And please don’t try it at all if you haven’t yet become comfortable practicing nadi shodhana.
This a pranayama that is more active on the sympathetic nervous system, which is why it is known for the effects of greater alertness and overall mental and physical energy. (‘Surya’ means ‘sun,’ and ‘bhedana’ means ‘piercing.’) While we spend a lot of time in yoga therapy talking about reducing sympathetic activity, we DO need it to function well. Cortisol naturally rises in the morning, helping our nervous system get into gear to accomplish the day’s tasks. When that doesn’t happen, we can feel groggy, foggy, and slow. So this can be a useful practice to help shift us into gear.
In contrast to Nadi shodhana, in surya bhedana, we breathe through the right nostril. There are two main techniques that individuals choose to follow. In the first, as I was originally taught, you inhale through the right side of the nose, and exhale through the left. Others simply press the left nostril closed for the entire practice, breathing in and out only through the right side. The instructions below follow the first method, but feel free to choose the one that feels most comfortable for you.
Notes
Precautions: While there are no contraindications for this practice, take precaution if you are currently experiencing irritation of the throat or sinuses, or any respiratory infection.
Preparation: As mentioned above, I do not recommend this practice if you have never done breathing exercises before. Instead, start here. Without the foundation of a healthy breathing pattern and experience with alternate nostril breathing, this exercise may feel dysregulating.
Hand Position: You’ll use the thumb and ring finger of your R hand to close the nostrils by pressing into the side of the nose. The thumb will control the right nostril, and the ring finger will control the left nostril. There are two hand positions commonly used. In the first, wrap your index and middle finger down toward the palm, keeping your thumb, ring finger, and pinky finger comfortably extended. In the second, you’ll place your index and middle fingers on your face between your eyebrows, using them as an anchor point, with the thumb at the right nostril and the ringer finger at the left.
How to Practice
Begin in a comfortable seated position, with the spine upright.
Begin to breathe in and out through the nose, eventually settling into diaphragmatic breathing. Transition to dirgha breath for several minutes to begin to center and relax.
When you are ready to begin, press your left nostril closed with gentle pressure of the ring finger on the side of the nose. Slowly and fully inhale through your right nostril.
As soon as you finish inhaling, close your right nostril with your thumb and release your ring finger, exhaling completely through your left nostril.
As soon as you have exhaled through your left nostril, inhale through your right nostril again.
Close the right nostril and exhale through the left. Continue this pattern, gradually adjusting the pace of your breath so that inhales and exhales are even in length.
When you are ready to end your practice, release your hand to your lap and exhale through both nostrils.
Sit for some time and feel the effects of the practice.
I recommend starting with a very short practice time- as little as 3-5 rounds. As you determine your level of comfort with the practice and its effects over time, you can extend it. For the purposes of simple energy building, I don’t recommend practicing longer than 5 minutes.