Sit in a comfortable position with your spine straight, and close your right nostril with your thumb.
Inhale slowly through the left nostril to the count of 5.
Exhale through the same nostril to the count of 10.
Exhalation time is always twice the inhalation time.
Do this 15 to 20 times through the left nostril.
Now close the left nostril with your right ring finger and little finger and inhale through the right nostril.
Inhale to the count of 5 and exhale to the count of 10.
Repeat 15 to 20 times.
Do not make a sound during inhalation and exhale the air as much as possible from your lungs.
There is no retention of the air in this exercise.
Practice this exercise two times a day for 15 days, then increase the proportion time to 6 seconds for inhalation and 12 seconds for exhalation.
Do this twice a day for another 30 days and you'll notice your low, mid and high breathing automatically improving.
Your tension and stress in life will sharply lessen as well.
You can vary this exercise by visualizing the incoming air having an energizing color of your own choosing.
Put your conscious awareness into each breath, and see and feel the air as you draw it into your lungs.
Breathing through different sides of the nose affects a person's behavior.
We normally alternate nostrils every 1 to 4 hours.
The older the breather, the longer the duration of the cycle.
When you lie on your side, your lower nostril congests while the upper one opens.
Also, if there is pressure on one armpit, the nostril on the other side will open.
Research has revealed that certain stress-related diseases occur when the right nostril is blocked.
When the nasal obstruction is corrected, stress is relieved.
Left nostril blockages don't cause the same problems.
There is also some evi- dence to indicate that breathing through one nostril stimulates activity in the opposite side of the brain.
By determining which nostril you're using the most at any given time, you can tell which side of the brain you're activating the most.
By forcing a switch in your nostril breathing, you can also shift into the hemisphere you want to utilize as well.
Sometimes to alter an unwanted state of mind, you can just breathe through your congested nostril 15 to 20 times.