Right and Left Nostril breathing

Hello Everyone!

I have just returned from an exciting trip to Mumbai.

I had some much needed quality time with my parents and extended family. Late night chats, early morning family yoga sessions, serendipitous encounters on the plane and teaching under privileged children some important yoga tools were some of my activities during this trip.

I also conducted 2 wonderful interviews with some globally renowned yoga masters (I shall elaborate on this soon).

This adventure was a beautiful mix of gratitude, excitement and hope.

I have returned home with cherished memories. With the Christmas season coming up I saw many people at the airport, some brimming with energy, travelling to be with family and others who looked plain exhausted, pardon the pun!

This is known as the season of goodwill and I feel it is important to remind ourselves that it should be a season of humility, togetherness and grounding ourselves. In the weeks leading up to Christmas many of us find ourselves in a frenzy of trying to “get ready for Christmas.” The beauty is in finding stillness amidst this feverish pace.

I have two simple exercises to share with you which I hope you will find helpful. One, that will help to calm you down and the other to provide you energy and vitality to move forward.

Have you ever wondered why you have two nostrils instead of one big one?

Our body is a finely tuned machine operating on positive and negative electrical currents.

In the ancient science of Kundalini Yoga, we are taught that there are two energies called Ida and Pingala that intertwine up the sides of the spine and that unite to form the Sushmana or the central channel.

The Ida energy, on the left, is the moon energy: reflective, calming, cooling and female.

The right is Pingala and has the energy of the sun: bright, fiery, awakening and male.

Watch the video for a demonstration of right nostril and left nostril breathing.

Please do try these exercises and I can promise, when done on a regular basis they will give you the energy or calmness that you are looking for.

Doing is believing.... Yogi Bhajan