anuloma viloma pranayama

– teaching four –

Anuloma Viloma Pranayama

(Alternate Nostril Breathing)

by Guru Chod (1984)

The Science of Breath has its foundations in the control of prāna or vital energy. The important starting exercise for the student of yoga is the alternate breathing exercise, known as anuloma viloma prānāyāma. The reason for doing alternate breathing is that the breath alternates between two nostrils. You can easily find this out for yourself by placing your palm near the nostrils. One of the nostrils will always be partially blocked, and the flow of air in and out of the lungs will be mainly through only one of the nostrils. If a person is in normal health, the breath will alternate approximately every hour and fifty minutes. This normal period of breath alternation is established only when one has perfected prānāyāma, starting with alternate nostril breathing.

In the vast majority of persons, this change of the breath from one nostril to the other varies a great deal, owing to such conditions as unnatural living habits, wrong diet, diseases and the lack of proper exercise. All these incorrect living habits have an effect on the breath, diverting it from its normal flow.

According to yoga, the breath in the right nostril is said to be hot, while the flow from the left is cool. Therefore, symbolically, the right channel is known as "sun breath," and the left channel is referred to as "moon breath." The energy that flows through the sun breath produces heat in the body; this is catabolic, efferent and acceleratory to the bodily organs. Conversely, the energy that flows through the moon breath produces coolness in the body; this is anabolic, afferent, and inhibitory to the organs. When the breath continues to flow through one nostril for more than two hours, it is a symptom of derangement caused by excessive heat or cold. Consequently, if the sun breath is more active, the heat of the body increases and there can be mental and nervous disturbances. Conversely, when the moon breath is more active, the metabolic activity of the body becomes low, cold and lethargic, and mental activity is suspended.

This Alternate Nostril Breathing exercise is mainly for maintaining equilibrium in the catabolic and anabolic processes in the body. According to yoga, when a person's breath flows through only one nostril for hours without changing, it is a sign that some illness is at hand. This abnormal flow is caused by the ganglia of a particular nerve centre being over-worked by a longer than normal flow of breath (or prāna) in a particular centre. The longer the flow of breath in one nostril, the more serious the illness will be.

Exercise 1: Single Nostril Breathing

Sit in any one of the meditative poses (or sit on a chair in a pose called the Egyptian seat) keeping the spine, neck and head in a straight line. Close the right nostril with your thumb. Inhale slowly through the left nostril, counting mentally five times. Exhale through the same nostril while counting ten times. That makes one round. Exhalation time is always twice the inhalation time. The proportion is 1:2. Repeat this exercise fifteen to twenty rounds through the left nostril, keeping the proportion five seconds inhalation and ten seconds exhalation.

Now, close the left nostril with your right ring finger and little finger and inhale through the right nostril. Count five times for inhalation. Exhale through the right nostril while counting ten times. Repeat this fifteen to twenty rounds. Do not make any sound during inhalation. Apply the basic rule of low, mid and high breathing during inhalation. In exhalation, try to expel as much foul air as possible from the lungs. You should practice Exercise 1 for fifteen days and then slowly increase the proportion to six seconds inhalation and twelve seconds exhalation. Do not attempt the higher proportion until you are able to do the lower proportion very easily. This is the main rule in every breathing exercise. Always keep within your capacity and never overdo.

In Exercise 1, there is no retention. The purpose of inhaling and exhaling through one nostril is to correct wrong breathing habits. Unless one is able to do low, mid and high breathing perfectly and automatically, one should not attempt advanced prānāyāma. Practice Exercise 1, Single Nostril Breathing, for at least a month, even though you may feel the urge to increase the count or attempt Exercise 2. If you have a strong foundation, you can build a strong building.

Exercise 2: Alternating Nostril Breathing

After a month of practicing Exercise 1, move on to the alternate nostril breathing. You no longer need to practice Exercise 1, single nostril breathing. Close the right nostril with your right thumb and inhale through the left nostril. Now close the left nostril immediately with your right ring finger and little finger. Remove your thumb from the right nostril and exhale through that nostril. This is a half round. Now without pausing, inhale through the right nostril. Close the right nostril with your right thumb and exhale through the left, as previously done. This makes one full round. The proportion of breathing in and out is 1:2, as in exercise no. 1, or six seconds inhalation and twelve seconds exhalation. The same general rules for Exercise 1 apply for Exercise 2.

Do fifteen to twenty rounds. When you are able without difficulty to do fifteen to twenty rounds at six seconds inhalation and twelve seconds exhalation, then increase to seven and fourteen seconds, and then to eight and sixteen seconds. These increases must be slowly undertaken. You should practice this exercise for two to three months before increasing to eight and sixteen seconds. Within this period, you can see tremendous change taking place in your body and mind. The breathing will become perfect, especially the movement of the diaphragm. The body will be light and the eyes will shine.

Exercise 3: Full Alternate Breathing

In this third exercise, we include retention or holding of the breath. This is the only difference between the second and third exercise. The correct ratio between inhalation and retention is 1:4. But beginners are advised to follow the 1:2 ratio for a few months before taking up the 1:4 ratio. The minimum starting proportion is 4:8:8, or four seconds inhalation, eight seconds retention, and eight seconds exhalation. When you are holding the breath, you must close the right nostril with the right thumb, and the left nostril with the right ring finger and little finger. Do not use the index finger for closing the nostril because the magnetic current from that finger is polluted. In Sanskrit, inhalation is known as pūraka, retention as kumbhaka, and exhalation as rechāka.

Inhale the air through the left nostril while counting, mentally, four times. Retain the air while counting eight times. Exhale through the right nostril while counting eight times. Now without stopping, inhale through the right nostril, retain the breath, and then exhale through the left nostril, all with the same 4:8:8 proportion. This is one full round.

Full Alternate Breathing should be practiced daily, fifteen to twenty rounds. After a month, increase the proportion to 5:10:10. Increase it gradually until you reach 8:16:16. When you are able to do the 8:16:16 proportion, comfortably, then change the ratio to 1:4:2. Start with four seconds inhalation, sixteen seconds retention and eight seconds exhalation. Gradually work up to 8:32:16. It should take from eight to twelve months of practice to reach this timing. Do not try to rush it.