THE BREATHING EXERCISES (NADI SHODHANAM)

 

                                   NADI SHODHANAM

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                          TO BEGIN THIS TECHNIQUE, SIT STRAIGHT AS THOUGHT FOR MEDITATION, IN WHATEVER  POSITION IS COMFORTABLE, BUT WITH THE HEAD, NECK AND TRUNK RELATIVELY ERECT. USUALLY THE THUMB OF THE RIGHT HAND IS USED TO CLOSE OFF THE RIGHT NOSTRIL WHILE THE RING FINGER OF THE SAME HAND IS USED TO CLOSE OFF LEFT NOSTRIL. IF YOU FIND IT HELPFUL, YOU CAN BRACE THE HAND BY PLACING THE INDEX AND MIDDLE FINGERS ON THE BRIDGE OF THE NOSE BETWEEN THE EYES (IF YOU DON'T FIND THAT TO BE A DISTRATION).

                       FIRST, EXHALE THROUGH THE SAME NOSTRIL. AT THE END OF THE INHALATION, CLOSE OFF THAT NOSTRIL WITH THE FINGER, ALLOWING THE EXHALATION TO BEGIN ON THE OTHER SIDE. AT THE END OF THAT EXHALATION, TO BEGIN ON THE OTHER SIDE. AT THE END OF THAT EXHALATION, INHALE THROUGH THE SAME NOSTRIL, THUS STARTING THE PROCESS AGAIN. REPEAT THIS ALTERNATION THREE TIMES SO THAT YOU BREATHE A COMPLETE CYCLE THROUGH EACH NOSTRIL THREE TIMES, FOR A TOTAL OF SIX BREATHS. THIS IS ORDINARILY CALLED A "ROUND". IT IS CUSTOMARY TO PERFORM A SECOND AND THEN A THIRD SUCH ROUND SO THAT YOU COMPLETE A TOTAL OF NINE INHALATIONS AND NINE EXHALATIONS THROUGH EACH NOSTRIL. BETWEEN ROUNDS, YOU ORDINARILY TAKE THREE BREATHS THROUGH BOTH NOSTRILS.

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                    IN DOING THE EXERCISE, YOU SHOULD REMEMBER TWO THINGS, TO BREATHE SLOWLY AND GENTLY, BUT NOT SO SLOWLY THAT IT IS A STRAIN OR THAT YOU RUN OUT OF BREATH, AND TO BREATHE SILENTLY. IF THE  BREATH IS CREATED, AND NO SOUND VIBRATION SHOULD RESULT. TO ACCOMPLISH THESE TWO GOALS, YOU MUST  CONCENTRATE COMPLETELY ON THE BREATHING ITSELF. IF THE MIND IS ALLOWED TO WANDER TO OTHER SUBJECTS DURING THE PROCESS, THE BREATHING WILL BECOME IRREGULAR, JERKY, NOISY, OR OTHERWISE DISRUPTIVE. IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT TO REMAIN RELAXED AND CALM DURING THE EXERCISE.

                      THIS IS ONLY ONCE OF THREE VARIANTS. THE SECOND (WHICH IS EXPLAINED IN CHAPTER FOUR) INVOLVES EXHALATION THROUGH ONE SIDE WITH INHALATION THROUGH THE OTHER, AND THE THIRD INVOLVES THREE COMPLETE CYCLES THROUGH ONE NOSTRIL BEFORE CHANGING TO THE OTHER SIDE. SOME STUDENTS CHOOSE TO DO ONE VARIANT FOR THE FULL THREE ROUNDS, WHILE OTHER PEOPLE DO A ROUND OF EACH VARIANT. CONSISTENCY IS PROBABLY HELPFUL, AND THE VARIANT DESCRIBED IN THE TEXTS IS QUITE SUITABLE FOR THE BEGINNER TO USE EXCLUSIVELY.

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                      PRACTICING THIS TECHNIQUE ENABLES PEOPLE TO APPRECIATE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE EXPERIENCE OF BREATHING THROUGH ONE SIDE AND BREATHING THROUGH THE OTHER, AND THEY ALSO INCREASE THEIR AWARENESS OF THE NATURE OF LATERALITY. NADI SHODHANAM IS A STUDY RATHER THAN SIMPLY A MECHANICAL EXERCISE. IT IS BOTH EDUCATIONAL AND COORDINATING. IT BRINGS A DIMENSION OF EXISTENCE WHICH HAS BEEN FORGOTTEN BACK INTO AWARENESS, AND IT HELPS TO RESTORE COORDINATION BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES OF THE BODY. WE WOULD BE MOST EMBARRASED TO ADMIT THAT WE DIDN'T APPRECIATE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIFTING THE LEFT ARM AND THE RIGHT ARM, BUT MOST PEOPLE, WHEN ASKED, CANNOT SAY WHICH NOSTRIL THEY'RE BREATHIG THROUGH AT THE MOMENT. IF IT IS TRUE THAT THE RIGHT SIDE ACTIVATES A WHOLE SET OF PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS AND THE LEFT SIDE BRINGS INTO PLAY A DIFFERENT SET, THEN IT WOULD CERTAINLY BE VALUABLE TO HAVE ACCESS TO AN AWARENESS OF WHICH NOSTRL IS FLOWING AT AY GIVEN MOMENT.

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                        THE IMPORTANT OF THIS AWARENESS BECOMES ESPECIALLY OBVIOUS WHEN WE DISCOVER TECHNIQUE WHICH ENABLE US TO CHANGE VOLUNTARILY THE FLOW OF AIR FROM ONE SIDE TO THE OTHER. FOR EXAMPLE, IF I LIE ON MY LEFT SIDE, THEN THE RIGHT NOSTRIL WILL OPEN. IT WAS LONG THOUGHT THAT THIS WAS BECAUSE GRAVITY PULLED THE BLOOD INTO THE LOWER NOSTRIL, ENGORGING THE LINING, CAUSING THE TURBINATES TO SWELL, AND CLOSIN OFF THE "DOWN" SIDE. MORE RECENTLY, RESEARCH HAS DEMONSTRATED THAT IT IS NOT ACTUALLY GRAVITY WHICH IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS SHIFT, RATHER, IT IS THE PRESSURE EXERTED BETWEEN THE DOWN ARM AND THE SIDE OF THE CHEST ON WHICH ONE IS LYIG . THIS APPARENTLY SETS UP A REFLEX WHICH AUTOMATICALLY DILATES THE NOSTRIL THAT IS HIGHER AND CLOSES OFF THE ONE WHICH IS LOWER, ON THE SIDE WHERE THE PRESSURE IS. IN ANY CASE, IF I STAY ON ONE SIDE FOR A WHILE, THE OPPOSITE NOSTRIL WILL OPEN. IT IS FOR THIS REASON THAT THE YOGA MANUALS RECOMMEND THAT ONE LIE ON THE LEFT SIDE AFTER MEALS, OPENING THE RIGHT NOSTRIL AND STIMULATING AND DIGESTIVE PROCESS. TRADITIONALLY, TOO, IT IS SAID THAT WHEN INDIVIDUALS GO TO BED, THEY SHOULD LIE ON THE LEFT SIDE FOR FIVE OR TEN MINUTES, ACTIVATING THE RIGHT NOSTRIL TO CREATE INCREASED BODY HEAT. AS SOON AS THEY ARE WARM AND COMFORTABLE, THEY SHOULD TURN TO THE RIGHT, ALLOWING THE LEFT NOSTRIL TO OPEN. DOING SO RELAXES, CALMS, AND PREPARES THEM FOR SLEEP.

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                        WHILE A RYTHMIC ALTERNATION OF AIRFLOW BETWEEN ONE SIDE AND THE OTHER IS CONSIDERED NATURAL AND HEALTHY, AND PERSISTENT CLOSURE OF ONE NOSTRIL AND FLOW OF AIR THROUGH THE OTHER FOR MORE THAN A FEW HOURS IS THOUGHT TO BE A HARBINGER OF DISEASE. IF THE BREATH STAYS IN ONE SIDE FOR SIX OR EIGHT HOURS, SOME ILLNESS IS THOUGHT TO BE ON ITS WAY, AND IF THE CONDITION LASTS FOR A DAY OR MORE, THE SITUATION IS SAID TO BE GRAVE. THEN BREATH IS THOUGHT TO BE RELATED TO THE PRANA (FLOW OF ENERGY) IN THE SUBTLE PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL TOTALITY, THE IMBALANCES OF WHICH ARE SEEN AS PRECEDING THE OUTWARD MANIFESTATION OF DISEASE.