नाड़ी शोधन
Nadi Shodhana (Anulom Vilom)
nāḍī = subtle channel, śodhana = cleansing — cleansing the channels
Alternate-nostril breathing — India's most beloved pranayama, balancing left and right.
In the simplest words
Close one side of your nose with a finger and breathe in through the other side. Then switch sides to breathe out. It's like letting the air take turns — and it makes you feel balanced and calm.
What it is
One nostril at a time: breathe in through the left, out through the right; in through the right, out through the left. That single weave is nadi shodhana — in everyday speech anulom vilom — the pranayama grandmothers and yoga shalas alike teach first. The Hatha Yoga Pradipika makes it the first pranayama (II.7–10), the one that cleans the nadis before any other is attempted: the nadis are the subtle channels prana (the life-breath) moves through, and alternating the nostrils is said to clear and balance them. Whatever else is true, ten slow rounds leave almost everyone calmer.
Where it comes from: Classical hatha yoga (described in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and Gheranda Samhita); universally taught in Indian yoga lineages.
Before you practise — health first
Never force or hold the breath if you are pregnant or have heart disease, high blood pressure or epilepsy — the slow no-hold form is the right one. A blocked nose day is a rest day; breathe gently, never strain.
How to practise
Sit tall. Fold the index and middle fingers of the right hand to the palm (Vishnu mudra) — thumb will close the right nostril, ring finger the left.
Close the right nostril with the thumb and breathe in slowly through the left.
Close the left nostril, release the thumb, and breathe out slowly through the right.
Breathe in through the right nostril.
Close the right, open the left, breathe out through the left. That is one full round.
Keep the breath silent, slow and unforced — the exhale a little longer than the inhale.
Begin with 6–9 rounds; end by breathing out through the left and sitting quietly a moment.
Practise now
Breathe with the circle
The circle will grow as you breathe in and soften as you breathe out. Follow it.
Round 1 of 8
Sessions of a minute or more are added to your sadhana log — stored only on this device. Stop whenever your body asks.
When & how long
Best on an empty stomach, morning or evening. Beginners keep no breath-holds; retention is added only under a teacher's guidance.
What it is kept for
The classic preparation for meditation and japa; practitioners use it to cool anger, settle scattered attention and ease into sleep.