सूर्य भेदन
Surya Bhedana — the Sun-Piercing Breath
sūrya = sun, bhedana = piercing — awakening the solar channel
In through the right nostril, out through the left — the breath of warmth, appetite and drive.
In the simplest words
Close your LEFT nostril and breathe in through the right side only; then switch and breathe out through the left. The right side is the 'sunny side' — this breath turns your inner heater up a little.
What it is
The tradition maps the right nostril to the pingala nadi — the sun channel, warming and activating — and surya bhedana breathes through that door on purpose: every inhale through the right, every exhale through the left. The Hatha Yoga Pradipika lists it first among the eight kumbhakas (II.44) and credits it with clearing the head and vata disorders (II.50); modern teachers prescribe it where the system runs cold, heavy or dull. It is the mirror-twin of chandra bhedana, and the pair are the tradition's thermostat: one dial for warmth, one for coolness, the ordinary alternate-nostril breath balancing between them.
Where it comes from: Classical hatha yoga — first of the eight kumbhakas of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika (II.48–50).
Before you practise — health first
A heating breath: skip it with high blood pressure, heart disease, hyperthyroid, acidity/ulcers, fever, or in hot weather; anxiety usually prefers the cooling twin. Pregnancy: only under guidance. Never force a blocked nostril.
How to practise
Sit tall; fold the right hand into Vishnu mudra as for nadi shodhana.
Close the left nostril with the ring finger and breathe in slowly through the right.
Close the right with the thumb, open the left, and breathe out slowly through the left.
That is one round — the pattern never alternates: in right, out left, every time.
Begin with 5–7 rounds, exhale longer than inhale, no breath-holds without a teacher.
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 7
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
Cool mornings, foggy-headed afternoons, before study that needs drive. Not near bedtime — it wakes the system.
What it is kept for
Traditionally prescribed for coldness, lethargy and low appetite — the wake-up dial of the breath's thermostat.