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Classical pranayama

Nadi Shodhana

Alternate nostril breathing. Also called Anulom Vilom.

Say it NAH-dee SHOH-duh-nuh नाडी शोधन

  • Classical pranayama
  • Seated
  • No breath holds
  • 5 min to start
Rhythm in seconds

In 4 · Out 6, each side

5 min · 15 rounds · 5:00 · about 6 breaths a minute

Take care: Skip it with a blocked nose. Stop if you feel dizzy.

Breathe through one nostril at a time, switching sides with your right hand. Slow, silent, and without holds.

Written by Viram from the sources below. Updated . How we write our guides.

How to practise Nadi Shodhana

  1. Sit tall and rest your left hand on your knee.
  2. Fold the index and middle fingers of your right hand into your palm, or rest them lightly between your eyebrows.
  3. Your thumb closes the right nostril; your ring finger closes the left. A light touch is enough.
  4. Inhale left. Close left, open right. Exhale right.
  5. Inhale right. Close right, open left. Exhale left. That’s one round.
  6. Keep the breath slow and silent. When you finish, lower your hand and breathe through both nostrils.

Each round, step by step

StepSecondsWhat to do
Inhale left4Thumb closes the right nostril.
Exhale right6Ring finger closes the left. Thumb lifts.
Inhale right4Ring finger stays on the left.
Exhale left6Thumb closes the right. Ring finger lifts.

Take care

Skip it with a blocked nose. Stop if you feel dizzy.

  • Breathe softly; never force air through a nostril.
  • Skip it with a blocked nose, a cold, or sinus pain.
  • If the exhale feels long, make it equal to the inhale in Adjust rhythm.
  • Stop and breathe normally if you feel dizzy, anxious, or short of breath.
  • Breathe gently. If you feel dizzy or uncomfortable, stop and return to your normal breath.

Traditionally

Nadi shodhana means “clearing the channels.” The Hatha Yoga Pradipika describes breathing in through one nostril and out through the other, with long holds, to purify the nadis, the body’s energy channels in yoga tradition. It is traditionally practiced before meditation, and many practitioners in India know it as Anulom Vilom. Teachers usually begin without holds, as Viram does.

What the research says

Most studies are small, single sessions, and many come from one research group. A review of six trials found blood pressure fell modestly, but results varied widely. Findings for anxiety are mixed, and the one study that compared it with plain slow breathing at the same pace found similar effects. It is not a treatment.

Sources

  1. Svatmarama (c. 15th century). Hatha Yoga Pradipika. Translated by Pancham Sinh, 1914.
  2. Gheranda (attributed) (c. 17th century). Gheranda Samhita. Translated by Srisa Chandra Vasu, 1914.
  3. B.K.S. Iyengar (1981). Light on Pranayama. George Allen & Unwin.
  4. Swami Satyananda Saraswati (2008). Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha. Yoga Publications Trust, 4th revised edition.
  5. Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India (2019). Common Yoga Protocol. 4th revised edition.
  6. Nam TG et al. (2024). Effectiveness of alternative nostril breathing on blood pressure: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Complementary Medicine Research 31(5):449–460.
  7. Ghiya S, Lee CM (2012). Influence of alternate nostril breathing on heart rate variability in non-practitioners of yogic breathing. International Journal of Yoga 5(1):66–69.
  8. Kamath A et al. (2017). Effect of alternate nostril breathing exercise on experimentally induced anxiety in healthy volunteers using the simulated public speaking model: a randomized controlled pilot study. BioMed Research International 2017:2450670.

A wellness practice, not medical advice. Read practising safely before you begin.

Beginner path · 4 of 5

Comfortable with Nadi Shodhana? Next on the path is Bhramari (humming bee breath). It follows the order of Viram’s Pranayama Foundations program.

More classical pranayama