Many people use kriya breathing techniques to help them de-stress.
Kriya is a form of yoga that uses controlled breathing to assist meditation. While engaging in kriya breathing, you must concentrate on the conscious inhalation and exhalation of the breath, while eliminating all other thoughts. Practitioners say kriya breathing reduces stress by calming the mind and heightens awareness of the physical body. Alternate nostril breathing is a kriya breathing technique that practitioners say balances the functioning of the left and right areas of the brain.
Instructions
1. Sit straight, but comfortably, with your palms on your lap. Raise your right hand to your face, and place your thumb against your right nostril, blocking the airflow through the right side of your nose. While you are holding your right nostril closed, rest the other fingers of your right hand against the left side of your face.
2. Inhale deeply and slowly through the open, left nostril to the count of four. While continuing to hold the right nostril down with your thumb, use the index finger of your right hand to hold down the left nostril; your breath will now be completely stopped. Hold your breath in this manner to the count of 16.
3. Release your thumb from your right nostril and exhale to the count of eight. Then, inhale through the open, right nostril to the count of four.
4. Place your thumb over the right nostril again, and hold your breath to the count of 16. Remove your index finger from your left nostril, and exhale to the count of eight.
5. Repeat steps two through four, two more times.
Tags: right nostril, your right, your thumb, left nostril, right hand