Breathing Exercise 2 – Alternate Nostril Breathing

I hope you have practiced the 1^st breathing exercise (Single nostril breathing) for 20 continuous days. If you have not, then I suggest you continue to practice the 1^st exercise & proceed to the following only when absolutely comfortable with the 1^st.

To practice the 2^nd breathing exercise, sit in a comfortable cross legged position with head, neck & spine in line. Tuck in the index & middle finger of your right hand into the palm. You are now ready to practice:

• Close the right nostril with your right thumb and inhale through the left nostril for 6 seconds mentally counting Om 6 times ( You can mentally say ‘Om1, Om2, Om3, Om4, Om5, Om6’). Now close the left nostril immediately with your right ring finger & little finger. Remove your thumb from the right nostril & exhale through the right nostril for 12 seconds mentally counting Om 12 times ( ‘Om1, Om2,……Om12 )
• Now, without pausing, inhale through the right nostril for 6 seconds while mentally counting Om 6 times. Close the right nostril with your right thumb and exhale through the left for 12 seconds, as done before. This completes one round
• Practice about 15-20 rounds everyday

Note that the duration of exhalation is twice that of inhalation as in the breathing exercise 1. When you are easily able to do 6 seconds inhalation & 12 seconds exhalation, then increase to 7 seconds inhalation & 14 seconds exhalation , and then to 8 seconds inhalation & 16 seconds exhalation. These increases have to be made gradually.

I suggest you practice 6 seconds inhalation & 12 seconds exhalation for about 2-3 months & then gradually increase to 7 & 14. Continue to practice that for another 2-3 months & only then increase to 8 & 16 seconds

As you practice this exercise regularly, you will notice that your breathing gets perfect.