Alternate Nostril Breathing: A Beginner's Guide

Alternate nostril breathing, called Nadi Shodhana in yoga, is exactly what it sounds like: you breathe in through one nostril, out through the other, and alternate. It's one of the oldest breathing practices there is, traditionally used to balance and settle the mind, and it remains a favorite because of how it feels: unhurried, symmetrical, and quietly absorbing. It's hard to ruminate while doing it, which is precisely the point.

How to do alternate nostril breathing

1. Sit comfortably with a straight spine. Rest your left hand on your lap.
2. With your right hand, place your thumb lightly against your right nostril and your ring finger near your left.
3. Close the right nostril with your thumb and inhale slowly through the left.
4. Close the left nostril with your ring finger, release the thumb, and exhale through the right.
5. Inhale through the right.
6. Close the right, release the left, and exhale through the left.
7. That's one full round. Continue for 5–10 rounds, keeping every breath slow, smooth, and silent.

The pattern is: exhale and inhale on the same side, then switch. If your hand gets tired, it's fine to rest and simply alternate attention between nostrils. The slow rhythm is doing most of the work.

Why it works

Mechanically, alternate nostril breathing forces your breath to become slow and deliberate (you simply can't rush it), which activates the same relaxation response as other slow-breathing practices. On top of that, the physical choreography (fingers, nostrils, switching) fully occupies your attention. It's a moving meditation: studies of the practice report reduced anxiety and improvements in attention and calm after regular use.

When to use it

• Before meditation or journaling: a classic on-ramp to stillness
• Between work and evening: a clean mental gear-change
• When you're scattered: the structure gathers a wandering mind
• Before sleep: a gentler alternative to 4-7-8 breathing

It's best practiced when your nose is reasonably clear; skip it during a heavy cold.

Practice with Breathful

The tricky part for beginners is pacing. Most people rush the inhales and lose the rhythm by round three. Breathful paces slow, even breathing for you with visual and voice guidance, so you can focus on the nostril choreography while the app keeps time. And because it tracks streaks and session history, a technique you'd otherwise try twice becomes part of a routine.

Download Breathful free on the App Store and give it five quiet minutes today.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a session be?

Five to ten rounds (about 3–5 minutes) is plenty to start. Traditional practice extends this gradually.

Which nostril do I start with?

Convention is to begin by inhaling through the left nostril and to end a session exhaling through the left, but consistency matters more than the rule.

Is there evidence behind it?

Slow yogic breathing, including Nadi Shodhana, has been studied for decades, with consistent findings of reduced anxiety and improved attention, in line with slow-breathing research generally.