Spoon

Pranayama

Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Shodhana)

In through one nostril, out through the other. A slow, even breath that settles you and clears your head.

Also called: Nadi Shodhana Pranayama, Anuloma Viloma, Nadi Shuddhi, Alternate nostril yoga breathing

Alternate nostril breathing (Nadi Shodhana) is a yoga breathing practice in which you breathe in through one nostril, hold briefly, and breathe out through the other, then reverse. Your right hand closes one side at a time.

It settles you fast and clears your head. Use it before meditation, before sleep, or between tasks. It is also one of the most studied yoga breaths.

Pattern
In left, hold, out right; in right, hold, out left
Session
2 to 5 minutes (Spoon default: 5 rounds, about 2 minutes)
Good for
Settling before meditation or sleep, a focus reset between tasks
Level
Intermediate
Origin
Hatha yoga, described in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika (15th century)
Needs
iPhone or Apple Watch

Try it now

In, left nostril 4 s · Hold 4 s · Out, right nostril 4 s · In, right nostril 4 s · Hold 4 s · Out, left nostril 4 s

Follow the circle for a few rounds. In Spoon you can do it from your wrist and see your heart rate respond.

How to do it

  1. Sit tall on a cushion or a chair. Rest your left hand on your knee.
  2. Fold the index and middle fingers of your right hand into your palm. Your thumb closes the right nostril, your ring finger the left.
  3. Close the right nostril with your thumb. Breathe in slowly through the left.
  4. Close both nostrils and hold for a moment, without strain.
  5. Lift your thumb and breathe out slowly through the right.
  6. Breathe in through the right. Close both nostrils and hold.
  7. Lift your ring finger and breathe out through the left. That is one round.
  8. Repeat 5 to 10 rounds. Finish on an exhale through the left, then breathe normally for a few breaths.

Benefits

  • Calmer within a few rounds

    The slow, even pace through your nose settles your body. You'll feel quieter within a minute or two.

  • A clear, steady head

    Tracking the sides gives your mind one simple job, and you finish clear-headed. In a review of 44 trials, regular practice improved cognitive test scores[1].

  • Lower blood pressure in trials

    Across 6 randomized trials, systolic pressure ended about 7 mmHg lower than in control groups[2].

  • A calm start to meditation or sleep

    Do two minutes before you sit or lie down, and you begin already settled.

What the research says

A 2017 systematic review gathered 44 randomized controlled trials, mostly in healthy people aged 8 to 70; 29 had a low risk of bias[1]. Together they showed positive effects on the nervous system, heart and lungs, and on cognitive tests[1]. The best dose, how often and how long, still needs more trials[1].

Blood pressure has the clearest numbers. A 2024 meta-analysis of 6 randomized trials (525 people) found systolic pressure about 7 mmHg lower and diastolic about 5 mmHg lower than in control groups[2]. The trials varied a lot, so the authors urge caution[2]. In a study of 15 young men with yoga experience, one 18-minute session lowered systolic pressure by about 4 mmHg, and they finished an attention test faster[3].

The popular claim that it balances the left and right brain does not hold up. An EEG study built to test it found no change in hemisphere symmetry[4]. The calm is real. Slow, even breathing through the nose is the likelier reason.

Hand position: which finger closes which nostril

The classic hand position is Vishnu mudra. Fold the index and middle fingers of your right hand into your palm. Your thumb closes the right nostril. Your ring finger, with the little finger beside it, closes the left. If you use your left hand, mirror it. Some teachers rest the index and middle fingertips between the eyebrows instead (Nasagra mudra). Rest your elbow and keep the touch light.

  • Breathe in left, hold, breathe out right.
  • Breathe in right, hold, breathe out left.
  • Switch sides only after an inhale. You always breathe back in through the side you just breathed out of.

Where Nadi Shodhana comes from

Nadi Shodhana means cleansing of the channels. The Hatha Yoga Pradipika, a 15th-century hatha yoga manual, gives the pattern above with a hold[5]. It says steady practice purifies the nadis, the subtle energy channels of yogic physiology, in about three months[5].

Twentieth-century teachers built it in stages. B.K.S. Iyengar starts with no holds and adds measured ones[6]. The Bihar School of Yoga works up to a 1:4:2 ratio of inhale, hold and exhale[7], the ratio of Spoon's Advanced preset. Spoon guides the breathing pattern, not the full traditional practice.

Tips

  • Keep the hold soft, like a pause. Shorten it at the first sign of strain.
  • Sit tall and rest your elbow so your neck and shoulders stay loose.
  • Keep your lips closed. If you need a mouth breath, start the round again.
  • If holds are new to you, practice plain alternation for a few days first: in one side, out the other.

Safety

  • Stop and breathe normally if you feel dizzy or lightheaded.
  • Keep holds short, or skip them, if you are pregnant, have uncontrolled high blood pressure or a heart condition, or had recent abdominal, eye or ear surgery.
  • The Advanced 4:16:8 pattern has a 16-second hold. Build up to it.
  • If a nostril is badly blocked, do not force air through it. Skip the session.
  • Never practice while driving or in water.

Nadi Shodhana in Spoon

Spoon guides Nadi Shodhana on iPhone and Apple Watch. A breathing animation paces each phase, and a small L and R indicator next to it shows which nostril is open and which way the air moves. That indicator is how Spoon tells you the side.

Your Watch taps your wrist at each inhale, hold and exhale. The optional voice on iPhone says the phase: Inhale, Hold, Exhale. With an Apple Watch, you see your heart rate live and, afterward, your breath and heart rate on one chart.

  • Default: Equal 4:4:4, 5 rounds, about 2 minutes. A round covers both sides.
  • Advanced preset: 4:16:8, 56 seconds a round.
  • Choose how many rounds you want.
  • A bubble or a wave on iPhone, a breathing circle on the Watch.
  • Optional breath sounds on each inhale and exhale.
  • Add it to a playlist, or save your setup.
  • Saves to Apple Health as Mindful Minutes, never as a workout.
Join the betaSee every exercise

Free public beta for iPhone and Apple Watch.

Questions

What is alternate nostril breathing good for?

Alternate nostril breathing is good for calming down and clearing your head. You'll feel steadier within a few rounds. In trials, regular practice improved nervous-system and heart measures, lowered blood pressure a few points and raised scores on cognitive tests. Use it before meditation, sleep or a hard task.

Which nostril do you start with in alternate nostril breathing?

Start with the left. Close the right nostril with your right thumb and breathe in through the left. Then hold, breathe out right, breathe in right, hold, and breathe out left. The classic sequence starts and ends on the left. Switch sides only after an inhale.

How long should you do alternate nostril breathing?

Two to five minutes a day, about 5 to 10 rounds at a 4-second count. You'll feel calmer within the first few rounds. Traditional practice runs 10 to 20 rounds or more and lengthens the holds over weeks or months.

Does alternate nostril breathing balance the brain hemispheres?

There is no good evidence that it does. An EEG study designed to test the idea found no change in hemisphere symmetry during the practice. The calming effect is real, and slow, even breathing through the nose is the likelier reason.

Is Anuloma Viloma the same as Nadi Shodhana?

In everyday use, mostly yes. Many teachers use both names for the same pattern: in through one nostril, out through the other, then back. In classical sources, anuloma is a related variant: in through both nostrils, out through one side at a time.

Is alternate nostril breathing safe?

Yes, for most healthy adults at a gentle pace with short holds. Stop if you feel dizzy. Keep holds short, or skip them, if you are pregnant, have uncontrolled high blood pressure or a heart condition, or had recent eye, ear or abdominal surgery. Never practice while driving or in water.

Sources

  1. Ghiya S. Alternate nostril breathing: a systematic review of clinical trials. International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences, 2017. msjonline.org
  2. Nam TG et al. Effectiveness of Alternative Nostril Breathing on Blood Pressure: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Complementary Medicine Research, 2024. karger.com
  3. Telles S et al. Alternate-Nostril Yoga Breathing Reduced Blood Pressure While Increasing Performance in a Vigilance Test. Medical Science Monitor Basic Research, 2017. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  4. Telles S et al. Hemisphere specific EEG related to alternate nostril yoga breathing. BMC Research Notes, 2017. doi.org
  5. Svatmarama. Hatha Yoga Pradipika, chapter 2. Classical text, about the 15th century. ashtangayoga.info
  6. Iyengar BKS. Light on Pranayama: The Yogic Art of Breathing. Crossroad, 1981. goodreads.com
  7. Satyananda Saraswati S. Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha. Bihar School of Yoga, 1969. biharyoga.net

Updated October 2026. This page is for education, not medical advice. If you have a heart, lung or blood pressure condition, epilepsy, or you are pregnant, ask your doctor before you start a breathing practice with holds or fast breathing.