Spoon

Pranayama

Surya Bhedana (Right Nostril Breathing)

In through the right nostril, out through the left, every round. The yoga breath for waking up.

Also called: Surya Bheda Pranayama, Surya Bhedi Pranayama, Sun-piercing breath

Surya Bhedana is a yoga breathing practice in which you breathe in through the right nostril, hold, and breathe out through the left, without ever switching sides. Its name means sun-piercing breath, and many teachers call it right nostril breathing.

In yoga tradition, it is the warming, energizing breath. You'll feel awake and alert within a few minutes. It has a real breath hold, so read the safety notes first.

Pattern
In right, hold, out left; never switch sides
Session
2 to 3 minutes (Spoon default: 7 rounds, about 2 min 48 s)
Good for
Waking up in the morning, a midday focus reset
Level
Intermediate
Origin
Hatha yoga, one of the eight kumbhakas of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika (15th century)
Needs
iPhone or Apple Watch

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 left nostril with your ring finger. Breathe in slowly and fully through the right.
  4. Close both nostrils and hold. Keep it a calm pause, never a strain.
  5. Keep your thumb on the right side and lift your ring finger. Breathe out slowly and completely through the left.
  6. That is one round. Start the next the same way, in through the right. You never switch sides.
  7. After the last round, lower your hand and breathe normally for a few breaths.

Benefits

  • Awake and alert in a few minutes

    You'll finish more awake than you started. In yoga tradition, this is the warming, sun breath.

  • Quicker reactions

    In a 2014 trial, reaction times to sounds and lights got faster after Surya Bhedana[5].

  • A sharp start to the day

    The counted hold gives your mind one job. Do it in the morning or after lunch, and you get up clear-headed and ready.

What the research says

Studies of single-nostril breathing point one way: breathing in through the right side tends to raise activation, and the left side tends to lower it. In a 1994 study, a month of right-nostril breathing practice raised resting oxygen consumption, a sign of faster metabolism[3]. In a 2008 study of 21 men, right-nostril breathing raised systolic, diastolic and mean blood pressure[4]. Left-nostril and alternate-nostril breathing lowered some of these measures[4].

The closest test of Surya Bhedana itself is a 2014 trial in 20 yoga-trained adults[5]. Twelve of them were under regular medical care for conditions such as high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes[5]. On separate days, each did nine rounds of six nostril techniques at 5 to 6 breaths a minute, with no holds[5]. After Surya Bhedana (in right, out left), diastolic blood pressure rose and reaction times to sounds and lights got faster[5]. After the techniques that breathe in on the left, heart rate and blood pressure measures generally fell[5].

These are small studies, and none tested the 8 to 16 second holds Spoon uses. The classical texts also credit the practice with clearing the sinuses and Vata disorders[1]. Those are traditional claims, not measured results.

Where Surya Bhedana comes from

Surya means sun and bhedana means piercing. Surya Bhedana is one of the eight classical breath-retention practices (kumbhakas) in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, a 15th-century yoga manual[1]. You breathe in slowly through the right nostril, hold with the chin lock (Jalandhara Bandha), and breathe out slowly through the left[1]. The Gheranda Samhita, from about the 17th century, gives the same pattern[2].

In yoga tradition, the right side carries the sun channel (pingala), which is why this is the warming breath. Spoon guides the breathing pattern with a simple timed hold and no chin lock, not the full traditional practice.

Tips

  • Remember the rule: ring finger closes the left before you breathe in; thumb closes the right before you breathe out.
  • Never switch sides. If you also practice Nadi Shodhana, it is easy to slip into alternating.
  • Think of the hold as a pause. Shorten it the moment you strain.
  • Keep your lips closed for the whole round. If you take a mouth breath, start the round again.

Safety

  • Skip it, or ask your doctor first, if you have uncontrolled high blood pressure, a heart condition or arrhythmia, or epilepsy, or if you are pregnant. In one trial, diastolic blood pressure rose after Surya Bhedana[5].
  • Skip it during a fever or acute inflammation, and after recent abdominal, eye or ear surgery.
  • Stop at once if you feel dizzy or lightheaded, or notice any chest discomfort.
  • Never practice while driving, or in or near water.
  • Build up to the 16-second hold over weeks. If a hold starts to strain, breathe out early.
  • If a nostril is badly blocked, do not force air through it. Skip the session.

Surya Bhedana in Spoon

Spoon guides Surya Bhedana on iPhone and Apple Watch. A breathing animation paces each phase. An R and L indicator shows which nostril is open: right on the inhale, both closed on the hold, left on the exhale. Your Watch taps your wrist as each phase begins.

Pick Beginner, Medium or Advanced. Every level keeps a 4-second inhale and an 8-second exhale; only the hold changes. With an Apple Watch, you see your heart rate live and, afterward, your breath and heart rate on one chart.

  • Three levels: Beginner (8 s hold), Medium (12 s, the default) and Advanced (16 s, the classic 1:4:2 ratio).
  • Default: 7 rounds at Medium, about 2 minutes 48 seconds. Choose how many rounds you want.
  • R and L indicator for the open nostril on iPhone and Apple Watch.
  • A bubble or a wave on iPhone, a breathing circle on the Watch.
  • Optional breath sounds on each inhale and exhale. The optional voice on iPhone says Inhale, Hold, Exhale.
  • Your Watch taps your wrist at each inhale, hold and exhale.
  • Add it to a playlist, or save your setup.
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Questions

What does Surya Bhedana do?

Surya Bhedana wakes you up. You breathe in through the right nostril, hold, and breathe out through the left, and within a few minutes you feel awake and alert. In studies, right-nostril breathing raised blood pressure and sped up reaction times. Yoga tradition calls it the warming, sun breath.

Is Surya Bhedana the same as right nostril breathing?

It is one form of it. In Surya Bhedana you breathe in through the right nostril and out through the left, every round. Some teachers use the name for breathing in and out through the right only, also called Surya Nadi. Spoon guides the classic pattern: in right, out left.

When is the best time to do Surya Bhedana?

Morning or early afternoon, when you want to feel awake. It is an activating breath, so skip it right before bed; its mirror, Chandra Bhedana, suits the evening. Avoid it during a fever.

How many rounds of Surya Bhedana should you do?

Start with 5 to 10 rounds, about 2 to 3 minutes. Spoon's default is 7 rounds with a 12-second hold. Progress by lengthening the hold over weeks, not by piling on rounds. The classical texts give no fixed count.

What is the difference between Surya Bhedana and Chandra Bhedana?

They are mirror images. Surya Bhedana goes in right and out left, and yoga tradition calls it warming. Chandra Bhedana goes in left and out right, and is called cooling. In a 2014 trial, diastolic blood pressure rose after Surya Bhedana, while heart rate and systolic pressure fell after Chandra Bhedana.

Is Surya Bhedana safe?

For most healthy adults at a gentle pace, yes, but it is a moderate-risk practice because of the hold and its activating effect. Skip it or ask your doctor first if you have uncontrolled high blood pressure, a heart condition or epilepsy, or if you are pregnant. Stop if you feel dizzy. Never practice while driving or in water.

Sources

  1. Svatmarama (Pancham Sinh, trans.). Hatha Yoga Pradipika, chapter 2. Classical text, about the 15th century. Wisdom Library. wisdomlib.org
  2. Gheranda Samhita, chapter 5. Classical text, about the 17th century. Quoted in an essay on the nervous system in yoga and tantra, Wisdom Library. wisdomlib.org
  3. Telles S, Nagarathna R, Nagendra HR. Breathing through a particular nostril can alter metabolism and autonomic activities. Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, 1994. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  4. Raghuraj P, Telles S. Immediate effect of specific nostril manipulating yoga breathing practices on autonomic and respiratory variables. Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, 2008. doi.org
  5. Bhavanani AB et al. Differential effects of uninostril and alternate nostril pranayamas on cardiovascular parameters and reaction time. International Journal of Yoga, 2014. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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.