Nadishodhana Kriya
Introduction
Nadishodhana Kriya is a very important Pranayama. Human body consists of
thousands of pranic channels called nadis. This kriya cleanses all the 72000
nadis and awakens the sleeping Kundalini. It has balancing effect on the
left and right hemisphere of brain.
Technique
- Sit in any meditative posture with spinal column and
head erect
- Slowly exhale all the air from your lungs
- With the thumb of your right hand close your right
nostril
- Start inhaling slowly from the left nostril. As you
are inhaling mentally count "Om" four times
- At the end of inhalation close the left nostril with
the ring finger and hold the breath inside count "Om"
thrice.
- As you are counting, focus your awareness on
Mooladhara chakra
- Slowly open the right nostril by releasing the thumb
- Slowly exhale counting "Om" mentally for eight times
- Now start inhaling slowly from right nostril and
count "Om" four times
- Once inhalation is complete close the right nostril
by the thumb again
- Hold the breath counting "Om" three times
- Release the ring finger and exhale slowly from left
nostril counting "Om" eight times
Note that the above technique uses inhalation and
exhalation in the ratio of 1 : 2 Oms and not seconds.
Initially do not retain breath at all. Just practice
inhalation and exhalation. Once you establish a rhythm in
inhalation and exhalation introduce a brief retention.
Beginners should do this kriya for 5 minutes gradually
increasing the time. If any sign of discomfort is noticed
immediately discontinue the practice and take rest.
Signs of correct practice
- Entire pranic body is cleansed
- You feel light and fresh throughout the day
- Texture and color of the skin improves
- Skin becomes soft
- You find yourself controlling emotions more easily
- Diseases start vanishing from the body
- Mind remains steady and calm
Signs of erroneous practice
- Pressure is felt on ears, eyes, heart and lungs
- Dizziness during and after the practice
- Feeling of discomfort during breath retention
- Bending spine during exhalation
- Raising chest too much during inhalation
- Lack of synchronization and harmony in breathing
Scriptural references
The above technique is mentioned directly or indirectly in the
following Yogic texts:
- Hatha Yoga Pradipika
- Gheranda Samhita
- Shiva Samhita
- Yoga Chudamani Upanishad
Bipin Joshi is an independent software consultant and trainer by profession specializing in Microsoft web development technologies. Having embraced the Yoga way of life he is also a yoga mentor, meditation teacher, and spiritual guide to his students. He is a prolific author and writes regularly about software development and yoga on his websites. He is programming, meditating, writing, and teaching for over 27 years. To read more about him go here. More details about his Kriya and Meditation online course are available here.