Rabinowitz says that the alternate nostril breathing technique (aka Nadi Shodana Pranayama) is great to practice before a particularly stressful situation, as it is meant to relax the whole body while calming your mind. Try it before an important job interview or high-pressure meeting to ease your anxiety. Here’s how to do it:
1. Sit up straight and make sure you are comfortable.
2. Put your right hand in front of your face, take your pointer and middle fingers, and place them between your eyebrows. The two fingers we will use in this exercise are the thumb and the ring finger.
3. Close your right nostril with your thumb, and exhale through the left nostril.
4. Inhale through the left nostril and, when complete, close it with the ring finger.
5. Release your thumb from the right nostril, and then exhale slowly and steadily.
6. Inhale through the right nostril and, when complete, close it with the thumb.
7. Release the ring finger from the left nostril, and exhale. These two full breaths are one cycle of the alternate nostril breathing exercise.
10. Repeat for five to 10 cycles.