Pranayama for Stress Relief
Balancing the Breath, Brain and Body
Did you know you have two halves?
Your body, and even your breath, are designed around a natural rhythm of opposites. The left side of your brain controls the right side of your body, and the right side of your brain controls the left.
Each side has a different energetic quality and purpose.
The right side of the body (linked to the left hemisphere of the brain) represents the masculine energy, logic, focus, and reason. It’s connected to the sun’s solar energy and the sympathetic nervous system, which activates you for action.
The left side of the body (linked to the right hemisphere) embodies the feminine energy, intuition, creativity, and flow. It’s associated with the moon’s cooling energy and the parasympathetic nervous system, which soothes and restores you.
How Your Breath Reflects the State of Your Mind
Your breath is an intimate mirror of your nervous system.
Have you ever noticed that one nostril feels more open than the other? In a healthy system, this naturally alternates every 90 minutes to two hours, a rhythm that keeps both sides of the brain in balance.
When stress, anxiety or overthinking dominate, this rhythm is disrupted. That’s when pranayama for stress relief, particularly Anuloma Viloma, or alternate nostril breathing becomes so powerful.
Through gentle control of the breath, you can harmonise the masculine and feminine energies, restore balance to the nervous system, and invite a deep sense of calm.
Why Pranayama for Stress Relief Works
Breath is the bridge between body and mind. When you consciously slow and balance your breathing, you directly influence the nervous system and shifting it from a state of stress to one of restoration.
Benefits of alternate nostril breathing include:
Reduced stress and anxiety
Calmer emotions and greater mental clarity
Improved oxygen flow and blood purification
Strengthened immune system
Better sleep quality and deeper relaxation
Morning Practice: The Solar Breath (Right Nostril Breathing)
This simple 10-minute practice awakens your system with the energising warmth of the sun.
1. Sit comfortably with your spine tall on a cushion or chair.
2. Form Vishnu Mudra with your right hand: fold the index and middle fingers down, leaving the thumb, ring and little finger extended.
3. Gently close your left nostril with your ring finger.
4. Inhale deeply through your right nostril (the solar side).
5. Close the right nostril with your thumb and exhale through the left nostril.
6. Continue for 10 minutes, allowing each breath to be long, slow and steady.
This solar breath fills your body with vitality and focus. A beautiful way to begin your day with clarity and balanced energy.
Evening Practice: The Lunar Breath (Left Nostril Breathing)
In the evening, we turn towards rest and restoration. This cooling, moon-side breath will soothe your system and prepare you for sleep.
1. Sit comfortably with a straight spine.
2. Form Vishnu Mudra again with your right hand.
3. Close your right nostril with your thumb.
4. Inhale deeply through your left nostril (the lunar side).
5. Close the left nostril and exhale softly through the right nostril.
6. Continue for 10 minutes, slowing your breath as much as possible.
This gentle pranayama for stress relief calms the mind, relaxes the body, and signals to the nervous system that it’s time to rest. It’s a natural sleep remedy and a beautiful way to end the day.
Enjoy your new, integrated sense of balance — where breath, brain and body flow together in harmony.
Research: Affects of alternate nostril breathing