LESSON 15/20 · THE PRACTICES (3)

The settling & balancing group: left-nostril breathing, the staircase breath, the even breath

The three earlier practice lessons gave you Ujjayi, alternate-nostril breathing, the cleansing breath, the bee and the cooling breath. Now we add a very “gentle” group that is enormously useful for a modern room — where everyone is tense and sleeping badly: the settling & balancing group. Four safe practices, easy to lead, needing no equipment: left-nostril breathing to cool and calm, the interrupted breath that climbs like a staircase to build control, the even breath on a steady ratio, and regulating each nostril, which refines the skill further. Students can do these at home before bed.

1LEFT-NOSTRIL BREATHING (CHANDRA BHEDANA)

In through the left, out through the right — the “moon” breath, cooling and settling

Chandra Bhedana, left-nostril breathing — Chandra Bhedana: always in through the left nostril, out through the right — tilting towards settling and coolness.

REMEMBER IN through the LEFT nostril, OUT through the RIGHT — repeated that way throughout.

Unlike alternate-nostril breathing (which changes sides continuously), Chandra Bhedana keeps one fixed direction: using the nostril-closing mudra, always breathe in on the left, then close the left and breathe out on the right; and repeat. “Chandra” means moon. Science of Yoga records an interesting observation: breathing weighted towards the left nostril is associated with a more settled state (leaning towards the parasympathetic system), while the right nostril is associated with alertness. So this practice suits a moment when you want to cool down, release, prepare for sleep. Note: this is a symmetrical practice added by the modern tradition (Iyengar); it does not appear in the old Hatha Yoga Pradipika.

GRASP THIS The body already “changes nostrils” all day long.

A piece of background that lets you teach this convincingly: ordinarily the two nostrils are not equally clear — every few hours one side becomes the dominant one and then they swap (the “nasal cycle”). The single-nostril practices are simply choosing a side deliberately to create a tendency. There is no need to mystify it; present it as a way of using the body's own natural rhythm skilfully to lean towards settling or towards alertness.

On the mat: Put Chandra Bhedana at the end of a session, or teach it as a “take home before bed” practice. Remind students: if one nostril is blocked, leave it for another time. Slow, quiet, out longer than in; three to five minutes is enough.

2THE INTERRUPTED BREATH (VILOMA)

Breathe in in several stages with pauses — like climbing a staircase one step at a time

Viloma, the interrupted breath, like climbing stairs — Viloma: instead of one continuous in-breath, breathe in in two or three stages, pausing a beat at each — like stopping on every step.

REMEMBER Viloma = dividing the IN-breath (or the OUT-breath) into several stages, with a short one- or two-second pause at each.

Viloma (Iyengar, Light on Pranayama ch. 20) is the interrupted breath. The easiest example — Viloma on the in-breath: breathe in part way → pause for one or two seconds → breathe in a little more → pause → breathe in the rest until full → then breathe out slowly and continuously. Like climbing a staircase and stopping on each step. You can do the reverse: breathe in continuously and divide the out-breath into stages with pauses. The pauses are “very short holds”, not strained ones. This practice teaches students to control and lengthen the breath, and brings them naturally into a focused state.

GRASP THIS Viloma is an excellent “training wheel” for lengthening the breath.

Why is Viloma useful to a teacher? Many students cannot immediately breathe out long and smooth in one go. Dividing the breath into stages is a “support” that gets them to a longer total time without running out partway — and the pauses are gradually dropped to return to one continuous breath. It is a very neat bridge between the foundational breath (Lesson 6) and the practices that need a long breath.

On the mat: Lead Viloma with a concrete image: “breathe in a third… pause… another third… pause… full… now breathe out really slowly”. Count along with the room for a few rounds. Remind them: the pauses are only one or two seconds; anyone with tightness in the chest drops the pauses and breathes straight through.

3THE EVEN BREATH (SAMA VRITTI)

In – hold – out – hold, all equal: the “square” breath that holds the mind very steady

Sama Vritti, the even breath, as a square: 4-4-4-4 — Sama Vritti (“the even rhythm”): four equal phases — in four, hold four, out four, hold four — drawing a balanced square.

REMEMBER Sama Vritti = four equal phases. Beginners start at 4-4-4-4 (counted silently).

Sama Vritti means “the rhythm made equal”. It is really a ratio principle rather than a practice of its own: making the phases of the breath equal in length. The most common is the “four-phase square”: breathe in on a count of four → hold for four → breathe out for four → hold (empty) for four → repeat. Because the structure is so clear and balanced, it gives the mind a very firm frame to hold on to and settles quickly — many places call it “box breathing”. Beginners, and anyone uncomfortable holding the breath, can drop the two holding phases and simply make in-four and out-four equal first.

REMEMBER A heart condition or high blood pressure → DROP the holding phases; just breathe in and out evenly.

Sama Vritti contains held breaths, so the safety rules for holding apply: anyone with high blood pressure, a heart condition, or who is pregnant should drop the holding phases and only breathe evenly in and out (in four, out four, or with a longer out-breath: in four, out six). For a general class, teach the no-holding version as the default; only add the holds for healthy students who are used to it. The number four is only a suggestion — whatever number you can hold comfortably and steadily is the right one.

On the mat: Sama Vritti is a wonderful rescue when a room is restless, or before a hard piece of work — counting out loud with the room brings everyone into step. Start with in four, out four, and only after a few rounds invite anyone who wants the two light holding phases.

4REGULATING EACH NOSTRIL (ANULOMA / PRATILOMA)

Breathe in through both, “pour” the out-breath through each side — and then the reverse

Anuloma Pratiloma regulating the flow through each nostril — Anuloma / Pratiloma: using the fingers to open and close each nostril slightly to “pour” the breath through it, training very fine control of the airflow.

GRASP THIS Anuloma: breathe in through BOTH nostrils → breathe out regulated through each in turn.

Anuloma (Iyengar ch. 25) is a subtle variant of alternate-nostril breathing: breathe in through both nostrils (open), and then on the out-breath use the fingers to open and close each side slightly so the air leaves slowly and regulated, alternating sides. It feels like “pouring” the breath out very deliberately through a narrow gap. This refines breath control a further degree — suited to students who are already fluent in basic alternate-nostril breathing.

GRASP THIS Pratiloma is the reverse — and don't rush to teach it.

Pratiloma (ch. 26) is the opposite of Anuloma: breathe in regulated through each nostril, then breathe out through both. These two are quite fine-grained and easily muddle a beginner's fingers, so you need not bring them into a general class — treat them as a rung for advanced students who want to sharpen their control of the airflow. What matters for you is knowing they exist and where they sit on the path, so you do not teach out of order.

On the mat: For most rooms, stopping at Chandra Bhedana – Viloma – Sama Vritti is more than enough for a complete “settling” session. Introduce Anuloma and Pratiloma only to an advanced group, and always have them practise “with no hand” first to get used to the finger work.

5USING THE SETTLING GROUP WELL

Pick the right practice for the right moment — and one shared safety rule

The released state after the settling group — The settling group all head for the same place: a longer breath, the nervous system shifting towards release, the mind quieting.

REMEMBER This group is for SETTLING – SLEEPING WELL – CARRYING LESS TENSION; use it at the end of a session or in the evening.

The four practices above differ in their mechanics but head for the same place: lengthening and quietening the breath, tilting the nervous system towards release. A quick way to choose: need to cool down and sleep → Chandra Bhedana; need to train a longer breath → Viloma; need to settle a restless head fast → Sama Vritti; want to sharpen a strong student's skill → Anuloma / Pratiloma. Place them at the end of a session, right before the deep rest, or teach them as evening homework.

REMEMBER The shared rule: no forcing, no strained holding, rest if the nose is blocked, stop if you feel dizzy.

Gentle group though it is, keep to the four boundaries: (1) never force the breath — always within what is comfortable; (2) the holding phases are for healthy people only — anyone with a heart condition, high blood pressure or who is pregnant leaves them out; (3) with a blocked nose, a cold or sinusitis, postpone the nostril practices; (4) at any dizziness, shortness of air or tightness in the chest, lower the hand, breathe naturally and stop. Saying these boundaries out loud at every session is how you stay safe and build your professional standing at the same time.

On the mat: Try designing an “eight-minute settling sequence” to teach at the end of a session: two minutes of Sama Vritti (in four, out four) to settle the room → three minutes of Viloma to train a longer breath → three minutes of Chandra Bhedana to cool down, and then into the lying rest. Ask to rule out blocked noses and existing conditions before you begin.

Lesson 16 next: Enough of the gentle group — now for the strong one: the “waking & heating” practices that rouse energy: the bellows breath (Bhastrika) and the sun-piercing / right-nostril breath (Surya Bhedana). This group is effective but demands the strictest safety fence of all — a whole lesson will go on spelling out who must not practise them and how to bring them into a class without doing harm.

Professional sources: B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Pranayama — Viloma, Anuloma, Pratiloma, Chandra Bhedana & the ratio principles (sama / vishama vritti); DK Science of Yoga (Ann Swanson) — single-nostril breathing & the nasal cycle. This material is educational and not a substitute for medical advice.