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There’s an entire practice around this stemming from yogic philosophy called nadi shoodana—alternate nostril breathing—the theory essentially says doing this ca
by voidhorse 6y ago
There’s an entire practice around this stemming from yogic philosophy called nadi shoodana—alternate nostril breathing—the theory essentially says doing this can regulate different male and female energies in the body, which are both responsible for different things, including energy levels (hyper vs relaxed).
I can’t personally attest to any of the deeper claims of the theory, but I have used the alternate nostril breathing as part of meditation practice and I can say that focusing on the breath in this way at the very least helps one enter a meditative state, like many other pranayama techniques.
I’ve never dug into the science attempting to prove the proclaimed effects since experientially it helps me enter meditation, which is what I value it for—I’m not so sure its a good use of time trying to validate the overarching theoretical claims of ancient sources—the practices can still be highly beneficial even if the claims aren’t correct, and I think the main benefit of controlled breathing practices relate to meditation. (that said the body is an interconnected system so its totally plausible that regulating the breath, thus the heartbeat, thus the flow of blood throughout the system could have system wide effects).
If nothing else, hopefully these terms help you in your research.
- daragh99 6y agoAgreed. The practices seem to have an affect that I find useful and interesting. The metaphysical/energetic claims I can put to one side.
- starpilot 6y agoGender is a social construct.
- busdriver777 6y agoSociety is a social construct. Gender was here way before society. Gender is biological.
- cwkoss 6y agoIf anyone else was confused (I was and had to google), the practice of alternate nostril breathing entails physically obstructing alternating nostrils with a finger as you take breaths.
- deeblering4 6y agoAt first, but once you reach nostril nirvana you unlock the ability to breathe with your third nostril
- yladiz 6y agoCan I consider my mouth my third nostril and reach nostril nirvana already?
- rajangdavis 6y agoYou were always there :)
- krtkush 6y agoOnly waiting to realize.
- dmitriid 6y agoThere's a joke in Russian quite popular among small kids: "The hedgehog learned to breathe through his butthole. One day he sat down to rest and suffocated". (Hedgehog is the hero if many slightly absurdist jokes).
- Yenrabbit 6y agoHedgehogs can't (to my knowledge), but turtles can! A fact that seeks any opportunity to be shared. (Example source: https://www.livescience.com/61018-turtles-breathe-through-butt.html https://www.livescience.com/61018-turtles-breathe-through-bu...)
- qwerty456127 6y agoLet me actually encourage you try this. Imagine you have a third nostril placed between the 2 real (forming a line or a triangle - whatever you like better), visualize and "sensualize" (do your best imagining it in details and feeling it) breathing through 3 nostrils. As a result this may trigger a nasal congestion relief. Try this the next time you catch a cold.
- magicalhippo 6y agoStumbled over this[1] paper while searching, says there's no correlation between forced-nostril breathing and performance in a verbal task. However they mention their test subjects were not very uniform, and I'm not really in a position to evaluate their methods so... [1]: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3144611/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3144611/
- bradly 6y agoIf anyone wants to experience this kind of breathing in the context of a Yoga class, I really recommend this Sivananda class. It combines sun salutations with breathing exercises for really interesting experience. I have no idea on the science, but it has been a positive addition to my life. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmMww1Wo6Tc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmMww1Wo6Tc
- avindroth 6y agoIs the swapping between two nostrils a conscious/mental effort? Is it something you get used to with physically blocking the nostrils?