The gist: For stress relief, try taking a break from your usual routine and practicing the practice of Nadi Shodhana, which is referred to as flow and purification in Sanskrit.
Expert opinion: According to Michael Gervais, a yoga instructor who created the HeadStrong meditation series, the practice activates the nervous system by forcing the body to breathe deeply and slowly. He also noted that it helps balance the solar and lunar energies of the body.
For this practice, close the right nostril and exhale through the left one for five seconds. Hold the breath until your ring finger is released and close the left nostril with the thumb. On the next breath, breathe in and out on the left and right, for at least a minute.
The bottom line:
Wind down with Nadi Shodhana before bed or any time you feel stressed during the day. “Make each breath in and out longer as your capacity increases,” Gervais says. There’s no upper limit if your inhales and exhales are the same length.
