Are you left or right brain dominant? This simple Alternate Nostril Breathing test will show you, with America’s most famous long-time yoga expert, Lilias Folan and other great yoga teachers. Some have Zoom classes for you at home.
Maths or Art?
Left brainers are methodical and analytical, better with language and rhythm. They are the critic in the classroom, do well in maths and science, and tend to be rational and logical. Right brainers are creative and artistic, emotional and intuitive. They are free-thinking, think in pictures rather than words and are intuitive. Spotting your clearest nostril (the least stuffy or blocked) shows you which hemisphere you use, most often.
Anxiety, Headaches and Nostril Breathing
From there, you can use the technique, Alternate Nostril Breathing as therapy. It treats headaches or anxiety, according to Adriene, one of the world’s favourite modern yoga gurus on YouTube with over 10 million subscribers.
Right Nostril and Left Nostril
Lilias Folan has a classic video here which you can use morning and/or evening, even if you do no other kind of yoga or meditation. This is old school yoga – but then yoga itself is ancient. This is an American translation of an Indian secret.
About Lilias Folan
American yoga legend Lilias Folan studied under B.K.S. Iyengar among others and pioneered yoga on television on October 5th 1970 on PBS. She is known as the First Lady of Yoga and is still practising and teaching today.
What People Say About This Technique
Fans of Adriene on YouTube who have tried this nostril breathing report success with panic attacks (even after 23 years), general anxiety, depressed negative mood and quick calm.
Leon Kennedy, a subscriber to Adriene’s channel, wrote “I suffer from daily anxiety and tried breathing techniques before – they helped me a tiny bit BUT THIS calmed me down instantly! Thanks for sharing this technique! I will use it my whole life.”
The Indian Explanation
Known as Nadi Shodhana Pranayama in India, alternate nostril breathing is known to clear subtle energy channels. It allows the life force, or prana, to flow freely.
It is known to clear mental clutter and calm the mind, lower the heart rate and, yes, harmonise the left and right hemispheres of the brain. Dr. Suprina Sheth shows her approach here, if you’d like to see another example of the technique – on YouTube.
