Improve Your Mental Clarity

Improve Your Mental Clarity With these 3 Easy Breathing Techniques
Breath is a simple, yet powerful tool that can be used to combat stress and improve mental clarity. Nadi Shodhana, Sama Vritti, and Brahmari, are great pranayama (breathing) techniques to stabilize and ground us, allowing mind and body to relax. 
Next time you find yourself disconnected from mind/body, overwhelmed, anxious, or your mind buzzing with a thousand things, try one of these easy breathing techniques. 
Nadi shodhana 
Also known as Alternate Nostril Breathing, Nadi Shodhana improves our ability to focus, removes toxins, and supports our respiratory functions. 

In Sanskrit, Nadi means “channel” and Shodhana means “purification.” In other words, this pranayama purifies, or clears, the channels of the subtle and physical body, and brings balance to the left and right hemispheres of the brain.

Nadi Shodhana can be practiced anytime and almost anywhere. It’s especially good to practice before a high stress situation (like a presentation or job interview) or before meditation.

1. Sit comfortably with a tall spine and open heart.
   
2. Bring your right hand into Vishnu Mudra (thumb to right nostril, ring finger to left nostril, index and middle finger folded into your palm).
   
3. Exhale completely.
   
4. Block the right nostril (about midway up the nose) as you inhale through the left side. 
   
5. Hold the breath while releasing the right nostril and closing off the left nostril.
   
6. Exhale down the right side. At the end of your exhale, inhale back up the right side.
   
7. Hold the breath, release the left nostril and close off the right nostril.
   
8. Exhale down the left side.
   
9. This completes one breath cycle. Repeat for several cycles. 
   

You want a soft, quiet breath (no Ujjayi). Try to match the length of your inhales and exhales. For an advanced practice, add equal length breath retention after each inhalation and exhalation. 

Sama vritti 

In Sanskrit, Sama Vritti means same or equal. It is the practice of steady inhalation and exhalation of equal length. Sama Vritti balances the central nervous system and engages the parasympathetic nervous system to aid us in soothing, centering, and calming the mind. 
Sama Vritti is an excellent pranayama technique for anyone and can be done almost anywhere at any time. 

1. Find a comfortable seated position and close your eyes. 
   
2. Breathe in through your nose, slowly counting to 4.
   
3. Gently exhale to the count of 4.
   
4. Continue this for several rounds. 
   

Choose any number that works, keeping in mind that a longer, slower breath is ideal. Only go to a count where you can maintain comfort and ease in the mind and body. 
Brahmari
Brahmari in Sanskrit means “bee,” so named because the exhalation resembles the sound of a bumble bee. 
Brahmari is a soothing breath technique for both the gut and heart, and is good for respiratory congestion. The humming stimulates the vagus nerve, which is responsible for the Rest, Digest, and Restore part of our parasympathetic nervous system. 
Because of the buzzing sound, you might not choose to practice Brahmari in public. If you’re out somewhere and experience anxiety, look for a relatively private place, like your parked car or a bathroom. 

1. Sit comfortably and close your eyes. 
   
2. Gently press your index fingers on the cartilage of the outer ears (tragus) to keep out external sounds.
   
3. With your lips lightly sealed, inhale through your nostrils.
   
4. On exhale, make a humming sound like a bee. 
   
5. Continue this pranayama practice for several rounds.​
   

Don’t press the cartilage too hard. Also, be sure that you’re not putting your finger inside your ear, but on the cartilage. Using only one tone per exhale, experiment with different tones and notice where you feel the vibrations in your body.