Good morning lovelies! So, I've told you about my favorite b..

Good morning lovelies! So, I've told you about my favorite breathing technique on Friday. Here's my second one: alternate nostril breathing. Don't judge it before trying it or even reading this!!!! I thought it was a weird as fuck practice as well. Although some of you have way more fucked up fetiches than a nostril breathing practice, LOL! It's crazy to think that something as simple as that can improve our lives so dramatically. Yes, it looks stupid while you do it. Yes, it seems dumb. But I'm past the point where I care about what other people think. I'm at the point where I do things FOR ME and where I want to feel GOOD! If some easy breathing exercises can help, what's there to lose other than a few minutes per day? We're already losing all those minutes on social media, and none of those minutes improve our mood or bodies. The only downside compared to my ratio breathing, you can't do this while working out or driving! haha! Ok, how do you do that? SUPER EASY! Place your left hand on your left knee. Lift your right hand up toward your nose. Exhale completely and then use your right thumb to close your right nostril. Inhale through your left nostril and then close the left nostril with your fingers. Open the right nostril and exhale through this side. Inhale through the right nostril and then close this nostril. Open the left nostril and exhale through the left side. This is one cycle. Continue for up to 5 minutes. Always complete the practice by finishing with an exhale on the left side. As I keep saying, breathing exercises are known to bring physiological and psychological benefits. But what about alternate nostril breathing specifically? There's some science to back it up, it's not coming from only some crazy old dude who had a cold and wanted to get some mucus out on the sidewalk on a fine Monday morning! One study on healthy male subjects in 2011 showed a 6-week program of alternate nostril breathing, with no other interventions, increased lung capacity, reduced blo2od pressure, and heart rate. These results were confirmed when another author repeated the study in 2014. A fascinating study on healthy engineering students in 2011 demonstrated how alternate nostril breathing can be used to improve academic performance. The students practiced the prānāyāma every evening after their classes for three months. At the end of the study they all reported improved feelings of well-being, better memory, stress relief, and enhanced physical relaxation. More recently, scientists have even shown that it even makes a difference which nostril you start with. The first breath is usually through the left nostril, and this traditional variation has been shown to reduce heart rate and blo2od pressure while increasing reactivity. These physiological responses are the result of stimulating the parasympathetic or calming side of our bodies. Conversely, starting with the right nostril was shown to increase heart rate and blo2od pressure. Well, I've talked enough for this morning! I'll try to bring out some more breathing information this week. Most of it, as usual, is information I've learned through reading, watching videos, and practicing myself. Toodles!