April yoga tutorial: Surya and Chandra Bhedana pranayama
Though the sun and moon seem very far away, their energies are present in your body. In this month’s yoga tutorial, we’re going to work with activating two opposing, balancing forces — that of the sun and the moon — using our breath.
Your right and left nostrils are linked to two nadis. These energy channels coil around your spine like vines growing from your first chakra at your tailbone and reaching all the way to your sixth chakra, at the third eye. These nadis are representatives of the universal energies of the sun and the moon.
The sun represents the brilliant, illuminating force — it is warming, life-giving, and confident. It is present in the right nostril.
The moon is the soft, nurturing light — it is cooling, soothing, relaxing, and intuitive. It is present in the left nostril.
The pranayama, or yogic breathwork, that we’ll do today activates these forces in our bodies. At times, we may want more of the sun’s confidence. Other times, we may need the moon for intuitive guidance.
In these recordings, we’ll practice two variations of classical pranayama techniques that will allow us to choose which type of energy we would like to harness. These practices are called surya bhedana, the sun-piercing breath, and chandra bhedana, the moon-piercing breath. The recordings serve as a form of guided practice, so you can listen with your eyes closed and your concentration fully on your breath.
These practices are considered safe for everyone, though if you do have heart disease or high blood pressure, please check in with me or another practitioner before beginning a pranayama practice.
Surya Bhedana pranayama
chandra bhedana
Here are photos of the two mudras, Vishnu (first) and jnana (second), that I reference in the recording.
