What Breathing Techniques Can Help With Anxiety?
Updated: Aug 13
How Alternate-Nostril Breathing May Support Calm, Attention, and Nervous-System Regulation
Editorial Note: This article has been revised to reflect more accurately the traditional roots of the practice, my personal experience with it, and the current research on its possible benefits.
Have you ever understood why you were anxious and still felt unable to calm what was happening in your body?
Your breathing may feel unsettled. Your heart may be beating more quickly. Your muscles may be tense, or your whole system may feel activated and unable to return to a calmer state.
At those times, insight can help us understand what we are experiencing, but understanding alone may not regulate the body. We may also need something that works more directly with our physiological state.
For me, alternate-nostril breathing is one practice that can help.
Alternate-nostril breathing is a form of pranayama, the intentional practice of attending to and regulating the breath. Pranayama developed within the yogic tradition and is also taught within Ayurveda as part of caring for the relationship among body, mind, energy, and awareness.
I learned many forms of pranayama through my Chopra Ayurvedic training and have continued to practice several of them. Different breathing practices have different rhythms and purposes. Some are energizing. Others encourage cooling, slowing, concentration, or preparation for meditation.
Of the pranayama practices I use, alternate-nostril breathing is the one I personally find most calming when anxiety feels strongly physiological. Its alternating rhythm gives my breath, attention, and body something structured to follow. As I continue, I often begin to feel more settled and regulated.
Traditionally called Nadi Shodhana, the practice involves gently closing one nostril at a time while breathing through the other, creating a slow alternation between the two sides.
Traditional versions vary, and some include pauses or breath retention. The gentle introductory version offered here does not require holding the breath. The breath should remain comfortable and unforced throughout the practice.
This is my experience, not a promise that everyone will respond in the same way. Developing a relationship with pranayama includes noticing which practices support you, under what circumstances, and how your own body responds.
The Breath, the Brain, and the Nervous System
Alternate-nostril breathing is traditionally understood as balancing complementary energies and qualities within the mind-body system. It is also often described as supporting balance between the two hemispheres of the brain.
There is a physiological basis for continuing to explore this idea. Airflow through the nostrils can influence neural activity, and studies of breathing through a single nostril have found changes associated with brain activity on one or both sides.
The evidence for alternate-nostril breathing itself is more nuanced. A small EEG study found changes in brain-wave activity consistent with reduced arousal and greater calmness, but it did not find a change in symmetry between the two cerebral hemispheres. Earlier studies have reported different findings, and the methods and breathing techniques have varied.
It is therefore reasonable to say that alternate-nostril breathing engages the brain and may influence arousal and attention. It is not yet possible to say conclusively that it equally stimulates or balances the two hemispheres.
For me, the most meaningful evidence begins with what I can observe in my own body: when anxiety is strongly physiological, this particular practice often helps me feel more settled and regulated.
Alternate-nostril breathing, or Nadi-Shodana, is a form of pranayama, the practice of intentionally attending to and regulating the breath. Pranayama developed within the yogic tradition and is also taught within Ayurveda as part of caring for the relationship among body, mind, energy, and awareness.
I learned Nadi Shodana through my Chopra Ayurvedic training, and it has remained one of the simple practices I return to when I want to become more centered, attentive, and aware of my internal state.
The technique involves gently closing one nostril while breathing in through the other, then shifting to close the other nostril so you can breathe out through the first, now-open nostril. Inhale next through that open nostril and then create a slow alternation between the two sides.
The sequence may look complicated when it is written down, but once your hand learns the pattern, it can begin to feel rhythmic and natural.
What Does “Balance” Mean in This Practice?
Nadi Shodhana is often described as a balancing breath.
Within traditional yoga and Ayurveda, the practice is understood as supporting balance among different qualities of energy and awareness. Some people experience it as calming. Others feel clearer, more alert, or simply more connected to their bodies.
Balance does not mean that every difficult feeling disappears.
You may still be tired, anxious, distracted, angry, grieving, or uncertain. The practice is not meant to erase your experience. It offers a way to pause, attend to the breath, and notice whether something shifts.
Sometimes that shift is subtle:
The breath becomes less hurried.
The body feels a little less tense.
Attention becomes more focused.
There is a greater sense of internal space.
We feel more able to respond rather than react immediately.
Not everyone will experience the practice in the same way, and its effects may vary from one occasion to another.
What Does the Research Suggest?
Research on alternate-nostril breathing has explored its relationship to autonomic, cardiovascular, respiratory, and cognitive functioning.
A systematic review of 44 randomized trials reported promising findings related to autonomic and cardiopulmonary measures and some aspects of cognitive functioning. However, the breathing techniques, frequency, and length of practice varied among the studies. Most participants were healthy, and additional research is needed in clinical populations.
Smaller studies have also examined changes in blood pressure, heart-rate variability, attention, reaction time, and perceived stress. These findings are interesting, but they do not establish alternate-nostril breathing as a treatment for a mental-health or medical condition.
It is most accurate to understand Nadi Shodhana as a traditional breath-awareness practice that may support calm, attention, and regulation for some people, not as a cure or guaranteed way to reverse symptoms.
How to Practice Alternate-Nostril Breathing
Choose a place where you can sit comfortably and remain still for a few minutes.
Do not practice while driving, walking, operating equipment, or doing anything that requires your full visual and physical attention.
Allow your spine to feel supported and upright without becoming rigid. Relax your shoulders and jaw.
This beginner version does not include holding the breath. Let each inhale and exhale remain gentle and comfortable.
1. Settle Into Your Natural Breath
Before changing anything, notice how you are breathing.
You do not need to take an especially deep breath. Allow the breath to move at a pace that feels natural and unforced.
2. Position Your Hand
Bring your right hand toward your face.
You will use:
Your right thumb to close your right nostril.
Your right ring finger to close your left nostril.
Your index and middle fingers may rest gently between your eyebrows or fold toward your palm, whichever position feels more comfortable.
3. Inhale Through the Left Nostril
Gently close your right nostril with your thumb.
Inhale comfortably through your left nostril.
4. Exhale Through the Right Nostril
Close your left nostril with your ring finger.
Release your thumb from the right nostril.
Exhale gently through the right nostril.
5. Inhale Through the Right Nostril
Keeping the left nostril closed, inhale through the right nostril.
6. Exhale Through the Left Nostril
Close the right nostril with your thumb.
Release the ring finger from the left nostril.
Exhale through the left nostril.
This completes one full round:
Inhale left → exhale right → inhale right → exhale left
Continue slowly for several rounds or for approximately three to five minutes.
When you are ready to stop, lower your hand and allow yourself to breathe naturally through both nostrils. Pause and notice how you feel before returning to your day.
The Breath Should Remain Effortless
Alternate-nostril breathing is not a test of how deeply, slowly, or perfectly you can breathe.
You do not need to force air through a congested nostril, make the inhale and exhale exceptionally long, or continue when the practice feels uncomfortable.
For this introductory version:
Keep the breath smooth and easy.
Do not strain.
Do not hold your breath.
Do not try to produce a particular sensation.
Stop if you feel dizzy, breathless, nauseated, agitated, or uncomfortable.
If one or both nostrils are significantly blocked, return to ordinary breathing and try the practice another time.
People with significant respiratory or cardiovascular conditions, people who are pregnant, or anyone who becomes symptomatic during breath practices may wish to consult an appropriate healthcare professional before using structured breathing exercises.
Breath Awareness Is Also Information
A breathing practice does more than change the rhythm of respiration. It may help us notice our relationship with slowing down.
You may discover that focusing on your breath feels comforting.
You may also notice impatience, self-consciousness, an urge to do the practice correctly, difficulty receiving stillness, or resistance to stopping what you were doing.
None of these responses means you have failed.
They are part of what becomes visible when we pause.
The question is not only:
Did this make me feel calmer?
We might also wonder:
What did I notice when I became still?
Was I able to let the breath remain easy?
Did I try to force an outcome?
What happened in my body?
What thoughts or emotions entered my awareness?
Did one part of me welcome the pause while another resisted it?
A practice can offer a window into ourselves even when it does not produce the feeling we expected.
When This Practice May Be Helpful
Alternate-nostril breathing may be useful:
Before meditation or reflective journaling.
At the beginning of a retreat or meaningful gathering.
Before a conversation that requires presence.
During a transition between work and home.
When attention feels scattered.
As part of a morning or evening ritual.
Before setting an intention.
It should not replace medical evaluation, psychotherapy, prescribed treatment, or crisis support.
It is one possible practice among many. If it does not feel helpful, you can return to natural breathing, feel your feet on the floor, look around the room, walk, stretch, or choose another form of grounding.
Looking Through This Window
After practicing for a few minutes, pause and ask:
What did I notice before I began?
What changed, if anything?
Did the practice feel calming, focusing, uncomfortable, or neutral?
What happened when I stopped trying to achieve a particular result?
What does my body seem to need now?
You do not have to transform your state.
Allow the breath to offer a brief window into what is already present.
Continue Exploring
How Can Intention Help Me Move Toward What I Desire? Listen inwardly and consider where you want to direct your energy.
How Can Journaling Help You Know Yourself More Deeply? Use reflective writing to notice feelings, associations, and patterns.
Can You Analyze Yourself? Explore meditation, bodily awareness, relationships, and other windows into your inner life.
References
Ghiya, S. (2017). Alternate nostril breathing: A systematic review of clinical trials. International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences, 5(8), 3273–3286.
Telles, S., Yadav, A., Kumar, N., & Sharma, S. (2013). Blood pressure and Purdue Pegboard scores in individuals with hypertension after alternate-nostril breathing, breath awareness, and no intervention. Medical Science Monitor, 19, 61–66.
Ghiya, S., & Lee, C. M. (2012). Influence of alternate-nostril breathing on heart-rate variability in non-practitioners of yogic breathing. International Journal of Yoga, 5(1), 66–69.
About Jamie Cromer Grue
Jamie Cromer Grue (Jamie Cromer, LCSW, ACSW, FABP) is a licensed clinical social worker, board-certified psychoanalyst and Training and Supervising Analyst. She is also a Certified Ayurvedic lifestyle instructor and the founder of Windows to Wisdom.
Jamie brings more than 30 years of clinical experience to an integrated approach drawing from psychoanalysis, holistic wellness, contemplative practice, creativity, and the wisdom of everyday life. Through Windows to Wisdom, she makes complex ideas about the inner life more accessible, inviting people to listen more deeply to themselves, recognize meaningful patterns, and develop greater self-awareness, resilience, and freedom.
Jamie’s psychoanalytic knowledge and clinical experience inform the public education offered through Windows to Wisdom. Windows to Wisdom is separate from her clinical practice; reading these materials or participating in its programs does not constitute therapy or establish a therapist–patient relationship.
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