Candra Bhedana
Left-Nostril Breath
In through the left nostril only, out through the right. The cooling one.
12 breathsPitta
How to do it
Close the right nostril with the thumb and breathe in through the left only, then close the left and breathe out through the right. Keep repeating in that one direction — in left, out right — for twelve rounds. It is the mirror of the heating breath, and it is deliberately one-directional.
SeatedSeated — exactly the same.
What it does
Cools directly. Useful on an irritable evening when sleep won't come.
When you'll be given it
Pitta protocol, evenings, and through Grishma season.
Where it comes from
Later hatha texts, as the cooling counterpart to Surya Bhedana (HYP 2.48–50).
Take care
Not in cold weather or with a blocked nose. Skip if you already feel chilled.
Not sure whether it suits you? Ask a Vaidya.
There's no button here to start this. Your practice is prescribed each morning — that's what keeps the dose honest.