{"id":5241,"date":"2015-02-10T15:07:57","date_gmt":"2015-02-10T20:07:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gozen.com\/?p=5241"},"modified":"2018-11-15T13:13:59","modified_gmt":"2018-11-15T18:13:59","slug":"a-mindful-minute-a-funny-looking-but-powerful-breathing-exercise-for-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gozen.com\/a-mindful-minute-a-funny-looking-but-powerful-breathing-exercise-for-kids\/","title":{"rendered":"A Mindful Minute: A Funny-Looking, But Powerful, Breathing Exercise for Kids"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Mindful<\/a>\u201cWait\u2026what are you\u2026 are you doing what I think\u2026 ew, are you scratching\u2026 OH NO\u2026 Are you picking your nose? AAAAAAAH!\u201d<\/p>\n

This might be the reaction you get along with fits of giggles from kids learning a\u00a0powerful, albeit funny-looking, ancient yogic breathing exercise. It\u2019s a great thing that kids find this technique\u00a0fun(ny) as it encourages them to engage in\u00a0mindful breathing.<\/p>\n

What is it?<\/h3>\n

In Sanskrit, this technique is called Nadi Shodhan Pranayama (nadi <\/em>= energy channel; shodhan<\/em> = purification;\u00a0pranayama<\/em> = breathing technique). The goal of this exercise is to purify the energy channels in your body or purify the nervous system by balancing breath between the right and left nostrils. In the West, we call this alternate nostril breathing because it literally calls for a\u00a0focus on breathing through one nostril and then switching over to the other.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why is it good?<\/h3>\n

At any time of the day we predominantly breathe through one nostril only. Every 90-120 minutes, a\u00a0switch occurs. Sometimes, however, our breath becomes imbalanced. Stopping to consciously control the\u00a0frequency, rhythm,\u00a0and duration of breath through each nostril helps\u00a0bring equal amounts of oxygen to both sides of the brain for improved brain function. Here\u2019s a short list of the researched benefits of alternate nostril breathing:<\/p>\n