Daily tip · Monday 17 August 2026

Anulom Vilom: 3-Minute Nasal Cycle for Focus

Anulom Vilom is the alternate-nostril breath — three minutes of this and your scattered mind converges into steady focus. It is the single most reliable breath practice for students, professionals, and anyone before an important task.

3 minutesBeginnerBreath & Focus

Anulom Vilom: 3-Minute Nasal Cycle for Focus

How to do it

Sit tall in a chair or on the floor. Spine straight, shoulders relaxed.
Rest the left hand on the left knee. With the right hand, fold the index and middle fingers into the palm.
Use the right thumb to close the right nostril. Inhale slowly through the LEFT nostril for 4 counts.
Close the LEFT nostril with the ring finger. Release the right thumb. Exhale slowly through the RIGHT for 4 counts.
Inhale through the RIGHT for 4 counts.
Close the RIGHT again. Release the LEFT. Exhale through the LEFT for 4 counts.
That is ONE round. Complete 9 rounds. Then sit quietly for 30 seconds and notice your mind.

The storyThe ancient Siddhars observed that we naturally breathe more through one nostril at a time — the dominance switches every 90 minutes or so. When both sides are activated equally, mental clarity peaks. Anulom Vilom is the tool that brings both hemispheres into balance on demand.

The scienceAlternating airflow through each nostril appears to influence autonomic nervous system balance — the right nostril linked to sympathetic (activating) processes, the left to parasympathetic (calming). Practising alternate-nostril breathing has been observed to reduce heart-rate variability stress markers and support mental clarity. It is one of the most-studied traditional breath techniques in modern research.

Heritage wisdomCalled Nadi Shodhana in Sanskrit — 'the purifier of energy channels'. The Siddha tradition places this practice at the heart of daily discipline, taught to be practised before study, worship, or important decisions. Master Segar teaches Anulom Vilom as the foundational breath practice for every SEGA student.

Who this is forStudents preparing for exams, professionals before high-stakes meetings, anyone with a scattered or overactive mind, meditation practitioners.

Take carePractise on an empty or light stomach. If you have a blocked nose or sinus infection, wait until you're clear. Do not force the breath — the practice is about smoothness, not depth.

Best timingMorning is best. Before study or work. Not immediately after meals.

Four-week progressionWeek 1: 6 rounds daily. Week 2: 9 rounds. Week 3: 12 rounds. Week 4: 12 rounds + brief silent sitting after.

Want help doing this properly?

Master Segar and the SEGA team offer personalised guidance — for individuals, families, offices and schools. Message us and we will walk you through it.

WhatsApp us Contact page

More tips