Anulom Vilom, alternate nostril breathing, is one of the best known and most useful pranayama practices for calming the nervous system. It consists of breathing slowly while alternating the two nostrils, closing one and then the other. It is also called Nadi Shodhana. In this article I explain how it is done, what effects research supports (with its limits), and which part belongs to tradition rather than to evidence, without inflating any promises.
What Anulom Vilom is
Anulom Vilom is a slow, controlled breath in which you inhale through one nostril and exhale through the other, alternating rhythmically. Because it is a paused breath, it belongs to the group of techniques that calm rather than activate: its effect goes in the direction of relaxation, not arousal.
This distinction matters and is often told badly. Anulom Vilom does not seek to hyperventilate or speed anything up; it seeks to slow the breath and, with it, the state of the nervous system.
How to practise it, step by step
- Sit comfortably, with your back straight and your shoulders relaxed.
- With your right thumb, close your right nostril. Inhale slowly through the left.
- Close the left nostril with your ring finger, release the right, and exhale slowly through the right.
- Inhale through the right, switch, and exhale through the left.
- That is one cycle. Continue for about five minutes, without forcing and without holding the breath at first.
The key is not power but slowness: the gentler and more regular the breath, the clearer the calming effect.
What the evidence shows (and its limits)
Here it helps to be precise, because exaggerated claims circulate. What research reasonably supports is this.
A systematic review with meta-analysis published in Complementary Medicine Research in 2024 pooled several trials and found that alternate nostril breathing modestly lowers blood pressure: around 7 mmHg systolic and 5 mmHg diastolic compared with control groups. It is a favourable result, but the authors themselves warn that heterogeneity between studies is high, so it should be read with caution and not as a fixed figure.
In addition, slow breathing in general (around six breaths per minute, the pace a well-practised Anulom Vilom tends towards) increases cardiac vagal activity, that is, the branch of the nervous system that brakes and calms, according to controlled trials. That is the most solid mechanism and explains the sense of calm.
An honest nuance that corrects a very common error: the aim is to increase heart rate variability, not to reduce it; high variability is a sign of good regulation. Not all studies find significant changes in that parameter, so it should not be promised. What is safe is the calming effect and the moderate drop in blood pressure.
The nadis: what tradition says
The name Nadi Shodhana means "purification of the channels". In the yogic tradition, this breath is said to cleanse the nadis, the channels through which prana or vital energy flows, and to balance the two sides of the body. This belongs to the symbolic language of yoga and Ayurveda, not to measurable physiology, and it is best presented as what it is: a map of inner experience, valuable in its own terrain, that does not need to disguise itself as science to make sense.
When to practise it and when not
Anulom Vilom is a gentle, safe technique for most people. It is best practised on an empty stomach and in a quiet setting. If you feel dizzy, it is a sign you are forcing: slow down. If you have significant nasal congestion or an active respiratory condition, leave it for another time. As with any practice, if you have an underlying condition it is worth discussing it with a professional.
A simple, honest tool
Anulom Vilom is one of those practices that give a lot in return for little: five minutes of slow, alternate breathing that genuinely calm the nervous system, with modest support in research on blood pressure and vagal activity. It does not cure illness or work miracles, and it does not need to. If you want to build breathing and nervous-system care into a wider approach for your case, we look at it in an online Ayurveda consultation.
If you want a breathing and nervous-system routine tailored to you, book an online Ayurveda consultation and we assess it according to your constitution.
References: Nam et al., "Effectiveness of Alternate Nostril Breathing on Blood Pressure", Complementary Medicine Research, 2024 (DOI: 10.1159/000539707); meta-analysis with high heterogeneity. Laborde et al., "Psychophysiological effects of slow-paced breathing at six cycles per minute", Psychophysiology, 2021 (DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13952). This article is informational and does not replace consultation with a health professional.