#9 A Peaceful Pause

Ease a restless mind by breathing with the moon

Photo by Aron Visuals on Unsplash

Welcome to this month’s edition of A Peaceful Pause.

A Peaceful Pause is one of my regular monthly offerings for my closed Substack community, along with The Reset. Each month A Peaceful Pause features a guided audio practice from me. If you’re currently a free subscriber, upgrading your subscription will give you access to all my new meditation and yoga practices here as well as my growing archive of all posts.

And remember that referring a friend gives you the chance to receive a complimentary paid subscription starting from 1 month up to 6 months.

Breathing with the moon – what does that mean?

This week I saw mention of a new TikTok trend called Moon Breathing.  When I looked into this, I saw that this trend is in fact a pranayama from the ancient practice of yoga called Chandra Bhedana. 

Chandra = moon

Bhedana = piercing

So, Chandra Bhedana translates as ‘piercing the moon’.

Also known as left nostril breathing, this practice can be helpful for those times when your mind is feeling restless or when you want to wind down from the day.

Chandra Bhedana is a cooling, calming practice that involves inhaling through the left nostril and exhaling through the right. 

This is one of the practices I’ve shared in my book, where I explain that the left nostril is associated with the moon (chandra) and Ida nadi, while the right nostril is associated with the sun (surya) and Pingala nadi:   

“The two main subtle energy channels (nadis) involved here are Ida, associated with the right side of the brain and left side of the body and Pingala, associated with the left side of the brain and the right side of the body. While Ida is known for cooling and calming, Pingala is known for heating and activating. “ – extract from Rest + Calm

By forming Vishnu mudra (pictured below) with your right hand you can use your right thumb and right ring finger to gently close off and open each nostril respectively, as you inhale and exhale.

Alternatively, you may wish to practice Chandra Bhedana psychically (visualising inhaling and exhaling through the nostrils instead of using the mudra).

---

Want to experience practices like this with me in-person? Here’s where you can join me before the end of this year:

The Rest Sessions: A Rest + Calm Mini-Retreat on Saturday 25^th November 2.30-4.45pm at Yoga Point, Brixton. Details here.

Rest + Restore on Friday 8^th December at Embody Wellness, Vauxhall. Details via the Embody Wellness workshops & events page here.

---

Here’s your guided Chandra Bhedana practice (7mins):

(You might find it easier to listen to this and all past practices via the Substack app or website.)