We all love our families, extra social events, over-eating and all the other things that make up the end of the year. However, those same items can create more stress than in normal weeks. If you are planning to dance during the end of the year, consider doing a little breathing exercise before you begin to ground you and get you more relaxed so that you dance well.
Alternate nostril breathing
Nadi Shodhana (alternate nostril breathing) helps to relieve stress and anxiety, so it’s a great complement both holiday survival and to preparation for dancing tango! It also balances the right and left sides of the body energetically, so it should also improve your balance. It sounds weird, but it works: try it!
Nadi Shodhana technique
Preparation:
Sit in a comfortable place, either on the floor or in a chair if the floor is not comfortable.
Lengthen your spine up out of your pelvis so you have plenty of space for your breath in your body
Rest your left hand in your lap, palm up.
Take your right hand and connect your thumb and ring finger (fourth finger) together to create a pincer effect. You can rest your index and middle finger on your forehead between your eyes if you wish.
Take one normal full breath in and out.
Close off the right side of your nostril with your thumb and inhale fully.
Close off both sides of your nose for a moment, then use your ring finger to close off your left nostril as you exhale through the right.
On the next inhale, keep the left side closed, breathing in on the right side.
Again, close off both sides for a moment, then release the left side of your nose and exhale on the left side.
That is one set of breathing (in on left, out on right; in on right, out on left). Do at least five sets of breathing. If at any time this makes you feel MORE stressed, stop relax, and try again, or try the no-nose-pinching version below. If this feels comfortable, try to balance the speed of your breathing, so that the inhale and exhale match, and gradually build up the “hold” between inhale and exhale. If you are new to this, don’t worry too much about the holds between inhale and exhale: you can extend them as you get used to the breathing technique.
And if you have a cold, try this
Alternate nostril breathing does not have to involve plugging your nose! I found this out when I took an online yoga teacher training class and was too stuffy to breathe well while only using half my nose. The teacher suggested this modification and I was surprised that it worked as well for stress/relaxation as actually blocking my nostrils!
Try sitting comfortably, focusing on the pattern of alternate nostril breathing (above), but instead of plugging one side of your nose, rest your hands palm up on your legs, and connect your thumb and fourth finger of your right hand, and inhale thinking about the left nostril. Pinch both sets of fingers together, then release the right side and exhale thinking about the right side of your nose. Continue, “pinching off” one side and then the other with your hands resting in your lap.