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Most people have been trained to favor one side of the body or mind and attempt to ignore the other, which results in a great loss in personality. The successful practitioner of Hatha Yoga uses both sides successfully and discovers the body can be trained to overcome some physical and mental problems. Subsequently, methods advocated by Hatha Yoga incorporate a plethora of techniques to cleanse and stabilize the body, among them breath control (4, 5). .
The purpose of alternate nostril breath, balancing the two halves of the body, can be easily achieved (6). Regulating breath will help relieve tension and result in a calm mind and body. One must first be comfortably seated, then the right hand should be brought up to the nose. .
A particular hand position, or Mudra, is employed to achieve alternate-nostril breathing. The index and middle fingers are placed in the middle of the forehead between the eyebrows while the thumb is placed on the right nostril, and the ring and little fingers on the left nostril. Placing each finger strategically has special significance. The thumb symbolizes "the cultivation of will power," and the index finger represents the "I" or the person performing the exercise. Emotional maturity is associated with the ring finger while the little finger controls the mind. Finally, the middle finger signifies "the Absolute or one's spiritual being." Juxtaposing the middle and index fingers unites oneself with "the Absolute or pure consciousness" (7).
Overall, Hatha Yoga constitutes a powerful method of becoming, of self-transformation, of experiencing the body and mind in the here and now. Ancient practitioners of Yoga have prescribed it for millennia and recommend it as the preliminary Yoga before proceeding with other forms (8).
Why try Yoga? Why not? Its short- and long-term benefits are expansive. The mind and body both gain an increased flexibility via Yoga.
