What is moon breathing?
Moon breathing is a Japanese breathing technique that relieves stress and helps you to relax. It allows your mind to focus on the exercise, while your breathing calms. So in essence it is a form of meditation. When reading the guide to the exercise below, you might laugh and think: “Is this some kind of a joke?” But don’t let this discourage you from trying this technique. Here is how it works:
- Make sure you are in a comfortable position.
- Close your eyes and relax your body and face; including your tongue, jaw, and the muscles around your eyes.
- Now, using your right thumb, close your right nostril.
- Allow your index and middle fingers to rest against the palm of your hand and stretch both your little and ring finger as far as you can.
- Now breathe in deeply through your left nostril. Why your left nostril? Because the left side of your body is believed to be more closely linked to your nervous system.
- Before exhaling, use your right ring finger to block your left nostril. Release your thumb and breathe out calmly through your right nostril.
- Keep repeating this exercise.
After some minutes you should notice that your breathing has calmed down and that you feel relaxed. It may seem somewhat of a strange practice, but it is worth trying. We certainly believe so.
