24 minutes is the crucial teaching, not ratios, not controlling the breath

The crucial teaching on Nadi Shodhana (Left Right Breath) is:

It takes an established Hatha Yogi a minimum of 24 minutes of Left Right Breath everyday for 6 months to a year for the initial effects begin to work. Yes, it may take you a couple of months to work your way up to 24 minutes, and then another year, but so what? You are headed in the right direction. This 24 minutes of alternate stimulation of the hemispheres of the brain will become the most valuable and worthwhile adventure you have taken. But no one knows this, or values this, ahead of time!

Getting to 24 minutes is the reason for This Next Breath online courses and classes. It is designed to help an average person get to 24 minutes easily, joyfully, and start each day in a curious and inspired way. As we practice, we experiment, we focus and refocus in different postures, just like other yoga classes. We learn about the hands and the meridians, then pratyahara, the mind moving inside naturally comes alive, Mindfulness becomes super focused and we discover all the internal dharana practices.  The learning never stops once you get established in a daily 24 minute practice.

If a doctor tells you to take 24 mg of antibiotic with each meal, but you decide to cut the dose in half and only take it a three times a week, when you feel like it, you cannot expect the antibiotic to work. This is what yoga teachers have been teaching and practicing for the last few decades. Too little practice and then everyone, including the yoga teachers, miss out on the profound physical, mental, emotional and spiritual revolution that comes with significant pranayama practice.

Praana + Yama = “Control the Breath” 


or is it:


Praana + Ayama = “Free up, Liberate, the non-control of Breath”

This is a common discussion amongst the yogis.

The difference between these 2 broadly touted conceptions is clear. Many yoga teachers are focused on control, the mind controlling the Breath. Most Breath apps on your phone are about mind controlling the breath.

We are instructed to breathe in certain ratios in order to produce certain effects. Indeed, there is something to be learned by these practices. Willfully driven exercises can be useful for beginners, and are useful to illustrate a point. Ultimately they do us a disservice.

We were taught to practice for 3 rounds, 5 rounds, 5 -10 minutes, and after a while you work way up to controlling the breath according to a ratio. Classically, the Yogi Gold Standard is to inhale for 4, hold for 16 counts, exhale for 8 count. With our arm, neck and shoulder rigidly frozen and we soon discover this is a miserable practice. Almost no-one continues with this approach to pranayama for very long. Most people drop pranayama at this point, because it is a pain in the neck, or they get bored with the lack of love, the monotony and mind numbing drudgery.

Then we are instructed to willfully hold the breath.  In the advanced pranayama practice, we are told that the breath ultimately stops.  Again, stopping the breath is often taught as the ego mind stopping the breath. Indeed, there are many things to be learned with controlling practices. There are many physiological benefits that will occur when controlling practices are sustained over long periods of time, but controlling is so gruesome that most yogis fail miserably with this approach.

The question remains: “Who is doing the controlling?”  Is your personality in control with all of its wants and desires? The Ego mind, or worse still… is the Spiritual Ego Mind is in control?

There is a Better Way

Many yogis have pointed out, that the control approach, is a classical misinterpretation of the practice.

The other interpretation of praanaayaama is to, free up, liberate the breath and not-control the breath. But what does that mean? (read other blog posts.)

We surrender to the breath. We become curious about the Breath, perhaps even have fun with the breath. Let us listen to the breath, rather than be its master. Let’s listen to what is, listen to the breath revealing the moment, the “Spirit” unfolding.

But the crucial teaching is to everyday get to 24 minutes of alternate stimulation of the left and right hemispheres of the brain, preferably upon rising early in the morning.

Of all the remarkable insights and discoveries of the yogis, the most significant discovery of the yogis has always been right in front of our noses. Alternating the breath through one side of the body and then the other side. Simple. Too simple. Almost every beginner yogi is taught this practice. Back and forth, sun and moon, male and female metaphors abounding, the inhale is directed through one sinus and then the next.

Getting to 24 minutes joyfully with a deep sense of reverence and gratitude is why This Next Breath Practices were created. Anyone can do this. You don’t have to be a special person. And you will be so glad you took this path….  a few months from now. 

Relax with the Breath. Ahh, easy.