Dalai Lama Pranayama: A Pre-Meditation Practice
On a recent visit to Greenhouse Holistic, Nancy Allen shared a new pranayama technique she learned from the Dalai Lama to help focus the mind. Straight from the horse’s mouth (in this case, His Holiness), follow these steps to help quiet the chatter in your brain before sitting down for meditation:
- make diamond fists with your hands (bring thumb to middle of palm, fingers clasping to palm over the thumb)
- inhale and draw the fists up in line with the collarbone/shoulders, exhale punch fists straight out
- extend both arms out (like in Warrior 2) and draw right fist to left armpit so that the first knuckle kinda digs into the armpit
- lower left arm and draw left fist to face level, extending the index finger and closing off the right nostril
- inhale left nostril, close left nostril with left index finger, exhale right nostril
- close right nostril with left index finger, inhale left nostril
- continue with the alternate nostril breathing for 5 breaths and release
- make diamond fists with both hands again
- inhale and draw the fists up in line with the collarbone/shoulders, exhale punch fists straight out
- extend both arms out (like in Warrior 2) and draw left fist to right armpit so that the first knuckle kinda digs into the armpit
- lower right arm and draw right fist to face level, extending the index finger and closing off the left nostril
- inhale right nostril, close right nostril with right index finger, exhale left nostril
- close left nostril with right index finger, inhale right nostril
- continue with the alternate nostril breathing for 5 breaths and release
