Suryabhedi Pranayama
Posture:
Sit in a comfortable posture, keeping the head, neck, and spine in a straight line. Place the right thumb on the right nostril, the right index finger between the eye brows, and rest the middle finger against the left nostril.
Process:
Close the left nostril and slowly inhale through the right nostril, filling the lungs completely. Retain the breath for a few seconds, and then, closing the right nostril, exhale completely through the left nostril, pausing momentarily before repeating the process, repeat nine times.
A second method is to inhale through the right nostril, retain it, then exhale through the same nostril, pausing before repeating the process. It can also be practiced without retention or pause.
Time:
Start with three pranayams, extending this to twenty seven; nine in the morning, nine at noon, and nine in the evening per day.
Cautions:
It enhances heat, so it should not be practiced in summer. Those laden with mucus and wind should practice it to pacify these conditions, but those laden with bile should practice this exercise in moderation.
Benefits:
It reduces wind and mucus and increases bile and digestive power. It helps in gastric fire, cold, and asthama.