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Physiological and psychological states are reflected in nostril dominance. By controlling which nostril is functioning, it’s possible to “tune” to the activity you’re involved in. For instance, before eating, the right nostril should be open; before drinking water, the left. Breathing through the left nostril generally connects with the right (or “emotional”) side of the brain and produces a quiet, more inner-directed state.

How to Change Nostril Dominance

If, when you wake up, the wrong nostril is dominant, change it right away; otherwise the day may be negative and present obstacles.

There are several ways to change the airflow from one side to the other, if you want to. If you lie on your left side, the right nostril will open. The pressure on the arm and side of your chest sets up a reflex that automati­cally dilates the open nostril and closes off the other one. This can take from three to ten minutes. (Putting your fist in your armpit will give the same result!)

After meals, lie on the left to stimulate the digestive process with the open right nostril. When you go to bed, if you lie on the left side for five or ten minutes, the opened right nostril will create increased body heat. When you're warm and comfortable, turn to the right; that lets the left nos­tril open. Then you're relaxed, calmed, and ready for sleep.

Sometimes air will flow equally through both nostrils, but if one side is closed for as much as six to eight hours, some illness is on the way. The breath is related to the flow of energy (prana or chi); imbalance always precedes the appearance of symptoms.

The constantly changing patterns of airflow are "apparently like a cen­tral clearinghouse, or switchboard, where all the body's functions are hav­ing an effect, and in turn being affected," write Rudolph Ballentine, M.D., and Swami Rama in Science of Breath. " Nostril dominance correlates with many activities and aspects of human existence.