Pranayama help

[abhija]

Hi there...
I am practicing Pranayama. It is said that while doing Pranayama, both the nostrils should be clear for better breathing. But I found that every morning either of my nostrils is choked alternatively and it becomes difficult to breathe through the choked nostril during Pranayama.

Is there any way my both the nostrils remain clear during Pranayama?
Please guide me.

Thanks

Note: I am not suffering cough and cold

[InnerAthlete]

It is possible the answer to your question is "no" they will not be clear.

It is also possible you are consuming too much dairy in your diet and that is leading to the congestion you are experiencing. It is possible you should blow your nose before practice. It is also possible that you would see some positive results from Neti.

[Pandara]

Hi,

It is a physical fact that one of the two nostrils will always be a little more blocked than the other. This is how we as humans have been constructed and we need to live with it. We do experience rare occassions where both nostrills will be equally open and is such cases do as Swami Venkateshananda once said sit down where you are immediately and start to meditate.

It is also a known fact that most people are more blocked due to sleeping horizontally in the mornings than the rest of the day, so perhaps wait until later in the day to do your pranayama, when through being vertical some of the blockage has cleared away naturally.

One of the benefits of doing for example alternate nostril breathing is that with regular practice and loads of patience the two nostrills will balance more and more. With pranayama you need time and patience, it a practice which takes a long time to cultivate correctly.

[Prascina]

Hi,
It's natural to get one nostril blocked ..alternatively every 90 minutes.Before going to the higher levels of pranayama like IA said Neti could help and also some very simple breathing exercises and continue with the nadi shodana..kapalabhasti or bastrika.