From Firdose Moonda, I’ve learned that nadi shodhana pranayama, or alternate nostril breathing, is a technique at least as old as the Upanishads – a collection of Vedic Sanskrit texts written roughly between 800 and 300 before the common era.

From James Nestor, I’ve learned that it improves lung function and lowers heart rate, blood pressure, and sympathetic stress.

No wonder it has continued to be practiced for so long!