Lulla ParivarLULLA FAMILY, HomeHindi

Hand gesture

Vishnu and Nasagra

Learn the hand position, then follow a complete alternate-nostril practice without holding the breath.

Practice the gesture

A clear finger arrangement makes it easier to change nostrils gently. Learn the hand first, then use the complete alternate-nostril guide below.

The right index and middle fingers are folded inward; thumb, ring finger and little finger remain free.Enlarge image

Vishnu: first learn the finger arrangement.

The right thumb rests at the right nostril; ring and little fingers are on the other side, with the left nostril open.Enlarge image

The first side: right thumb at the right nostril, left nostril open. Follow the complete breathing sequence below.

Illustrated hand placement

Settle in

Sit comfortably upright. Rest the left hand on the thigh and let the right shoulder relax.

Place your hands

  1. Fold the right index and middle fingers toward the palm.
  2. Keep the thumb free and the ring and little fingers together.
  3. Bring the hand near the nose, with the thumb beside the right nostril and the ring and little fingers beside the left.
  4. First learn where the fingers rest. Use their light closing touch with the breathing sequence below.

Breath and attention

The complete guide is below. Breathe in through one nostril and out through the other, then breathe in through that second side and return to the first. Keep the transitions free of breath holding.

What to notice

  • How little pressure is needed to close a nostril?
  • Can the right shoulder and face remain relaxed while you follow the sequence?

Finish gently

Lower the right hand to your thigh, unfold the fingers, and return to normal breathing through both nostrils.

Make it easier

Practice the finger shape away from the nose first. If the arm tires, lower the hand and breathe normally.

Take care

Return to natural breathing if a nostril is fully blocked, finger pressure hurts, or controlling the breath increases anxiety. Keep the complete guide’s cautions with the practice.

Use it for alternate-nostril breathing

What this version includes

The practice below alternates the nostrils without retention. One round returns you to the side where the cycle began. Its four-round suggestion belongs to this library’s introductory guide; it is not a quotation from the Common Yoga Protocol, which gives five rounds.

02

Gentle practice

Alternate-Nostril Breathing

anuloma viloma

Alternate airflow between the nostrils with Viṣṇu mudrā and no retention.

Set up

Sit upright and rest the left hand on the thigh. Form Viṣṇu mudrā with the right hand: fold the index and middle fingers inward, keep the ring and little fingers together, and use the thumb and the last two fingers at the nostrils.

How to practice
  1. Close the right nostril with the right thumb and inhale through the left.
  2. Close the left nostril with the joined ring and little fingers; release the thumb and exhale through the right.
  3. Inhale through the right; close it with the thumb, release the ring and little fingers, and exhale through the left.
  4. This completes one round. Keep the touch light and the breath quiet.

Breath & pace
Begin with 4 rounds at an even, comfortable count.

Understanding the practice

Different teaching lineages use the names Nadi Shodhana and Anuloma Viloma for several sequences that differ from one another. What you have here is the simple form alone: the breath moves from one nostril to the other and back. Do not treat it as a stand-in for the full traditional sequence, with its set ratios, its bandhas or its kumbhaka.

Modern teaching context: Swami Satyananda Saraswati, Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha, Nadi Shodhana section. This version uses no retention.

Sources and meaning

The folded-index-and-middle-finger form is called Vishnu in the Sivananda Companion and Nasagra in the 2026 Common Yoga Protocol. ICYER uses Vishnu for another arrangement with the middle finger at the brow. The hand shape follows Sivananda and the protocol, and the full introductory sequence without retention is given with it.