To anyone who has even taken a cursory interest in their own being, it is apparent that our being changes from moment to moment.  Our moods, thinking, personality and indeed even our body physiology is said to be in a constant state of flux according to the ancient Yogis.  This phenomena of change is due to the changing balance of the two kinds of energy within the human being – a positive solar (male) energy and a negative lunar (female) energy.

Energy and consciousness, permeate the whole of our being through the network of energy channels called nadis.  All these channels converge into two main channels – ida and pingala which travel up the body on either side of the spine, – the lunar energy flows through ida and the solar energy through pingala, and they move upward through the body from the perineum to the crown of the head.

To live life fully and evolve in a harmonious way we must practice, achieve and maintain balance between the right and left brain, between ida and pingala, as this will have very real implications in our daily life, in the way we function, interact, grow and evolve. The science of studying (and consciously manipulating) the dynamic balance of energies in the body is known as SWARA YOGA.

Ancient Yogis noted that every 60 to 90 minutes one of the channels becomes dominant and the other passive (this is called NOSTRIL DOMINANCE) – the dominant nostril becomes clear and the passive nostril becomes partially or fully blocked. Certain attributes, characteristics and traits are traditionally associated with nostril dominance and these would affect the behaviour, desire and abilities of the Yogi. Below is a short list of the effects of the changing balance of energy in the body as seen via nostril dominance –

LEFT NOSTRIL DOMINANCE
 Receptiveness
 Body Coolness
 Elimination of Toxins
 Thirst
 Expending energy in a slow sustained way
 Nourishing
 Imaginative pursuits
 Playing music and singing
 Reciting mantras
 Initiating sustaining relationships
 Drinking liquids
 Intuitive, holistic thinking
 Subjective decision making

RIGHT NOSTRIL DOMINANCE
 Activity
 Increased body heat
 Strength
 Hunger
 Eating and digesting food
 Short term intense effort
 Expending energy in a vigorous way
 Aggressive, negative acts
 Intellectual pursuits
 Deductive rational reasoning
 Hunting and fighting
 Attention to detail