Lauren’s Reviews > Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art > Status Update

Inhaling through the left nostril has the opposite effect: it works as a kind of brake system… connected to the parasympathetic nervous system, the rest-and-relax side that lowers blood pressure, cools the body, and reduces anxiety…..influences creative thought and plays a role in the formation of mental abstractions and the production of negative emotions.

The right nostril is a gas pedal. ..circulation speeds up, your body gets hotter, and cortisol levels, blood pressure, and heart rate all increase... breathing through the right side of the nose activates the sympathetic nervous system, the “fight or flight” mechanism that puts the body in a more elevated state of alertness and readiness. .. associated with logical decisions, language, and computing.

Inhaling from the nose has the opposite effect. It forces air against all those flabby tissues at the back of the throat, making the airways wider and breathing easier. After a while, these tissues and muscles get “toned” to stay in this opened and wide position. Nasal breathing begets more nasal breathing.