Nostril Dominance and What it Does for You

It turns out that we breathe mostly through one nostril at a time, and that means leaning into one side of the sinuses and so forth. Your breath travels across one side of your palate. You cycle through right-dominance to left-dominance every 4 to 6 hours. And that has cognitive implications! Right nostril dominance is associated with left hemisphere activation — the more verbal, analytical mode. Left nostril dominance tips toward the right hemisphere — more spatial and intuitive. The effect may be cleaner when you deliberately force one nostril than when you just observe which one happens to be open. And this is a perfect example where subjective experience is what matters — does it work for you? Can you feel a change in your moodscape? Can you just leave the whole cause and effect thing behind and be happy whether you imagine it or "really" perceive it or a bit of both? If it is useful, use it.