You probably already know that the brain has two hemispheres, the right and left, and that the left side of the brain generally controls the right side of the body and vice versa.

The left part of the brain is in control when logic is needed. It controls verbal tasks, paying attention to details and linear thinking. The right hemisphere, on the other hand, is more creative. It covers visualization and intuition.

Wouldn't it be great if you could call on the creative or the logical qualities of your mind or the other when you needed it?

The truth is you can, just by using a little breath control. Paying attention to how you breathe and taking the time to breathe correctly can make a big difference in your energy levels.

You've probably thinking you didn't know there was a wrong way to breathe, and there really isn't, there are just more efficient and less efficient ways depending on what you want to do.

Let's say for example that you're studying for a test. Maybe it's a math test. You need all the logical brain you can handle so that you can focus on remembering and understanding the material at hand.

Take a quick break from your studying, use the tip of one finger to gently close your left nostril by pressing it against the fleshy part of the nose. Then just breathe in and out through the right nostril for a couple of minutes.

Likewise, if you need energy to harness your creative powers, gently hold the right nostril closed and breathe only through the left nostril. This process works because it activates different energy pathways in the body, activating different properties of your mind. It's a very powerful process.

This is a really simple way to change your energy patterns through breath control and to give yourself a little boost and an extra dose of focus. It has been scientifically shown that we naturally breathe out of one nostril at a time, and we unconsciously change which nostril we are using about every 90 minutes, and the levels of activity in the parts of the brain actually change correspondingly to the change in the breath.

This makes a lot of sense because it keeps a good supply of oxygen going to both parts of the brain, but when you need a boost you can easily selectively breathe through one nostril or the other to bring more energy and focus into the work that you are doing.

This is one simple way to use breath control to improve your life. It just takes a few seconds; I hope you'll try it!