2. INTRODUCTION
Nāḍi (tube, pipe")
"Nadi" means movement.
In the Rig Veda, it means stream.
In Yoga, nadis are the channels of Kundalini
energy.
The Nadis thus are channels, but not only
nerves (snayu).
Yoga Nadis are the channels of mind and the
channels of chitta, the feeling self or being
3. Tantra Yoga identifies 14 principal nadis of
which the following three are the most
important
Acc to Siva samhitha total 3,50,000 nadi
explained
Acc to their guna nadi’s are divided in to
three types
Chitrini
–
satwa
Varjini raja
Sushumna - tamo
4. EARLY REFERENCE
An early version of the nadi system is
mentioned in the Katha Upanishad, which
says:
"A hundred and one are the arteries of the
heart, one of them leads up to the crown of
the head. Going upward through that, one
becomes immortal." (CU 8.6.6)
5. TYPES OF NADI IN TANTRIC YOGA
14 TYPES- According to Siva Samhitha
Sl no. Nadi
Place in body
Place of
termination
Karma
1
Sushumna
Centre of the spin
Crown of head
Agni satwa
2
Ida
Left side of sushumna
Left nostrile
Chandra,tamas
,ganga
3
Pingala
Right side of sushumna
Right nostrile
Soorya, rajas ,
yamuna
4
Hasti jihwa
Infront of ida
Right eye
Darsana
5
Poosha
Behind pingala
Right ear
Hearing
6
Yasawini
Before pingala
Between gandari &
saraswathi
Left ear & left big
toe
6. 7
Alambusha
CONTINUEE….
Kuhuu
8
Bifercate at
mouth & arms
Infront of
sushumna &
linga desa
Evacuation
9
Sankini
Between
Gandhari &
saraswathi
Genital organs
Carries the
essence of the
food
10
Gandhari
Behind ida
Left eye
darsana
11
Saraswati
Behind
sushumna
Tounge
Controls
speech &
helps in
digestion
12
Payaswini
Between
alambusha &
kuhuu
Right big toe
13
Varunee
Between
yasawini &
sivodhar
Flows the body Evacuate
14
Sivodhari
Between
yusha
Absorbs food
7. Out of these Sushumna, ida, pingala,
Saraswathi , varjini and chitra are important
In regard to Kundalini Yoga, there are three
of these nadis: Ida, Pingala, and Sushumna.
9. Sushumna is located at the level of nasika ,
and left to it is the Ida and right to it is
pingala. On the left side of the meru danda ,
ida nadi is situated and its controlling god is
chandra
On the right side of the meru danda , pingla
nadi is situated and surya is its controlling
god
In between ida and pingala , the sushumna is
located and the agni is its controlling god.
10. SUSHUMNA NADI
Sushumna is located at the level of Nasika, and
left to it is the Ida and right to it is Pingala.
Susumna Nadi connects the base chakra to the
crown chakra.
It is very important in Yoga and Tantra in
general.
Alternative medicine also refers to Sushumna
In Raja Yoga or Yoga of Patanjali, when the
mind is quietened through Yama, Niyama,
Asana and Pranayama the important state of
Pratyahara begins.
11.
A person entering this state never complains
of Dispersion of Mind. This is characterised
by observing the movements/jerks in
Sushumna, the central canal in the subtle
body. The movements indicate the flow of
Prana through the central canal and in the
process, the sushumna makes the way for
the ascent of Kundalini.
12.
Sushumna is the central channel is the channel
of ascent, it is the power, which sustains our
evolution and guides us, consciously or
unconsciously, towards the higher awareness of
the Sahasrara. Sushumnas is medium for the
kundalini energy that runs along our spine and
up to the crown of our head, it flows directly
upwards and downwards, between Ida and
Pingala, coursing through the charkas. The
mouth or opening to the sushumna channel, as
well as chitrini nadi and other finer nadis that
are within the sushumna, situated at the root
(muladhar chakra), located at the perineum,
between the genitals and the anus.
13.
Prana flowing in Sushumna brings a great feeling of joy
and can easily be confused with Kundalini Awakening. As
one can feel the tranquility, along with the warmth flowing
through the levels of the spine, this calmness is very
appealing but there is a difference between the flow of
Prana through Sushumna and full Kundalini Awakening,
where that Kundalini energy itself rising. Both Prana and
Kundalini are forms of the universal energy of Shakti,
though here, at this stage, it is still Prana that is flowing in
Sushumna. However, if this knowledge and ability to
focus on sushumna nadi was not gained until death, then
the consciousness of this person will come out of the
body through a different nadi, and will be integrated in
one of the numerous worlds of the expression, according
to the level of vibration and spiritual evolution.
14. PINGALA
It is associated with solar energy.
The word pingala means "tawny" in Sanskrit.
Pingala has a sunlike nature and male energy.
Its temperature is heating and courses from the
left testicle to the right nostril.
It corresponds to the river Yamuna. The Ida and
Pingala nadis are often seen as referring to the
two hemispheres of the brain.
Pingala is the extroverted, solar nadi, and
corresponds to the left hand side of the brain.
Ida is the introverted, lunar nadi, and refers to
the right hand side of the brain.
15. Pingala nadi is of fiery red , rudra rupi and
agneya in its nature , hence called as surya
nadi.
God of pingala with his twelve fold effect is
located at the root of the meru danda ( in the
lower part)
The colour of the pingala is whitish red .
16. IDA
Ida is associated with lunar energy sometime
it is based on solar energy.
The word ida means "comfort" in Sanskrit.
Idā has a moonlike nature and female energy
with a cooling effect. It courses from the right
testicle to the left nostril and corresponds to
the Ganges river.
Ida nadi controls all the mental processes
while Pingala nadi controls all the vital
processes.
17. Nadi emerging from the left testis passes
through the right nose and the nadi emerging
from right nushka passes through the left nose
Ida is the ascending nadi and pingala is the
descending nadi .
The colour of the nadi resembles to that of white
lotus flower
God of the ida has eight fold effect on the body
and nurishes the body through sprinkling nectar.
18. WESTERN TRADITION AND INTERPRETATIONS
Sometimes the three main nadis (Ida, Pingala and
Sushumna) are related to the Caduceus of Hermes: "the
two snakes of which symbolize the kundalini or serpentfire which is presently to be set in motion along those
channels, while the wings typify the power of conscious
flight through higher planes which the development of that
fire confers". In this framework of mystic western
esotericism welded with yoga concepts, sometimes the
three nadis are related and named as alchemical sulphur
and alchemical mercury.
In the East, the symbol of the two serpents twisting on the
rod corresponds to the two currents Pingala and Ida
which coil around the Merudanda: the first is red, hot and
dry, likened to the Sun and the Alchemic Sulphur; the
second, Ida, is cold and wet, like the Alchemic Mercury
and is correlated with the Moon for its silver pallor.
For reference to Chandogya Upanishad 8.6.6 and interpretation as an early form of the occult physiology see: McEvilley,
Thomas. "The Spinal Serpent", in: Harper and Brown, p.94
19. FUNCTIONS AND ACTIVITIES
Nadis are thought to carry a life force energy known as prana in
Sanskrit, or qi in Chinese-based systems. In particular prana
(active) is supposed to circulate inside Pingala, while apana
(passive) is supposed to circulate inside Ida. Inside Sushumna is
supposed to circulate kundalini when awakened. The Ida and
Pingala nadis are often seen as referring to the two hemispheres
of the brain. Pingala is the extroverted (Active), solar nadi, and
corresponds to the right hand side of the body and the left hand
side of the brain.
Ida is the introverted, lunar nadi, and corresponds to the left
hand side of the body and the right hand side of the brain (there
is a contralateralization). These nadis are also said to have an
extrasensory function, playing a part in empathic and instinctive
responses. The two nadis are believed to be stimulated through
different Pranayama practices, including nadi shodhana, which
involves alternate breathing through left and right nostrils, which
would alternately stimulate respectively the left and right sides of
the brain
20.
The rhythmical breathing and special breathing
techniques are supposed to influence the flow of
these nadis or energetic currents. According to this
kind of interpretation (which is the Yoga
interpretation) the breathing techniques will purify and
develop these two energetic currents and will lead to
breathing special exercises whose goal is to awake
kundalini among seven Nadi Chakras in our body. Of
the seven, four are in the trunk of the body, two in the
head- and there is one in the neck. Chakra is the
power center associated with the subtle body of man.
Each chakra is ruled by an incarnation of Goddess
Parashakti.
21.
22. IMPORTANCE OF NADI IN YOGA
Yoga practice can only go so far until you
develop a good understanding of the pranic
system of nadis and chakras. All Yoga asanas
(postures), pranayama (breathing practices)
mudras (postures of attitude) and bhanda's
(energy locks) are performed to stimulate the
flow of prana through the nadis and activate the
chakras. And all this has the ultimate intention of
awakening what is known in yoga as Kundalini the evolutional energy in man.
23. NADI RELATED TO CHAKRA
As sushumna flows inside the central canal of the spinal
cord, ida and pingala simultaneously flow on the outer
surface of the spinal cord, still within the bony vertebral
column.
Ida, pingala and sushumna nadis begin in mooladhara
chakra in the pelvic floor. From there, sushumna flows
directly upwards within the central canal, while ida passes
to the left and pingala to the right.
At swadhisthana chakra, or the sacral plexus, the three
nadis come together again and ida and pingala cross over
one another. Ida passes up to the right, pingala to the left,
and sushumna continues to flow directly upwards in the
central canal.
The three nadis come together again at manipura chakra,
the solar plexus, and so on. Finally, ida, pingala and
sushumna meet in the pineal gland - ajna chakra.
25. CONCLUSION
Nadi in yoga texts describe the channels in the body
through which prana flows
10 types of pranas explained in yoga .
These pranas act as motor force controlling the
involuntary action of the organism.
72000 nadi’s are explained in yoga in that 14 nadi’s are
important
Ida , pingala and sushumna plays vital role in yogic
practice .
Majority of the scholars believes these channels as part of
sensation which the yogis experience during the yoga
procedure .
Besides the nadi’s chakras also connected with the acivity
of prana during yogic exercise .so there is close
connection between chakra and nadi’s
26. DIGAMBHARA SWAMI WROTE…
When a dead body is dissected , the postmortum examination does not reveal any
wheel with so many spokes or any lotus with
so many petals as are reported by Yogis, the
yogis them- selves perceives them as the
result of their practices while the current of
life is flowing in their bodies .
27. REFERENCES
1. Yogic and tantric medicine- Prof. O.P
Jaggi.
2. siva samhitha
3. siva sutras the yoga of supreme identityJaideva Singh
4.Kundalini for beginners- Ravindra kumar
5. Goreksha samihitha
6. Human anatomy in ayurveda- Dr. Govinda
Raju