Nadis: The body's energy channels
In the yoga traditions, nadis are pathways or channels of energy which run through the body.
Nadis are pathways or channels of energy which run through the body. There are very many nadis in the body (traditionally 72,000).
They can be imagined as similar to the network of blood vessels, with large, main channels analogous to the main arteries and veins, branching into smaller and smaller ones, down to tiny capillaries. Just as blood vessels carry the life-energy of blood and oxygen around the body, nadis carry the life-energy of prana to every part of the human being. |
Just as the blood vessels originate in and lead to the heart, the nadis too have a central origin.
Some sources say the nadis originate in the belly or navel region, others in the root chakra (region of the perineum), while others say that they originate in the heart chakra. Three nadis are the most important and are recognised by all schools of yoga philosophy: the Sushumna, the Ida and the Pingala. |
Sushumna Nadi
The Sushumna Nadi runs up the centre of the body. It can be imagined or sensed in the spinal column.
When you imagine your breath running up from the base of your spine to the top of your head during the inhalation and down from the top of your head to the base of your spine on an exhalation, after some time you may start to sense a tingling or some other sensation such as warmth or coolness along the spine. |
The Sushumna is the channel through which Kundalini rises during an experience of enlightenment. One of the aims of many schools of meditation and yoga is to encourage the Kundalini to rise up the Sushumna, opening all the chakras on the way, and achieving enlightenment when it reaches the crown chakra. |
Ida and Pingala Nadis
The Ida and Pingala are a pair of nadis which begin at the root chakra (roughly located at the base of the spine) and run along each side of the Sushumna up to the sixth chakra (roughly located in the middle of the forehead). They cross each other at each chakra, forming a “caduceus” shape.
In the nose, the Ida relates to the left nostril and the flow of breath in the left nostril, while the Pingala relates to the right nostril and the flow of breath in the right nostril. There are various characteristics and correspondences traditionally associated with the Ida and Pingala energy flows, shown in the table on the right. Some correspondences seem to contradict each other. Perhaps they come from different schools of yoga, or perhaps we need to study the subject more thoroughly in order to understand and resolve the differences. The flow of energy or prana in these two nadis can be manipulated through pranayama (yogic breath practices), especially Nadi Shodhana (Alternate Nostril Breathing) and its variants. Swara Yoga is a branch of yoga dedicated to the exploration of the flow of prana in the Ida and Pingala nadis and its manipulation for certain desired effects. |
Other nadis
Other nadis named in the traditional yogic texts include those in the table on the right (again, there is a lot of variation between the different sources and traditions). All the nadis are said to originate in one of the central energy centres as mentioned above, and radiate to a body part, or govern a bodily function. |
Take it into your practice
All of this esoteric theory is fascinating, but how does it relate to the average person's yoga practice? We can for the most part safely ignore the minor nadis. It is unclear what practical use, if any, knowledge of these can give us.
Instead, we can focus on the Sushumna, Ida and Pingala Nadis which are the most easily understood, sensed in the body, and manipulated. They are also the most useful in terms of understanding practices such as Nadi Shodhana (Alternate Nostril Breathing) and other meditation or energy manipulation techniques, such as Prana Shuddhi or Anulom Vilom. All of these practices are explained on the Nadi Shodhana page.
Instead, we can focus on the Sushumna, Ida and Pingala Nadis which are the most easily understood, sensed in the body, and manipulated. They are also the most useful in terms of understanding practices such as Nadi Shodhana (Alternate Nostril Breathing) and other meditation or energy manipulation techniques, such as Prana Shuddhi or Anulom Vilom. All of these practices are explained on the Nadi Shodhana page.
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