PLACE OF NADI SHODHANA IN PRACTICE

CONTEXT

The yoga sutras of patanjali are considered to be the foundational text of yoga practice. It consists of 196 sutras, three about asana, five about pranayama and the remainder pertain to the mind and meditation. The sutras about asana and pranayama give the definition, method and the fruits of both practices.

The Hatha Yoga pradipila written later by Svatnamara expands this philosophical overview into details of asana and pranayama, among other things. The view of Hatha Yoga is that , for most people,it is very difficult to solve the problem of the mind with the mind. Far easier to begin  the process of moving towards a state of yoga  beginning with the more tangible body and the breath.

The yoga sutras and the Hatha Yoga pradikika present identical lists of tools of yoga except that the Hatha Yoga list consists of only six, beginning with asana, pranayama, pratyahara (sense withdrawal), dharna, dhyana and samadhi (three stages of meditation).  The yoga sutras begins with an additional two to the list of six above, the Yamas and niyamas. The Hatha Yoga pradipika does mention the yama and niyama but considers these to be largely religious and ethical practices that naturally occur when the physical and energetic bodies are purified, strengthened, balanced and harmonised.

PRANA

“Prana is the sum total of all the energy in the universe”-Swami Sivananda. 

There is cosmic Prana denoted by a capital P and referred to by the yogis as undifferentiated cosmic energy. This undifferentiated Prana is manifested in everything as differentiated prana (small p). Everything within the universe  is then a differentiated manifestation of this cosmic Prana  from the smallest particle to the solar system.The powerful forces of electricity, magnetism and gravity are also manifestations of cosmic Prana.

Before electricity or magnetism were discovered and demonstrated by scientists, yogis intuited that the atmosphere contained a subtle energy (vibration). They felt that this energy was the main source of all the the other energies in the human being and that we metabolise it just as we metabolise food and water. 

Bernie Clarke describes how a clinical anatomist, John Sharkey demonstrated the electrical nature of people and the environment. He held a tube containing an led light and a battery in his hand and then joined hands with others so when the circle was completed the led light activated. 

The watery medium of the body helps to conduct energy from the environment and it also helps generate its own electricity. This  work is done by ions. Atoms, by definition are electrically neutral, but an atom-like particle that displays an electrical charge, either positive or negative is known as an ion.  Ions, because of their positive or negative charge have magnetic properties, with like charges repelling each other and opposite charges attracting the other.

These ions are considered to be the workhorses of the cells facilitating metabolism ( absorption and elimination) within cells. 

The atmosphere is made up of positive and negative electrical charges and the proportion of each to the other changes all the time  according to geographical and climat conditions. The atmosphere of coastal areas and mountains is largely made up of highly mobile ,small, vital negative ions which have a tangible invigorating effect. On the other hand ions which are positively charged are large  attract the the vitalising negative electrons to themselves become bigger and more slow moving. An example of a environment like this would be an industrialised city with much dust and petrol car exhaust fumes in the air. This large amount of positive ions can have a debilitating effect without taking breaks into more natural environments from time to time.

NADIS

Within an electrical circuit, copper wires are used to conduct electrons, negatively charged particles around a device to have an effect like switching on a light.

Within the physical body , nerves act as conductors conveying information from outside the body, via the senses and skin, to the central nevous system which responds accordingly.

Within the energy body these nadis are sometimes loosely associated with the nerves of  the physical body. The nadis can accommodate a higher and more refined level of prana when they are cleansed, strengthened and harmonised. Otherwise blockages can hinder the flow of prana.

Of all 72,000 nadis in the energy body, Ida, Pingala and shusumna are considered to be the most important.They facilitate different types of conductivity. 

Some commentators describe these three nadis  as originating at the base of the spine and they merge at the brow centre. The Yoga Yajnavalkya describes shusumna as being situated in the middle of the kandasthana which is in the navel area.

Ida moves along the left side of the spine and it can be associated with the negatively charged current within an electrical system. This left nadi recharges the right side of the brain, nourishing  mental activities like thinking (both positive and negative thoughts) , planning and memorising. 

Pingala is associated with the right side and it can be associated with the positively charged current within an electrical system,. When this right side is flowing it supports and stimulates physical activities like walking, talking, digesting and eating.

There are natural rhythms to everything in nature and Prana pervades everything, day and night, seasonal rhythms etc. Like wise it can be shown that there is a pranic rhythm associated with the nostrils. From an hour to ninety minutes either ida or pingala is active and then they alternate, its a bit like each side of brain taking turns to recharge.During the changeover from one nostril to another, the central channel the shushumna can sometimes open for a few moments. Shusumna is the central nadi which supports spiritual activities like meditation,

When energy flow within ida and pingala is balanced and harmonious, the shushumna channel which is ordinarily blocked, begins to open to its inherent spiritual energy.

Swami Satyananda Saraswati puts this very succinctly.

“When only ida and pingala are active and not shushumna, it is like having the positive and negative lines in an electrical cable but no earth. When the mind receives the three currents of energy all the lights start working but if you remove the earth wire the lights will go down”

DUALITIES

Within the manifested prana (small p) many things can be experienced and described as dualities, night and day, masculine and feminine, activity and rest , strength and softness within asana and indeed many conflicting aspects of our own minds.  Chinese culture uses yin and yang to describe these forces. 

“Within Vedanta and Tantra interpretations, Ida and pingala represent opposites. Their purification and unification through breath discipline symbolise the transcendence of dualistic thought and emergence into non-dual awareness (advaita).” – Ritesh Kumar

The merging of Ida, pingala and shushumna at the brow centre is Hatha Yoga.

“When shushumna flows the mental and physical energy patterns become even and rhythmic, the thoughts are stilled and the mind is calm.” -Swami Muktibodananda.

SHATKARMAS

If there are imbalances in the body such as mucus, acid or wind Swatnamara recommended beginning yoga practice with the shatkarmas (HYP chapter 2, verse 21 to 35). These cleansing practices bring the dosas back into balance. There are six, some more accessible than others.Within the six practice there are variations but the more commonly used ones are nostril clearing (neti), object/candle gazing (trataka), abdominal manipulation (nauli) and the breathing practice of kapalbhati. Some advice is that the shatkarmas are done before asana and pranayama.

If there are no imbalances some commentators consider these to be unnecessary and that pranayama and asanas themselves are sufficient to clear blockages in the physical and energy bodies.

NADI SHODHANA

Of the six shatkarmas ,kapalbhati provides a good support for Nadi Shodana as it  deals directly with the area Nadi shodhana focuses on, clearing the nose, the sinuses, stimulating the brain and focussing attention on the brow centre where the three main nadis meet. 

The technique of Nadi Shodhana can be used to further the unblocking/cleansing action of the shatkarmas and also to specifically balance and harmonise the dual nature of Ida and pingala

Reducing the activities of the naturally alternating breath cultivates the flow of prana within shushmana, this type of prana is most conducive to meditation practice. 

The linings of the nostrils  have groups of nerve endings coming from the brain, these nerves are stimulated by the ions in the air and send signals back to the brain. The nostrils are the part of the body that can absorb the most prana and as such play a foundational role in pranayama.

The classical technique of alternate nostril breathing is described in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika in chapter two verses 7 and 8. 

“Sitting in baddha padmasana, the yogi should inhale through the left nostril and hold the breath to capacity and then exhale though the right nostril. Then inhaling through the right nostril, gradually filling the abdomen, perform kumhhaka (breath holding) as before, then exhale completely through the left nostril”. A classical rhythm for nadi shodhana is generally  inhale for four, hold for sixteen, exhale for eight and either hold the exhale out for four or else just begin inhale again immediately after exhale.

 However, as with all the various tools of yoga, nadi shodhana ideally should be learned in a sequential and developmental way from the beginning. Sitting on a chair with a straight spine as a suitable alternative for sitting in lotus pose, it can be learnt in stages.

The first stage would be to practice closing one nostril (right side) and inhale and exhale through the left only for a few breaths and then to close the left and inhale and exhale through the right for the same amount of breaths. You can continue this for about ten days to two weeks until it feels like second nature.

Next stage is to repeat stage one but this time counting the length of the inhale and exhale and then equalising their lengths.

After this you move on to the alternate nostril technique of breathing. Close the right nostril and inhale through the left, close the left, breath out through the right, inhale through the right, close the right and exhale through the left. Practice the technique with your natural breath length.

In this way you can build in gradual comfortable stages towards a  ratio of 1:4:2 of nadi shodhana,  without strain.

The stages are described in Swami Satyanandas book Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha. Swami Gitananda also describes stages to learn Nadi Shodhana.

Later on in chapter two, verse 44 of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Svatnamara lists  eight classical pranayamas, which can also be called kumbhakas. “The eight kumbhakas (pranayamas) are suryabheda, ujjayi, seetkari, sheetali, bhastrika, bhramari, moorchha and plavini”

So nadi shodhana can be considered to be a foundational practice to be done prior to the classical ones or indeed it can be a practice in itself. 

To put all of this together in a practical way, a yoga practice can be designed around  balancing dualities within yourself and your experience of the world .

It could begin with kapalbhati (a shatkarma to prepare for nadi shodhona), then moving on to an asana section which includes some , not exclusively , balancing asanas like aka pada pranamasana (tree pose), garudasana (eagle pose) and aka padasana (warrior three) amongst others. This could be followed by Nadi Shodhana prior to finishing with a short meditation.

Ann-Marie Larkin teaches pranayama workshops and classes in Bray and Greystones. The workshops are on a Saturday morning from 10am until 1pm in Bray. The next one will be July 25th. E-mail [email protected] web gyt.ie.