Sushumna, ida and pingala are the three main nadis in the human body. Nadis are channels that allow the movement of the energy (prana) throughout the body. Nadis are like roads. Sushumna is the central highway. Ida and pingala are two highways paralleled to the main highway, Sushumna. There are thousands and thousands of secondary nadis in our bodies running in different directions. Nadis do not represent energy but are the ways in which our vital energy transits. When nadis are blocked, energy can’t flow properly. What happens to a creek when debris or rocks are blocking the flow of water? Water gets stagnant and contaminated. The places below dry up for lack of water… When we clean that spot, water flows again and the stagnant water is replaced by healthy water. And the whole creek has water now. Imagine an accident on a transited road in a rush hour. A truck blocking all lanes. Disaster. But once the truck is removed, the flow of vehicles improves. Imagine also the damage to the car when the road is full of holes. Same happens when there are blockages in our nadis. The whole body doesn’t function properly. One of the most important goals in Atabey Yoga is to clean, balance and enhance these channels, with special care to sushumna, ida and pingala.
Sushumna is energetically located along the center of the spine. It is the main road, the expressway that allows the rise of an upward movement, starting in the root chakra, Muladhara, and ending in the seventh chakra, Sahasrara, located in the crown of the head. Sushumna allows the flow of energy from top to bottom and from bottom to top. It is the road that connects the seven primary chakras and supports all other multiple secondary chakras.
Ida is the channel on the left side of the spine, the female side, the lunar side.
Pingala is the channel on the right side of Sushumna, male, solar.
Ida and pingala must also be unlocked and balanced. There are yoga practices that allow us to work separately with ida and pingala. For example, in alternate breathing pranayamas, such as Anuloma Viloma, a practitioner inhales and exhales through the nostrils alternately, left and right, usually using a particular rhythm. The left nostril controls the right hemisphere of the brain and the right nostril controls the left hemisphere. The practice of this yogi breathing through ida and pingala balances the brain, mind and emotions, and increases concentration, clarity and intuition. When we clean, balance and strengthen these two nadis, the prana (our vital energy) runs smoothly throughout the body, which in turn helps to improve our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual-energetic well-being.