One can perform Nadi Shodhnam Pranayama to awaken the primal energy of the body and have supernatural experiences, explains Yogi Ashwini

There is mention of the churning of the celestial ocean by the Gods and demons in the vedic texts. The ocean was churned to obtain the divine nectar or amrit, and required the combined force of Gods and demons. It was agreed that the fruit of churning will be shared by the two sides. Mount Meru became the churning rod and Naag Vasuki offered itself to become the churning rope which was pulled alternately by the Gods and demons. lord Vishnu in his Kurma avatar provided support to the Meru. As a result of the churning, various gems and accomplishments came out of the ocean, also came out the venom before obtaining the amrit. The venom would have spelled doom for the entire creation. Terrified, the Gods and demons invoked the energy of Adi Guru Shiv. lord Shiv then drank the venom and held it in his throat, distributing the accomplishments to all.

The above mentioned incident also describes the awakening of the primal energy in the human body; through the practice of yog and sanatan kriya under the guidance of a Guru, who is the reflection of Adi Guru Shiv, in a physical form. The sushumna becomes the churning rod, the twin flow of ida (right) and pingala (left) represent the opposing forces of cold and hot, moon and sun that perform the churning. Primal energy that lies coiled at the base ofsushumna assumes the role of Naag Vasuki. As the churning happens, immense heat is released, which opens the various blockages in the body and melts the primal energy, arising the various chakras through the sushumna, granting the being accomplishments associated with each centre. While the heat unclogs the body and activates the shakti of the kundalini, if generated in an uncontrolled manner in the absence of a Guru, its intensity leads to the destruction of the body which is unable to bear the heat. A Guru assumes the role of neelkanth, taking in the destructive aspects of the heat of yog, granting those seeking accomplishments up the ladder of evolution.

There are techniques in yoga that can regulate your breathing flow. They can keep you charged up and disease free all the time. Sanatan Kriya details the practice of Nadi Shodhnam, whereprana from breath become the fuel powering theida and pingala flow, which together perform the churning to generate immense heat in the body. As this heat spreads to various parts of the body, it opens up the blockages in the path of experiencing higher energies and awakening higher centres, using the power of primal energy.

Nadi refers to the etheric channels in our body where the prana flows, whileshodhan means purifying. Any congestion in the channel hinders the movement of prana. The stagnation of prana leads to a plethora of diseases. In Nadi Shodhanam, the ida and pingla work as churning rods, creating heat through friction at the base of the spine. This heat then rises through thesushumna and from there is spread across the body to cleanse the various channels, remove heaviness, congestion, and also ignorance —making the body far more receptive to subtler energies and life force.

There are many practitioners at Dhyan Ashram who have rid themselves of chronic respiratory ailments with the practice of Sanatan Kriya. In fact, one of the students, a severe asthmatic patient, only realised that her asthma had been cured when the local chemist asked how was it that she had not purchased an inhaler in the past six months! However, asana and pranayama, as detailed in yogsutras, are not to cure diseases; they are a process of awakening. Today, there is no dearth of masters and teachers selling pranayama as an exercise to increase oxygen supply to the physical body and boost adrenaline. The fact ispranayama does not pertain to the physical body. It is a salutation toprana, which runs in the pranamaya kosha, which directly affects the annamaya.

When you perform a pranayama, the oxygen levels reduce. In the lungs, there are tiny sacks called alveoli where exchange of gases happens. For the absorption of gases by alveoli, a difference in pressure is required for a specific time period. Pranayams like nadi shodhanam equalise this pressure and as a result, diffusion of gases does not happen. Even in a hyper-pranayama likebhastrika and kapalbhati, the movement is so fast that there is no time for absorption of gases. So, oxygen supply reduces, and carbon dioxide levels increase. A process is initiated as a result of which you get into certain states where the lower functions of brain reduce due to lack of oxygen and certain higher centres, which the modern science does not understand, get activated.

The process of pranayama is triangle. The primal energy is in the form of an upward pointing triangle at the mool chakra. If you notice in a pranayama, the movement of breath is in a triangular manner. There is an erectile tissue in our nose, which inflates when there is more blood flow. In apranayama, you make a triangle and press the erectile tissue at the nose constantly on both sides. This triangle pushes the primal energy upwards, when optimum areas of brain are awakened. The optimum activation happens when the three flow — ida, pingala andsushumna — are balanced. Then the primal energy rises and spiritual experiences follow.

For Nadi Shodhnam Pranayama, close your eyes and sit in vajrasan. Gently place the thumb of your right hand on the right nostril, the ring finger touches the left nostril, and the middle finger rests at the centre of the forehead. The left hand may be placed on the left knee. Shut the left nostril with the ring finger and inhale from the right nostril. Exhale from the left nostril by pressing the thumb against the right nostril and simultaneously releasing the ring finger from the left nostril. Next inhale from the left nostril and exhale from the right using the thumb and index finger. Inhale to the count of four and exhale to the count of eight. This completes one cycle. Repeat this cycle seven times. Do this pranayama to awaken the primal energy and have supernatural experiences.

The writer is the guiding light of Dhyan Foundation