Harmony is walking smoothly and looking up at the blue sky as a smile breaks across your face. When energy flows smoothly throughout our body, a harmonious day is created. Energy flows through three channels of the body: left, right, and central.
Harmonize the left and right side channels to balance the left and right hemispheres of the brain. Nadi translates to flow or note. These notes of music flow in order to create the song that is you. Think of yourself as a vessel made of channels of water. The quality of the water that flows through you is your perception. When we hold onto things, it causes blockages in the channels. Water cannot flow through, which shows up as tension and projected pain.
The left side brain controls the right side of our body. This is the Pingala or logical, extroverted, active, solar nadi. The sun side passes down the right side, connecting to blood and the color red. This is the channel that holds onto the mind and objects. We are the subject, and everything outside of us is the object. The material objects that surround us are a direct reflection of what going on inside of us. We open the flow of the sun channel by moving the body intentionally with yoga postures (asana) and breath. Pingala is yang, “Ha”, sun, mountain, light, conspicuous, and active. The sun channel is spicy! The negative thoughts we experience when disliking something bring feelings of anger and jealousy. Ignorant dislike of the sun channel stems from seeing the objects around us as separate. The anger/jealousy is then projected onto the object and gives us a logical reason to feel this way. The reality is that anger/jealousy does not come from the object. It comes from you and how you have treated others in the past. Feel this to let it go. Forgive yourself! If you shine a flashlight in a dark hole, the hole becomes lit and less intimidating. We face ourselves to be the best version of ourselves. When we align with our truth, we radiate this truth and gain the capability to lift others. We lift others because one of our basic needs is a sense of contribution.
Ida is the introverted, lunar nadi that governs the left side of the body. “If I have this thing, I will be happy” and “By not having this, I am less than I am now” are common thought misperceptions when the left side is blocked. We already have everything we need inside of us - we just have to listen. The left side is our emotional side. Cool as a cucumber, the channel of the moon runs up our left side and is represented as a milky white color. The moon side holds up and onto. It withstands and supports. This is your creativity and voice. Own it to free yourself from the shackles that have limited your greatness. Listen to your intuition. It has more wisdom than your mind. The mind keeps us safe. The brain holds knowledge. The wisdom of your gut is infinite. Roll onto your left side after yoga class to ground if you had a particularly stimulating session. Ida is yin, “tha”, feminine, moon, valley, dark, mysterious, and calming.
When energy flows smoothly throughout our body, a harmonious day is created. When the left and right side channels of energy are fluid, the central channel, Sushumna, is opened. The central channel is pure essence and is opened when both side channels are running smoothly. The central channel is in alignment when we are thinking well of others w/out effort. When we are thinking well of others, it is a reflection of our internal world in a state of homeostasis. The Sushumna is open at birth, death, and when the sun rises and sets.
When we let go of fear we are left vulnerable, united with self and raw. This vulnerable state is where everything in the universe is sourced from. It is effortlessly beautiful and flows smoothly with grace. This is home, and damn, it feels good to be back.
Nadi Shodhana Pranayama is a yogic practice to balance instantly. Begin in a comfortable seated position and hold out your hand. Tuck your index and middle finger down. Plug the right nostril with your thumb, and breathe deep into your belly through the left nostril. Plug the left nostril with your ring finger, and breathe out through the right nostril. Inhale through the right nostril, and exhale through the left nostril. Repeat until you are tranquil; twenty times is a great start and is optimal at sunrise. Breathe deep, and let go of what isn’t serving you, then keep the rest.
*Homeostasis
[ hoh-mee-uh-stey-sis ]
noun the tendency of a system, especially the physiological system of higher animals, to maintain internal stability, owing to the coordinated response of its parts to any situation or stimulus that would tend to disturb its normal condition or function
psychology a state of psychological equilibrium obtained when tension or a drive has been reduced or eliminated
entomology is the ability of members of a colony of social insects to behave cooperatively to produce a desired result, as when bees coordinate the fanning of their wings to cool the hive