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flowing within well-defined meridians or channels of the pranic and etheric body is altered and adjusted by manipulating the system of fluid-filled connective tissue spaces known as meridians within the physical body.
Of the twelve major meridians of acupuncture, six (stomach, bladder, gallbladder, large intestine, small intestine and triple heater) have either their points of entry or exit in the area of the trigeminal nerve enervation which surrounds the nasal mucous membrane.
Interestingly, there is a marked similarity and correspondence between maps of the acupuncture meridians and the descriptions of the course of the major nadis or pranic pathways provided in the ancient Upanishads of India.
Science of swara yoga
Swara yoga concerns the realization of the balance between the dual and complementary polarities of one's essential nature (also see Swara Yoga: The Tantric Science of Brain Breathing by Swami Muktibodhananda, Yoga Publications Trust, 2004). According to this system, the flow of prana in ida nadi is equated with the flow of breath in the left nostril, and the flow of prana in pingala nadi is similarly related to the breath in the right nostril. Usually both nostrils do not flow at the same time; one nostril flows for about ninety minutes, then both flow together for a minute or two, and then the flow switches over to the other nostril.
Sushumna, the third principal nadi, is active when both nostrils are flowing equally. This usually occurs only in between the alternating cycles of ida and pingala (in the case of a yogi it occurs more often). When prana is flowing through sushumna, ida and pingala function in perfect balance. At this time the awareness is neither introverted nor extroverted, but remains balanced between the two and the state of meditation, or dhyana, dawns effortlessly.
According to the theory of swara yoga, an intimate knowledge of the nature of one's swara and its correlation with the states of mind can lead to efficiency in all that one
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| SR No. | 009371 |
| Book Title | Pran and Pranayam |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Niranjananand Saraswati Swami |
| Publisher | Yoga Publication Trust |
| Publication Year | 2009 |
| Total Pages | 369 |
| Language | Hindi |
| Classification | Book_Devnagari |
| File Size | 11 MB |