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pingala. The awareness in samadhi is pingala energy; this is the subdest aspect of prana.
Sushumna: the neutral channel When the two forces of ida and pingala are balanced, the third channel of sushumna becomes active. It is a fact that when two opposing forces are equal and balanced, a third force arises. By striking a match against a corrosive surface, fire is created. By bringing positive and negative currents together, machinery can be operated. Similarly, when the body and mind are united, a third force arises. This force is called sushumna, the spiritual energy. The working of these three forces can also be understood through the analogy of an electromagnetic circuit with the north pole being ajna and the south pole mooladhara. Ida is the negative charge, pingala the positive charge, and sushumna the neutral.
At each node of ida and pingala there is a concentration of energy, which forms pulsating patterns in the horizontal plane. These nodes are the chakras, force fields that expand and contract, depending on physical and mental activities. When there is an intensity of energy between ida and pingala, the chakras manifest in the form of light and sound. This manifestation occurs to a minor extent in normal breathing, but much more during pranayama practices such as nadi shodhana, and meditation. While ida and pingala conduct mental and physical energy, sushumna conducts a higher form of cosmic energy. The pranic and mental energies are finite, whereas the energy of sushumna is infinite.
When sushumna is active, the breath flows through both nostrils simultaneously. Normally this happens only for a few minutes when the breath dominance changes over from one nostril to the other, which usually takes place every ninety minutes. Sushumna flows after practising pranayama, prayer and meditation, and also when one is about to commit a criminal act. When sushumna flows, the whole brain operates, but only half of the brain is active during the flow of ida or pingala. At the time of sushumna, both karmendriyas
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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 |