Sahaja Yoga 10 Week Course

Week 3 – Three Channels: The Balance of Desire and Action

In our third session we learned about the three channels:

The left channel or Ida Nadi, which is the channel of desire,
The right channel or Pingala Nadi, which is the channel of action and
The center channel or Shushumna Nadi, which is the channel of evolution

Attributes of the Ida Nadi include cold, moon, past, emotion and desire. Physically this channel corresponds to the left sympathetic nervous system.

The Pingala Nadi carries attributes such as heat, sun, future, rationality and action. This channel corresponds to the right sympathetic nervous system.

Both these channels are finite, ending in the balloons ego (Pingala Nadi) and superego (Ida Nadi).

The center channel, the Shushumna Nadi, on the other hand, rises from the sacrum bone up to the fontanelle bone and transcends the mental and also physical being. This channel corresponds to the parasympathetic nervous system.

If you missed the session you can view the recording here to get a deeper insight:

Session 3 – The Three Channels: The Balance of Desire and Action

Balancing

When the Kundalini rises up the center channel, she naturally and spontaneously soothes and calms any over activity in the left and right channels. But this process can be eased with a few simply techniques. Of course what we have learned so far will help greatly – keeping the attention inside or on the fontanelle bone or doing regular foot soaks.

But you can more specifically cleanse the channels using the elements. To cleanse the right channel, keep the right hand with the palm upwards on your lap and lift the left hand upwards with the palm facing backwards (see the left picture below). Here we use the element air to cool down the activity of the right side. You should especially do this if you feel warmth or tingling sensations in the right hand or if you have to many thoughts.

To cleans the left channel, keep the left hand with the palm upwards on your lap and put the right hand on or towards the mother earth. Here we use the earth element to relieve the left side. You should especially do this if you feel warmth or a tingling sensation in the left hand or if you tend to be lethargic.