Dejan Kupnik, M.D.
Centre for Emergency Medicine – Prehospital Unit, Maribor/Slovenia, Europe
(certified Yoga in Daily Life teacher)

 

What does Yoga teach about subtle body energies?

The forefathers of the ancient science of Yoga  realised that the meaning of our existence can only be found within us. The ultimate truth can not be revealed through external science, because the more a man is aware of his true nature the more he sees that on the outside something is always wrong or missing, no matter what we do. These yogis of old realised that our body represents the ultimate and most sophisticated instrument. By balancing physical, mental and spiritual planes of existence we become better able to answer the fundamental questions: who am I, where did I come from, where am I going, what is the purpose of my life? No matter what form of life we consider, there is always an abundance of energy flowing through it. The same goes for the human being.

According to yogic science there are thousands of energy channels flowing through the body and these are called nadis.

Nadis should not be equated with nerves; rather, they are the channels through which the primordial energy or prana flows as it governs the functioning of the mental and physical planes of our existence. Areas where the energy becomes most concentrated are called energy centres or chakras. They are related to or connected with particular parts of the body, most notably with some glands. We know that glands work together with the nervous system to coordinate and influence all psycho-physiological functions of the body. Wherever energy becomes blocked or cannot flow efficiently for some reason, the normal functioning of different body parts becomes disrupted and if it lasts for a longer time, diseases can emerge. The ancient yogis discovered that by practising asanas and pranayama we can efficiently remove pranic energy blocks, thereby allowing our body to regenerate more efficiently. These blocks are removed by a process of harmonisation, or restoring of balance, and it is this balancing principle that yoga and its science represent. The ancient sages also discovered that among the thousands of nadis there are three which are the most powerful energy channels and, when purified enough, these can promote the development of the human being in all three planes: physical, mental and spiritual, allowing us to reach higher levels of consciousness. These channels are called IDA, PINGALA and SHUSHUMNA.

Pranayama techniques act to purify the nadis including these three main energy channels. Yogis discovered a long time ago that breathing through the left nostril stimulates the IDA nadi or the “moon channel” (connected with the parasympathetic nervous system) and breathing through the right nostril stimulates the PINGALA nadi or the “sun channel” (connected with sympathetic nervous system). By balancing the functioning of both nadis (that is, both aspects of the autonomic nervous system) we can stimulate the main energy channel called SHUSHUMNA and harmonize the activity of the nervous system as a whole. This was a great discovery, which has been proven by modern science and we will discuss it further in later chapters of this article. With such stimulation and purification we can more easily become aware of the obstacles, which are hidden deeply in our subconscious and, even at the unconscious level, we can overcome many mental and physical obstacles and finally make progress on the spiritual plane. But merely the techniques that yoga offers aren’t enough. We have to develop universal love and have to rid ourselves of hatred, jealousy, greed, passion, anger and hypocrisy. We have to understand that every creature loves its life and doesn’t want to die. We have to be protectors and not destroyers. We have to live creatively.

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