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The Three Fundamental Nadis: Idâ, Pingalâ & Sushumnâ
The Three Fundamental Nadis: Ida, Pingala, and Sushumna
According to yogic philosophy, the human system comprises three fundamental nadis, or energy channels: Idâ, Pingalâ, and Sushumna. These are not physical structures but subtle pathways through which prāṇa, the life force, flows. From these three channels, the 72,000 nadis in the body spring forth, creating a vast network of energy currents.
It's important to note that the word “nadi” shouldn't be confused with physical nerves. Nadis are pathways for prāṇa, the vital life force or subtle breath. If you were to dissect a body, you wouldn’t find these channels, as they belong to the prāṇamaya kośa, the vital sheath of the subtle body. The more attuned you become to this subtle layer of existence, the more you will start to feel their effects.
The system of nadis is at the very core of our being—where our true essence resides. As Sadhguru mentions, "The process of spirituality is like taking off your body, your mind, your identity, and looking at life just the way it is." These channels allow us to connect to that "just the way it is" state, beyond intellect or emotional clutter.
The Duality of Idâ and Pingalâ
The Hatha Yoga Pradīpikā teaches that hatha yoga unites the dual energies of Idâ and Pingalâ, which flow on the left and right sides of the body, respectively. These two forces rarely operate simultaneously; one tends to dominate, creating imbalance. Idâ represents the moon, the feminine, the reflective and cooling energy. Pingalâ represents the sun, the masculine, the fiery and active energy.
According to Sadhguru, “Idâ and Pingalâ represent the basic duality in existence.” This duality is often personified as Shiva and Shakti, the fundamental forces that dance between creation and dissolution. Life, as we know it, wouldn’t exist without this duality.
It’s fascinating how yogic teachings illustrate that each person contains both masculine and feminine energies, regardless of gender. In the yogic culture, you may be a man, but if your Idâ is more pronounced, the feminine may be dominant in you. You may be a woman, but if your Pingalâ is more pronounced, the masculine may be dominant in you.
These energies are not about your physical identity but are archetypes of action and receptivity within the grander dance of life.
Awakening Through Sushumna
Sushumna, the central nadi, is activated when Idâ and Pingalâ are balanced. When this happens, prāṇa flows freely through Sushumna, and the serpent-like kundalini energy awakens. As it rises, it pierces through the chakras, bringing heightened states of awareness and, ultimately, enlightenment.
As the yogi's say, “When the kundalini awakes, it tries to force a passage through this hollow canal, and as it rises step by step, layer after layer of the mind becomes open.” It’s the path to experiencing what is beyond body and mind—a direct connection to the universe itself.
This is echoed by Sadhguru, who says, “The ultimate goal is to bring the energies into Sushumna and raise them to the highest chakra, which leads to the ultimate flowering of your consciousness.”
The Imbalance of Everyday Life
The teachings of Hatha Yoga emphasize the importance of balancing Idâ and Pingalâ to bring harmony to the body and mind. In our daily lives, this imbalance shows up as stress, anxiety, and even physical illness. When the dualities of mind and body are misaligned, sickness often follows. The aim of yoga is to create balance through Sushumna, so that both the physical and mental aspects of our being are in harmony.
The Bhagavad Gita speaks of this balance as the essence of yoga: Samatvam yoga uchyate (Yoga is the state of equilibrium). Similarly, BKS Iyengar, the modern legend of yoga, explained that the alignment of body and energy allows for true balance—physically, mentally, and spiritually.
The following is excerpted from BKS Iyengar's - Yoga The Path to Holistic Health.
"Every person has two facets of energy: the Pingalâ or the surya nadi (masculine energy/sun) and the Idâ or the chandra nadi (feminine energy/moon). The sun is positive energy representing heat and daytime activity. The moon is negative energy representing coolness and nighttime restfulness. Mr Iyengar understood the importance of creating the perfect balance between the right (surya nadi) and left (chandra nadi) sides of the body. Alignment and precision allow the energies to work, interact, intermingle, and unite, bringing about health and balance. Optimum energy is used in the correct practice of yoga and leads the practitioner to a state of equilibrium (samatvam). The Bhagvad Gita scripture states: Samatvam yoga uchyate (Yoga is the state of equilibrium). Sage Patanjali, who wrote the treatise Yoga Sutras, explains that the differentiation between the muscles, limbs, joints, organs, mind, intelligence, and self has to disappear to reach this state of equanimity. Mr Iyengar ensures that students bring more of their consciousness into each asana, through precise instructions and demonstrations. Through this they begin to experience equilibrium."
A Mystical Perspective on the Subtle Body
Mystics over the years have reminded us not to get too caught up in trying to verify these channels through scientific instruments. The energy channels that yoga has spoken about are not of the physical body, hence they cannot be found in this physical body... They are not gross; they are subtle. By ‘subtle’ is meant that it is made of energy; it is the energy-body.
In the same way, Sadhguru emphasizes that experiencing the nadis isn’t about intellectual understanding. It’s about feeling and becoming one with the deeper aspects of existence. “It’s only when you cease to think of something that it begins to exist for you in a different dimension,” he explains. The nadis, then, are experienced beyond logic, in the realm of intuition, subtle awareness, and prāṇa.
Conclusion: The Lotus and the Diamond
The essence of the nadis, the interplay of masculine and feminine energies, the awakening of kundalini—it all comes back to a deep understanding of balance. This core of our being is strong yet fragile. Masculine yet feminine. It is as if a lotus flower that is made of diamonds. Or a diamond that is made from a lotus flower.
Yoga is the process of balancing these forces within us to tap into something profound. As we walk the path of union—balancing Ida, Pingala, and activating Sushumna—we move beyond duality, entering a state where we can truly experience life as it is, free from the mind's distractions. Meditation is nothing but an effort to cleanse your mind, to create an empty space within you where the truth can descend.
Ultimately, this journey is not something that can be learned through words alone. It is felt. It is lived. But the learning helps us move beyond the need to know, allowing us to experience the truth directly.
The following is excerpted from The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda - Raja Yoga, The Control Of The Psychic Prana → CHAPTER IV.
"According to the Yogis, there are two nerve currents in the spinal column, called Pingalâ 🌞 and Idâ 🌚, and a hollow canal called Sushumnâ running through the spinal cord. At the lower end of the hollow canal is what the Yogis call the "Lotus of the Kundalini". They describe it as triangular in form in which, in the symbolical language of the Yogis, there is a power called the Kundalini 🐍, coiled up. When that Kundalini 🐍 awakes, it tries to force a passage through this hollow canal, and as it rises step by step, as it were, layer after layer of the mind becomes open and all the different visions and wonderful powers come to the Yogi. When it reaches the brain, the Yogi is perfectly detached from the body and mind; the soul finds itself free."
Moving Beyond the Mind: Experiencing the Nadis
At the end of the day, the concept of nadis reminds us that certain things in life cannot be fully grasped by the mind alone. As Osho says, "The mind always thinks in terms of duality—it cannot exist without division. But reality is non-dual. Yoga is the process of dissolving the divisions created by the mind, so we can experience the oneness of existence."
The idea of nadis offers us a framework, but like the map of any great journey, it’s only useful until you arrive. Eventually, the intellectual understanding of nadis dissolves as you deepen your practice and begin to feel the energy flows within your body. In this way, learning about nadis is just a first step—a way to move beyond needing to understand, and instead, into direct experience.
As Sadhguru puts it, "Spirituality is not about looking up or down. It is about turning inward and dissolving the boundaries that separate us from our ultimate potential."
In yoga, we often start with the intellect to orient ourselves, but the real magic comes when we can let go of needing to know and simply be—letting the energy move through us, as naturally as breath. The nadis, like the energy they carry, are subtle, elusive, and deeply personal. And only through continued practice, awareness, and self-inquiry can we begin to experience their truth.
In closing, it's worth remembering that yoga, at its heart, is a practice of union. It’s about harmonizing all the forces within us—masculine and feminine, action and stillness, mind and body—so we can touch the infinite. As we balance the energies of Idâ and Pingalâ, and activate the flow of Sushumna, we begin to transcend duality and step into the vastness of our true nature.
So the journey doesn't end with learning about the nadis—it begins there. When you breathe, practice asana, or meditate, allow yourself to feel the prāṇa moving through these subtle channels. And in those moments of stillness, perhaps you’ll begin to sense what the yogis have always known: that the universe is not something we need to understand, but something we need to experience.
Zahir Akram - Eternal Seeker
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