Three Energy Superhighways

In several of my previous articles I have talked about Prana, the life-energy or life-principle of the universe. We absorb prana into our bodies from the sun, the air and the ground. It is what distinguishes a living body from a dead one. When there is no prana our life force is gone and we are no longer a sentient being.

The superhighways I am referring to are the super-charged energy channels which run through our body carrying prana to nourish and revitalize it. In Sanskrit they are called the Ida, Pingala and Sushuma. These channels are not inside our physical body, but are inside our subtle non-material body which closely resembles our physical body. These three are the largest of the energy channels and they are continuously moving energy throughout our system. There are many, many other smaller channels (some say up to as many as 72,000) which also carry the prana energy.

Taken as a whole these energy channels are called nadis inSanskrit. The word nadi comes from the Sanskrit root word “nad” meaning “movement”. In Hindu, nadi is used to mean “stream”. The concept of nadies is based on the understanding that they are channels through which something flows.

The smaller nadis can be considered the backroads or alternate energy channels. They can be thought of as the telephone network, gas lines or stream beds, where we have special channels for moving certain kinds of energy, all passing through the same vortex.

There two types of nadis. First, the subtle, non-material channels of energy called Yoga nadis. Secondly, there are the channels of energy, visible as cords, vessels or tubes, which include the acupuncture meridians, nerves, muscles and the streams of the cardiovascular and lymphatic systems of the body including the arteries and veins.

The Sushumna is the first of our superhighways. It receives a ceaseless stream of life-energy from the Universal Consciousness or Universal Energy Field and is centrally situated so that passes through the spinal column. It begins in the first charka (Muladhara) and continues upward through the palate at the base of the skull and terminates in the crown (Sahasrara) charka.

The second of our super highways is the Ida. The Ida starts and ends to the left of the Sushumna. It is the carrier of lunar energy currents and restores calmness to the mind. Ida is feminine in nature and is the storehouse of life-producing maternal energy. It also begins in the first chakra (Muladhara) and winds its way around the other major chakras in a figure eight pattern until it reaches the left nostril.

The Pingala, or third of our super highways is part of the right channel, the carrier of solar energy currents. Like the sun, the Pingala is masculine in nature. It is a storehouse of energy that makes the physical body more dynamic and more efficient. It provides added vitality and male power and causes diversification of the mind. It begins like the others in the first charka and winds its way up the Sushumna in parallel fashion to the Ida until it reaches the right nostril.

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The symbol of the caduceus, which we are all familiar with, clearly imitates the winding of Ida and Pingala, the central nadis crossing between the chakras, surrounding the Sushumna. The entwined serpents are also symbolic of the double helix pattern of our DNA – the basic information carrier of life.

Each of the charkas has the tip of its vortex located in the Sushumna and the charkas suck energy from this central energy source. The charkas look like whirlpools or cyclones pulling in this energy.

It is important to keep our charkas open and healthy to maintain this energy flow which sustains our health and mental well-being. Illness is caused by an imbalance of energy or a blocking of the flow of this energy. If the energy flow is blocked it will eventually lead to disease. A block will also distort our perceptions and dampen our feelings, therefore interfering with a smooth experience of a full and happy life.

As human being we are not psychologically prepared to have our charkas open and fully operational without working and developing our spiritual maturity and clarity. Most of us have a great deal of work to do before we our energy system is only minimally functional. This is all a part of our “Great Work” on this earth.

In future articles I will go into greater depth about how to keep this system in the best possible working order and how to balance and clear our chakras.