YOGA
Cleansing the psychic nerves
The Tribune, Saturday, June 24, 2006, Chandigarh, India
Jyoti Subramanian

While enhancing the suppleness of the physical body, the asana or postures also contribute to clear subtle nerves in the body called the nadis. This process is further refined and speeded up by pranayama techniques. Imprints, that resemble knots occur on this network of nadis and restrain the prana or energy to flow smoothly. These areas in the body then become centres of disease, which manifest in the physical body after a while. The imprints could be carried forward from past life, or manifest due to present life social conditioning, upbringing, emotional trauma, stubborn mindset or mental perversions. Since yoga is a process of refinement, correct practice starts a powerful cleansing that moves deeper and deeper in its effect on the practitioner.

As the practitioner with self discipline and constant effort carries on the practice along with physical well being a fine tuning of these psychic nerves takes place. The ensuing feeling of bliss and calm can only be experienced not explained. As a result of this externally, the yogi starts glowing with an almost other worldly light and becomes vibrant and sensitive to surrounding mental, emotional and astral frequencies.

This process of refinement and cleansing of the nadis called nadi shodan should be an integral part of any yoga practice. Since the final aim in yoga is union in Samadhi, during which the yogi experiences what may be described as a surcharge of energy it becomes imperative that the nerves that have to carry this surcharge be without any restrictive knots. The dedicated practice of pranayama and special kundalini yoga given by the master leads unerringly to the activating of the bio electric force present in every human being called the Kundalini energy. When finally this dormant energy is activated it flows up the spine and makes its way through subtle nadi network that is now free of any debris. "The evolution of the human soul progresses rapidly as the light sound vibration called the Kundalini energy moves upwards and activates the dormant centres of the brain. It is the birthright of every human being to access this divine energy that lies coiled at the base of the spine and realise themselves as divine," says Himalayan master Yogiraj Siddhanath.