38 asaNa Magazine | March 2017
more receptive to subtler energies
and prana.
For Nadi Shodhnam Pranayam:
Close your eyes and sit in Vajrasan.
Paying reverence to the energy of
your Guru and to Lord Ganesh, we
begin the pranayama. Gently place
the thumb of your right hand on the
right nostril, the ring finger touches
the left nostril, and the middle
finger rests on the agya chakra, at
the center of forehead. The left hand
may be placed on the left knee.
Shut the left nostril with ring finger
and inhale from the right nostril.
Exhale from the left nostril by
pressing the thumb against right
nostril and simultaneously releasing
the ring finger from the left nostril.
Next inhale from the left nostril
and exhale from the right using the
thumb and index finger. Inhale to the
count of four and exhale to the count
of eight. This completes one cycle.
Repeat this cycle seven times. With
every breath, try to make the breath
deeper and slower. You may increase
the count of cycles gradually as you
progress into the practice. Do this
pranayam to awaken the kundalini
and have supernatural experiences.
A word of caution. Immense heat
is generated in the body with
the practice of nadi shodhnam
pranayama. The pranayama must be
attempted only under the supervision
of your guru, and is always followed
by the Sanatan kriya.The pranayama
must be performed in a well-
ventilated and clean environment
on an empty stomach. If you are
performing the pranayama in a
room, open the doors/windows and
avoid sitting under the direct blast
of fan/air-conditioner/cooler while
performing the pranayama.
There are many practitioners at
Dhyan Ashram who have riddenWhen you perform a pranayam, the
oxygen levels reduce. In the lungs,
there are tiny sacks called alveoli
where exchange of gases happens.
For the absorption of gases by alveoli,
a difference in pressure is required
for a specific time period. Pranayams
like nadi shodhanam equalizes this
pressure and as a result diffusion
of gases does not happen. Even in a
hyper-pranayam like bhastrika and
kapalbhati, the movement is so fast
that there is no time for absorption
of gases. So, oxygen supply reduces,
and carbon dioxide levels increase.
A process is initiated as a result of
which, you get into certain states
where the lower functions of brain
reduce due to lack of oxygen and
certain higher centers, which the
modern science does not understand,
get activated.
The process of pranayama is triangle.
The kundalini energy is in the form
of an upward pointing triangle at
the mool chakra. If you notice, in a
pranayama, the movement of breath
is in a triangular manner. There is
an erectile tissue in our nose, which
inflates when there is more blood
flow. You might have observed that
when you sexually more active, at
times the nose blocks, what is called
the honeymoon nose, it is because
of the erectile issue inflation only.
In a pranayama, you make a triangle
and press the erectile tissue at the
nose constantly on both sides. This
triangle pushes the kundalini energy
upwards, when optimum areas of
brain are awakened. The optimum
activation happens when the three
nadis – ida, pingala and sushumna
are balanced. Then the kundalini
energy rises and spiritual experiences
follow. That is a pranayama.
For more Information about
Yogi Ashwin please visit http://www.
dhyanfoundation.comthemselves of chronic respiratory
ailments with the practice of Sanatan
Kriya. In fact, one of the students,
a severe asthmatic patient, only
realized that her asthma had been
cured when the local chemist asked,
how was it that she had not purchased
an inhaler in the past six months!
However, asana and pranayama
as detailed in yogsutras, are not to
cure diseases, they are a process of
awakening. Today, there is no dearth
of masters and teachers selling
pranayam as an exercise to increase
oxygen supply to the physical body
and boost adrenalin. The fact is,
pranayama does not pertain to the
physical body or annamaya. It is a
salutation to prana, and prana runs
in the pranamaya kosha, which
directly affects the annamaya.The fact is,
pranayama
does not
pertain to the
physical body
or annamaya. It
is a salutation
to prana, and
prana runs in
the pranamaya
kosha, which
directly affects
the annamaya.